+1 571 662 8717 info.zerothots@gmail.com 10370 Festival Ln, Suite 109, Manassas, VA 20109
Erothots Hair Services

Bridal Hair Styling By Erothots, Trial And Wedding Day

A trial four to six weeks out with your actual veil in the room, a style built on an anchored foundation rather than pinned on the surface, and a finish that survives the veil coming out at the end of the ceremony.

Check Your Date See Prices
Bridal hair styling and updo work at the Erothots beauty salon
  • $85 TrialFour To Six Weeks Out
  • $150 DaySeventy Five Minutes
  • 14 HoursBuilt To Hold
  • Same StylistTrial And Day
Two Things That Change Everything

Bring your actual veil and every accessory to the trial. Not a photograph of them. Where a veil sits decides the entire structure of the style underneath it, and a comb pushed into a finished updo in a different place on the day means rebuilding it.

Do not wash your hair on the morning. Freshly washed hair is slippery, will not hold a pin and drops within two hours. Wash the day before and arrive with it completely dry and product free.

On This Page

Trial And Day Wash The Day Before The Veil Styles We Build Fourteen Hours Wedding Morning Prices Questions
Section 01 / How It Works

Two Appointments, One Style

Bridal hair comes in two parts for the same reason bridal makeup does. Nobody should discover on the morning that a style will not hold, and nobody should be relying on a stylist to remember a head of hair from six weeks ago.

A bridal hair trial in progress at the Erothots beauty salon

The trial runs seventy five minutes and it is working time rather than a preview. We build the full style, put the veil in, take it out again, and watch what happens to the structure underneath. Then we photograph it from four angles including the back, which is the angle you will never see in a mirror and the one most of your photographs are taken from.

Everything is written down. Section placement, the number and type of pins, where the anchor points sit, which products were used and how long the curl was left to cool. That record is what makes the wedding morning a reproduction rather than a second attempt.

On the day the priorities shift. The trial answers what it should look like. The day answers how it holds through fourteen hours, a veil removal, dancing, and whatever the weather decides to do.

  • Trial$85, seventy five minutes, four to six weeks before
  • Day Of$150, seventy five minutes, rebuilt from the record
  • IncludedVeil fitting, four angle photographs, written record
  • LocationAt the salon or on site, travel quoted
  • GuaranteedThe same stylist for both, without substitution
Book A Trial Add Bridal Makeup
Section 02 / The Rule Nobody Expects

Wash The Day Before, Not The Day Of

Almost every bride assumes that clean hair means freshly washed hair, and it is the single most common reason a style drops before the ceremony.

Freshly washed hair is slippery. The natural oils that give hair grip have been stripped, the cuticle is smooth, and pins slide rather than bite. A style built on it looks correct for about ninety minutes and then begins to travel downward. There is no product that fully compensates for it.

Second day hair has just enough natural texture to hold a section, take a pin and keep a curl. This is not a shortcut and it is not about being unwashed. It is the same reason stylists reach for texture spray, except your own scalp does it better and for free.

Wash the day before, dry it completely, and arrive with nothing in it. No serum, no oil, no leave in conditioner and no dry shampoo unless we have asked for it at the trial.

Clean hair and freshly washed hair are not the same thing, and only one of them holds a pin.
The exceptions, and there are two. Very fine or very oily hair sometimes needs a morning wash followed by a complete blow dry, because a day of oil weighs it flat. Tell us at the trial and we will test both and tell you which your hair actually prefers.
Do 01

Wash The Night Before

Then dry it fully. Damp roots on the morning are as bad as freshly washed hair and they take twenty minutes we will not have.

Do 02

Arrive Product Free

No oils, serums or leave in conditioner. They coat the strand, and a coated strand will not hold a curl however long it is left to cool.

Do 03

Wear Something That Unbuttons

Not a top that pulls over your head. Nothing ruins a finished style faster, and it is a genuinely miserable thing to discover at the last minute.

Do 04

No New Products That Week

A new shampoo, mask or leave in changes how your hair behaves. This is not the week to try the one your bridesmaid recommended.

Veil placement being tested during a bridal hair trial at Erothots

The Veil Goes In And Comes Out At Every Trial

Section 03 / The Detail Most People Miss

The Veil Changes The Whole Style

A veil is not an accessory placed on top of finished hair. It is a weight, on a comb, pushed into a specific point, and the structure underneath has to be built to receive it. That is why we ask for the real veil at the trial rather than a photograph.

