The Bridal Guide
FAQs
Your guide to the Do’s & Dye bridal experience, from deciding if we’re the right fit to preparing for your trial and wedding day.
Is this the right fit?
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We’re a great fit for brides who love romantic, and boho-inspired hair and soft glam makeup paired with thoughtful communication and a calm, supportive experience. If you value feeling like yourself, just elevated and confident, you’ll likely feel right at home with us.
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Our approach is intentional, organized, and relaxed. From booking to the wedding day, we focus on excellent communication, seamless planning, and creating a fun, stress-free environment where you and your crew feel taken care of.
Our dream bridal experience includes:
Booking both hair and makeup for a cohesive look
Optional luxury extensions for added fullness or length
Pre-wedding color services for a seamless final result
A calm, fun getting-ready atmosphere—whether in the salon or on location
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Soft, romantic bridal hair with airy texture and natural movement, intentionally undone yet precisely placed, paired with bright, feminine makeup that enhances your features with radiant skin, soft glam definition, and fluttery lashes.
Always polished. Never heavy or cakey.
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Yes. Our bridal team offers on-location wedding hair and makeup services so you can get ready wherever your day begins, whether that’s a local venue, hotel, private residence, or a destination wedding location.
We regularly travel for weddings and coordinate closely with your timeline to make the getting-ready experience seamless and stress-free, no matter where you’re celebrating.
Travel fees may apply based on location and team size, and we’ll review all details with you during the booking process so everything is clear upfront.
Planning a destination wedding? Read our FAQs
Trials & Preparation
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Each bridal trial is scheduled for one hour per service (hair and/or makeup) and is included in your bridal package. During that time, we’ll create one full, polished look and walk through any refinements together.
If you’d like to explore more than one style or variation, just let us know in advance. We’re happy to extend your appointment for an additional fee to allow time to fine-tune your options.
We strongly recommend combining your hair and makeup trial whenever possible. Seeing the full look together helps ensure everything feels cohesive and allows us to finalize details with confidence ahead of the wedding day.
After your trial, we’ll follow up within a few days to check in on how everything held up—because how your look wears is just as important as how it starts.
For best results, we suggest scheduling your trial after you’ve chosen your wedding venue and dress. Both help guide the overall feel of your look. If you already have a clear vision, you’re welcome to book a trial before officially booking bridal services.
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Scheduling Your Trial Done
January–April is ideal for trials since we have more flexibility to pick the perfect date outside of our busy wedding season.
Enjoying the fiancé era? Doing a trial sooner is another fun excuse to feel like a bride while checking an item off your wedding to-do list.
Super indecisive? Waiting until closer to the wedding may help avoid second-guessing
Once your dress and venue are decided, you’re good to go anytime to book your trial.
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Yes — and we strongly recommend it whenever possible. Combining your bridal hair and makeup trial allows you to see your full look together, ensuring everything feels cohesive and balanced.
It also helps us finalize details with confidence and gives you a clearer picture of how your overall look will wear throughout the day. Many brides find this makes decision-making easier and the experience more efficient.
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Bring Inspiration Photos:
Bring 2 to 3 inspo photos with you to your appointment. Choose images of women with similar hair color and skin tone to you. This helps us create the most realistic, like-you results.Accessories:
Bring any accessories you have purchased or try pieces like greenery, baby’s breath, pearls, hair vines, or flower crowns. Small individual pins are easiest to work with.Hair Prep:
Hair should be clean, fully dry, and blow-dried smooth. Avoid heavy oils or styling creams because we will add any products needed. Naturally curly? Style your hair as you normally would. We love working with natural texture for effortless looks.Makeup Prep:
Arrive with a clean, moisturized face and no makeup. Consider dermaplaning 1 to 2 weeks before your trial for smooth, flawless skin and have your brows professionally shaped. Planning a spray tan for your wedding? A base tan at your trial gives a more accurate look. We can recommend trusted artists if needed.Hair Color:
Make sure your color is current. Roots or flat color can affect the final look. Subtle highlights add dimension. If you would like a color consultation or touch-up with us, fill out our New Client Form.Extensions:
Let us know which option you will use ahead of time. Options include:Rental, 18 to 20 inches, $200, must be returned within 1 week
Purchased, starting at $400, color matched for your hair
Your own clip-ins, $40 styling fee
Trial Outfit:
Wear a white top or dress with a neckline similar to your wedding dress to see your full look. -
In short, definitely!
