Do or Dye: 10 Wedding Hair Colour Tips for Brides

Regarding big-day beauty, hair colour is part of many brides’ to-do lists.

Several choose to return to some version of their natural hair colour, while others opt for root maintenance or add a few highlights to add softness and brightness. Some bold brides even decide to make a drastic change.

But whether you’ve been dyeing your hair for years or are considering it for the first time, and no matter your hair type and texture, there are some practical rules to follow to ensure you have vibrant, dimensional colour on your wedding day while avoiding any potential disasters along the way!

Let's get onto the tips...

10 Tips to Make Your Wedding Hair Colour to Dye-For!

Here are ten top hair colour tips for brides, along with some fabulous inspiration from the Make Me Bridal Pros, who show how to highlight gorgeous hair colour with great bridal makeup and hair styling.

Work Closely with Your Colourist (Especially if you’re making BIG changes)

The biggest hair mistake brides make is undergoing drastic changes too close to the wedding. Hair colour is a process, especially if you go from light to dark or dark to light. It’s important to work closely with a colour specialist, who will be able to advise you on shades as well as timelines so that your tresses are in great condition for your wedding day. Of course, you don’t have to make big changes to make a big impact! For example, tone-on-tone colour adds the kind of dimension that will pick up in photos while still looking natural. Whatever you want, talk to your colourist as early as possible (six months before the wedding is ideal) and be clear about the outcome you’d like to achieve so that you can devise a plan together.

Don’t Colour Your Hair for the First Time Right Before the Wedding

If you’re a hair colour newbie, you mustn’t plunge right before your big day. Start a few months ahead and take it slowly, with just a few adjustments to your natural colour. This will not only allow the colour to settle, but you’ll have a chance to get used to your new look and ensure you love it.

When Should I Dye My Hair Before the Wedding?

Book in for your final colour 1–2 weeks pre-wedding. Your timeline may vary depending on what you’ve done. For example, darker colours and lowlights or temporary colours will fade, so you may want to push things closer to the wedding date; on the other hand, highlights tend to look best after two or three weeks.

But usually, you’ll want to aim for around two weeks before the wedding to book your last appointment. When deciding on this with your colourist, however, make sure you take into account your personal preferences. Do you love your colour most when it’s fresh and new or when it’s settled in after a few washes? Be sure to let them know.

Make Sure to Get Your Hair Cut BEFORE You Get it Dyed!

A haircut is also probably part of your bridal prep. However, if the same person won’t cut and colour your hair simultaneously, it’s important to book the cut first. That way, your colourist will have a fresh canvas, and none of it will be wasted.

Don’t Switch Colourists Just Before the Big Day

No matter how amazing a new colourist is, the weeks before your wedding aren’t the time to give them a trial. Stick with someone who knows your hair and how it responds to treatments.

This is another good reason why it’s important to get started early: finding your go-to person and working closely with them in the months before your wedding.

Invest in Good Quality Products to Prolong Your Colour

You can do a lot to keep the colour looking as fresh as possible, including using good products specially formulated for dyed hair.

These might include colour-preserving shampoos, scalp scrubs, glosses, and colour-safe conditioners. And avoid very hot showers, which can alter your hair's porosity.

Work with Your Makeup Artist to Factor Hair Colour into Your Bridal Makeup

If you’re making colour changes ahead of the big day, keeping your wedding makeup artist in the loop is important. Hair can make a huge difference to your overall colouring, affecting the makeup palette.

Giving them a heads-up will allow them to ensure they have exactly what you need on the day. And if you’re making a major change, you’ll need to schedule your trial for afterwards (or reschedule it if you’ve already had a trial).

Schedule a Hair Trial

Similarly, having a hair trial before your wedding is so important. It allows you to try a few different styles and get comfortable with one of the people who will be with you at what can be an anxious time.

Knowing your style will also allow you to inform your colourist about information like partings so that they can take this into account. If you’re using extensions, you’ll also need to be able to match them.

Don’t Go Too Trendy!

Remember: your wedding pictures are forever. You want to ensure you love the style you choose years from now. So, even if a particular colour or cut is on-trend, don't feel pressured to conform if it doesn’t feel like you. This is your day.

Don’t Try to Dye Your Hair Yourself!

While box colour may have been your only alternative during lockdown, your wedding day colour is best left to a professional! At-home kits produce colour that is quite flat and also tends to lean towards the warm end of the spectrum, which doesn’t suit everyone.

A professional colourist can add highlights and lowlights that make the hair look more natural and consider your natural texture and colour.

• Related: If you liked this article, you may want to read our article on the MUST HAVE products for your bridal beauty bag