  • Where it sits decides the shape. A veil set high behind a crown needs volume and an anchor there. One set low beneath a chignon needs a completely different foundation. The same photograph on your phone can require two different builds.
  • The comb needs a seat. We create a braided or backcombed anchor point for the comb to grip. Without one, the comb holds on the surface and the weight of the veil slowly pulls the style backward all afternoon.
  • Removal is the moment styles collapse. Most veils come out after the ceremony, and a style built around a veil often falls apart when it leaves. Every trial here includes putting it in and taking it out, so we know what is left behind.
  • Long veils pull harder. Cathedral length carries real weight, and the longer it is the more anchoring it needs. Tell us the length when you book so the trial is allocated properly.
  • Bring every accessory. Combs, pins, vines, a tiara, anything borrowed. They all need a place created for them, and one added on the morning means rebuilding the section it sits in.
  • Two looks is a real option. Plenty of brides want the veil for the ceremony and something looser afterward. Booked as a second look it takes thirty minutes and it photographs as a genuine change.
Section 04 / Six Directions

Styles We Build

Any of these can be adapted, combined or softened. What matters more than the name is your hair type, because the same reference photograph is a different job on fine hair than on thick.

Style 01Most Booked

The Structured Updo

Everything up, built on an anchored foundation with the shape created by sectioning rather than by pins alone. The strongest option for a long day and the one that takes a veil best.

Style 02

Soft Chignon

Low at the nape, deliberately relaxed rather than tight. Suits a low veil beautifully and photographs softly from behind, which is where most ceremony images are taken from.

Style 03

Half Up, Half Down

The compromise that genuinely works. Volume and structure at the crown for the veil, length left down for the photographs. Needs the down section set the night before to hold.

Style 04

Hollywood Waves

All down, set in a uniform direction and brushed out into one continuous wave. Stunning and the most demanding to keep, because humidity is its direct enemy.

Style 05

Braided And Woven

Braids worked into an updo or a half up, which creates its own structure as it goes. Excellent for thick or heavy hair that resists being pinned into place.

Style 06

Extensions Added

Clip in wefts for length or volume, brought by you, color matched and pre styled at the trial. They must be at the trial, because a style built without them cannot simply absorb them later.

On reference photographs. Bring two or three, and ideally one you dislike. The one you dislike narrows things faster than the ones you like. We will also say plainly at the trial when a saved image will not translate onto your hair type, which is uncomfortable for ten seconds and saves the entire booking.
Section 05 / Longevity

How A Style Survives Fourteen Hours

Bridal hair is not everyday styling done more carefully. It is built in a different order, with a foundation you never see, and that is why it takes seventy five minutes rather than forty.

01

Set, Then Cooled Completely

Curls are set and then left pinned to cool before anything is touched. A curl brushed out while warm has no memory and will drop by the ceremony. That waiting time is the least visible and most important part of the appointment.

02

An Anchored Foundation

A braided or backcombed base is built first, hidden underneath, and everything else is pinned into that rather than into loose hair. It is the difference between a style that holds and one that travels.

03

Two Kinds Of Pin

Grips to hold structure and fine pins to place detail. Using one for both is why styles come loose. The count matters too, and a proper updo takes considerably more than most people expect.

04

Product In Layers, Not At The End

Hold is built through the style as it goes rather than sprayed over the top at the end. A shell of hairspray on the surface looks stiff, photographs badly and holds nothing underneath.

05

Built For The Veil To Leave

The style is tested with the veil in and out at the trial. What remains after removal is the version most of your reception photographs will show, so it has to be finished in its own right.

06

Checked From Behind

Photographed from four angles including the back at both appointments. You will never see the back of your own head on the day, and it is the angle the ceremony is shot from.

Humidity is the one thing nobody controls. It is the enemy of a wave and the friend of a braid. If you are marrying outdoors in July, we will say so at the trial and steer you toward a structure that survives it rather than a style that photographs beautifully at ten and has dropped by two.
Section 06 / Timings

The Wedding Morning, Hair Version

A worked example for a bride and three bridesmaids with a two o'clock ceremony, hair only. If you are booking hair and makeup together we write one combined run sheet with your real names on it, and the two run in parallel rather than in sequence.

08:00

Stylist Arrives And Sets Up

Twenty minutes before the first head. We need a chair with a back you can lean away from, a mirror, a socket and good light. We ask in advance which room has it rather than guessing on the morning.

08:20

Bridesmaid One

Forty five minutes each. The first slot always runs slightly long because everybody is still arriving, so we build that in rather than pretending it will not happen.

09:05

Bridesmaid Two

If makeup is running alongside, whoever has just finished hair moves straight to the makeup chair. That parallel is what turns a six hour morning into a four hour one.

09:50

Bridesmaid Three

Bridesmaids always go before the bride. It keeps her style the freshest in the room when the photographer starts and it leaves the whole back end of the morning as slack.

10:35

Mother Of The Bride

Forty five minutes. Frequently the person most likely to say she does not need long, and equally likely to want a proper conversation about it once she sits down.

11:20

The Bride

Seventy five minutes, rebuilt from the trial record. Longer than everybody else because it is built in layers with cooling time between them, which is exactly what makes it last fourteen hours.