Fresh Color Touch-Up
If you color your hair regularly, schedule a touch-up 1 to 2 weeks before your trial and wedding. Fresh color keeps your hair looking polished, vibrant, and beautifully dimensional for your photos and style.
If you’re new to color: We love adding very subtle, natural highlights to bridal hair. They are soft, low-maintenance, and completely natural-looking, yet they make your style come alive by showing off movement and dimension. Even the slightest hint of highlight can take your wedding day look to the next level without any extra upkeep.
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Extensions are one of the most impactful bridal upgrades. They can add:
Volume, fullness, and/or length
Styling versatility
Better hold and longevity
Added dimension without permanent change
We offer both rental and purchase options depending on your needs.
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Absolutely. Your bridal trial includes enough time to complete one full, polished look for hair and/or makeup. This allows us to create a cohesive style and make thoughtful adjustments together.
If you’d like to explore more than one look or try variations, just let us know ahead of time. We’re happy to extend your bridal trial appointment for an additional fee so there’s plenty of time to experiment, refine, and feel confident in your final choice.
Bridal Hair Extensions
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Hair extensions are one of the most impactful bridal upgrades. They can add volume, fullness, length, dimension, and improved styling hold. Extensions allow us to create fuller, more polished styles that photograph beautifully and last throughout your entire celebration without making a permanent change to your hair.
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Yes. We offer temporary clip-in extensions that can be rented or purchased, depending on your needs and future plans for the hair.
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Rental Extensions are ideal for brides who want extensions for their wedding day only. This option allows you to achieve a full, long look without committing to ownership.
Because we have limited rental inventory, we recommend reserving your set as soon as possible. If you plan to rent, please notify us before your trial so we can ensure the correct set is available.
Rental extensions must be returned within one week of the wedding by dropping them off at the salon or mailing them to:
224 Whiting Lane, West Hartford, CT 06119.To return them, extensions should be gently brushed, loosely braided, and placed in a Ziplock bag to prevent tangling. Extensions must be returned in the same condition they were received. Damaged or excessively tangled extensions may be subject to a replacement fee.
Purchasing Extensions is best for brides who would like to use their extensions beyond the wedding day. Many brides choose to purchase early so they can use them for engagement photos, bridal showers, bachelorette events, trials, and wedding day styling.
Purchases include professional guidance, custom color matching, and an appointment where we teach you how to install and style them confidently.
Extension sets start at $425. Custom cutting or blending, if needed, is an additional charge.
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We handle all color matching. This can be done during an in-person consultation or by reviewing photos of your hair. For the most accurate match, please send photos taken in outdoor indirect sunlight from the front, back, and both sides.
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The most common length is 18 inches, which creates long, natural-looking results for most brides whose hair is at least a few inches past their shoulders. If your hair is very short or very thick, we may recommend adjusting the length or quantity for the most seamless blend.
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Extensions are one of the most impactful bridal upgrades. They can add:
Volume, fullness, and/or length
Styling versatility
Better hold and longevity
Added dimension without permanent change
We offer both rental and purchase options depending on your needs.
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Absolutely. Your bridal trial includes enough time to complete one full, polished look for hair and/or makeup. This allows us to create a cohesive style and make thoughtful adjustments together.
If you’d like to explore more than one look or try variations, just let us know ahead of time. We’re happy to extend your bridal trial appointment for an additional fee so there’s plenty of time to experiment, refine, and feel confident in your final choice.
Wedding Day Details
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We love including flower girls in the getting-ready experience. It helps them feel special and creates sweet wedding day memories. We recommend scheduling them toward the end of the timeline so their hair stays fresh and works around naps and playtime. Pricing varies by hair length and style, so please send photos for a custom quote.
