Advice from Celebrity Hairstylist Paul Labrecque

Recognized as one of the industry’s top hair stylists by the likes of Vogue, Vanity Fair, Allure and InStyle, Paul Labrecque is an expert on hair. His salons in New York City are a one-stop-shop for all things beauty, and even have a wedding consultant on hand to make sure all of your bridal beauty needs are met. So in effort to find some answers for the most commonly asked bridal hair questions, I interviewed Paul. He was kind enough to share his insight and insider tips with us so that you can all have beautiful wedding day hair!

When should a bride start thinking about how she is going to wear her hair on her wedding day?

PL: As soon as the bride has chosen her gown, she should begin to think of how she wants to wear her hair for the wedding. The reason for this is that time may be needed to make changes with her hair, like growing it out. Bridal trials with the salon can be scheduled to get ideas and also iron out the kinks of the wedding day itself. At the trial, everything should be rehearsed so its one less thing for the bride to worry about.

What are the most important things to consider when selecting a hair style for your wedding day?

PL: I think the most important thing to consider is how much a bride wants to look like herself. For some girls, the Cinderella complex takes affect, meaning they want red carpet drama; they want to have movie star hair and look like they probably never will again. For other girls they want to look the prettiest they ever looked but want to recognize who they are in the picture. Some brides may want a very down played wedding and want to look no different than a night out for dinner. Once your hairdresser knows where you fit into this scenario, it will all become clearer and the perfect look can be created.

Are up dos easier to manage?

PL: For a hairdresser, up dos can sometimes be the most challenging, but once done, the client knows that they will have the same up do at the end of the night that they had when they left the salon. The reason for this is that the hair is anchored and sprayed into place. It will have less ability to be affected for the evening.

When brides get their hair done half up and half down, it is a good compromise, for a longer lasting, softer look.

When hair is all down, it is most susceptible to perspiration, humidity, and the weather. There is a better chance of it not looking as it did when finished at the salon.

Should a bride select her hairpiece or hairstyle first?

PL: For a bride who has a definite idea of how she wants to look, selecting a hairpiece first is a great way to lead the hairdresser in the direction that she wants.

For the bride who has no idea of how they would like to wear their hair, trying out different styles and getting ideas of different hair pieces that would work with each style could lead her to try something that she never knew existed. I keep a variety of hair pieces in my salon for this exact reason. I try to make it as easy as possible for every bride to try as many looks as possible before she makes her decision.

Thanks Paul! These are great tips, and we appreciate all of your advice!!!

For more information on Paul and the Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa please check out their website www.paullabrecque.com

And check back next week for Part II of our interview with Paul to find out the timeline for getting your hair wedding day ready…

Best,

Julie

Comments

I'm sure that Paul is great, but cannot say the same for the staff. book with caution. Make-up artist was to show up at 9 AM to my wedding to complete my make-up and the make-up for the bridal party. Paul labrecque's make-up artist did not show up until 1:30 PM! I was to walk down the aisle at 2PM, and still had to travel to the church which was 20 minutes away.

The make-up artist had called the night before the wedding leaving a message saying she wanted to know how many girls she needed to complete, as she had another committment earlier in the day (we had already pre-paid for her to be there at 9 AM!) and told me, "don't worry, I can rush you. It will be okay." My mom had contacted the manager when we received this message to confirm that this was not the case and we were assured that she will be there on time and we had nothing to worry about.

Well, they were NOT good to their word. My wedding was perfect, with the expeption of their salon. On top of it all we still had to pay!! Apalling!