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Hair Prep
Make sure everyone follows our hair and makeup prep instructions.Dress & Clothing
Steam dresses the night before if possible.Wear easy-to-remove tops or robes to avoid disturbing hair and makeup.
Space & Lighting
Provide enough room and surfaces for each artist.Bright, natural light near a window is ideal.
Point of Contact
Have a designated person available by phone throughout the morning.Extensions
Let us know in advance if anyone will wear clip-ins. A small fee applies for personal extensions.Arrival & Flow
Everyone should be ready and available at the confirmed start time.Share Prep Guidelines
Share the guidelines email we send one week before your wedding to anyone getting hair or makeup done so everyone arrives ready. -
Good natural light (for makeup + photos)
Enough space for the full bridal party + artists
Neutral, uncluttered background for photos
Comfortable seating
Nearby outlets for tools
Climate control (not freezing or sweating)
Easy access to bathrooms
Quiet / calm environment
Close to ceremony location if possible
Big enough mirrors or wall space for setup Do
Destination Weddings
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Yes and we absolutely love it. Traveling with our brides is one of our favorite parts of what we do.
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We’re open to traveling wherever your love story takes you. Let’s talk about your vision and location and see if we’re a good fit.
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Just like at home, only with way better views.
You’ll complete your hair and makeup trials with us before the wedding so everything is perfected in advance. For the wedding, you’ll cover artist travel expenses (flights, transportation, and lodging), and we’ll arrive with a clear plan in place for you and your bridal party. -
As soon as possible. We recommend booking about 12 months in advance to guarantee availability and allow plenty of time for planning and trials.
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Absolutely and this is one of the biggest benefits of bringing your artist from home.
You get a team you already trust, who knows your hair and skin, understands your vision, and has your full plan in place before you ever leave. No worrying about language barriers, miscommunication, or uncertainty about how your look will turn out, just confidence, comfort, and support on your wedding day. -
Yes. For destination weddings, we send our most experienced artists so we can stretch your budget as far as possible while still providing excellent service. Each artist can accommodate up to 10-12 services, which helps minimize the number of traveling artists needed.
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Traditional travel fees do not apply for destination weddings. Instead, the bride is responsible for covering artist travel expenses such as flights, transportation, and lodging. This replaces standard travel fees used for local weddings.
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Because your wedding day isn’t the time for guesswork. You’ll arrive knowing exactly how your hair and makeup will look, who’s showing up, and how the morning will flow.
No last-minute stress trying to find someone local.
No wondering if they “get” your vision.
No communication gaps.
You’re bringing peace of mind with you, not just hair and makeup. You have a calming, supportive presence from home.
We’re experienced with:
humidity, heat, wind, long wear looks that last from ceremony to late-night dancing
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Yes! Many of our brides love having their artist with them for multiple moments throughout the weekend, including:
Welcome party
Rehearsal dinner
Beach or resort photos
Wedding day
Booking & Details
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A 50% deposit of the total invoice along with a signed bridal contract is required to secure your date. This allows us to reserve your services and ensures clear expectations for both parties.
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The 50% deposit is non-refundable in the event of cancellation, as it secures your wedding date and prevents us from accepting other bookings for that time.
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Yes, we do! While we’re confident your look is going to hold beautifully, we’re happy to stay on for touch-ups if you feel you’d like the extra peace of mind.
Extended coverage is available at an hourly rate for touch-ups, and we also offer a flat rate for a hairstyle change (such as going from ceremony hair to a reception look).
Just let us know if this is something you’re interested in, and we’ll customize a quote based on exactly what you need for your day.
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Once your deposit is received and your contract is signed, you’re officially booked. From there, our communication timeline typically looks like this:
Right after booking: Confirmation and next steps
Within a few days: Trial scheduling and prep guidance
After your trial: Check-in and refinement
One month before the wedding: Final detail confirmation and payment
One week before: Final prep email and timeline reminders