12:35

Veil In, Photographed, Buffer

The veil goes in properly rather than being handed over in a box. Then thirty minutes with nothing in it, because something always happens on a wedding morning and this is the half hour that absorbs it.

13:20

Dress, Final Check, Pins Handed Over

A last look once the dress is on, then we hand over spare pins in your exact shade and show one person how to reseat the veil comb if it moves. That person should not be the bride.

The arithmetic that catches people out. Five heads at forty five to seventy five minutes each is four hours before anybody has eaten and before the photographer arrives wanting getting ready shots. Work backward from the ceremony, add the buffer, then add thirty minutes more.
Section 07 / Price Guide

Bridal Hair Prices

Starting prices including the consultation, veil fitting and the written record. Travel and any on site hours are quoted in writing before you commit to anything.

Bridal Hair Styling Price Guide
ServiceFromTimeNotes
Junior Or Flower Girl$3020 minutesSimple and comfortable
Veil Fitting Only$3520 minutesIf your hair is done elsewhere
Reception Second Look$6030 minutesBook in advance
Artist Stays On Site$60Per hourReseating and touch ups
Bridal Party, Per Person$6545 minutes eachRun sheet included
Mother Of The Bride Or Groom$6545 minutesRun sheet included
Additional Trial$7060 minutesTo test a second direction
Bridal Hair Trial$8575 minutesVeil test and written record
Bridal Hair, Day Of$15075 minutesRebuilt from the record
Hair And Makeup, Trial And Day$430Across four appointmentsSaves $40
Travel To VenueQuotedBy distanceConfirmed in writing
A typical booking. Trial at $85 plus the day at $150 is $235 for the bride. Add three bridesmaids and a mother of the bride at $65 each and the total is $495 for five heads, with the run sheet and spare pins included. Booking hair and makeup together for the bride brings the combined four appointments to $430 rather than $470.
Request A Written Quote Bridal Makeup Page
Section 08 / Preparation

The Twelve Week Hair Plan

Everything that touches your hair, in the order it should happen. Most of these are not our appointments, and we would rather you got the sequence right than booked more with us.

12 WEEKS

Any Big Color Change

If you are going significantly lighter or darker, do it now. Twelve weeks gives time to correct it, to let it settle, and for the condition to recover before anybody photographs it in daylight.

8 WEEKS

Buy And Match Extensions

If you are adding length or volume, get them now and bring them to the trial. Color matching wefts to your finished color takes time, and clip ins bought the week before are the commonest bridal hair regret.

6 WEEKS

The Trial, With The Veil

Four to six weeks out. Close enough that your hair is in its final condition and length, far enough that a different direction can still be tested if this one is not right.

3 WEEKS

Final Color And A Bond Treatment

Root retouch or gloss now, not later. Three weeks lets color settle out of its first flat brightness and gives a bond or protein treatment time to do its work.

2 WEEKS

The Trim, Not A Cut

Ends only. Two weeks out, and tell your stylist you are getting married so nothing decisive happens. This is not the moment to be talked into a shape you have never worn.

1 WEEK

Stop Introducing Anything New

No new shampoo, mask, oil or leave in. Whatever your routine is, it is now fixed. A product that changes how your hair behaves undoes the work of the trial.

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Wash And Dry Completely

Then leave it alone. No product, no plaiting it while damp, and no going to bed with it wet. Arrive dry, clean and untouched.

Section 09 / Six Complaints

What Usually Goes Wrong Elsewhere

Six things brides describe about a previous wedding, their own or somebody else's. Every one of them is preventable and none of them can be fixed on the day.

The Trial Without The Veil

A style built and admired, then the veil goes in on the morning at a different point and the whole structure has to be opened up and rebuilt with fifteen minutes to spare.

Here InsteadThe real veil goes in and out at every trial, and the anchor point is built for it.

Told To Arrive Freshly Washed

Slippery hair, pins that will not bite, and a style that looks correct in the getting ready photographs and has traveled two inches down by the ceremony.

Here InsteadWash the night before, dry completely, arrive product free. We explain why rather than just instructing.

Curls Brushed Out While Warm

A rushed appointment where curls are set and immediately dressed. A warm curl has no memory, and by the first dance there is no curl left at all.

Here InsteadSet, pinned and left to cool completely. That waiting time is booked rather than skipped.

Pinned On The Surface

No foundation underneath, so everything is held by pins pushed into loose hair. It holds for the ceremony and slides for the rest of the day.

Here InsteadA braided or backcombed anchor built first, with everything pinned into that.

Nothing Written Down

A trial with no record, so the day becomes a second attempt from memory. The bride can tell it is not quite the same and cannot say what changed.

Here InsteadSections, pins, anchor points, products and cooling time all recorded and photographed.

Never Checked From Behind

The bride approves what she can see in a mirror. Nobody photographs the back, and the ceremony images are all taken from exactly that angle.

Here InsteadPhotographed from four angles including the back, at both appointments.
Section 10 / The Team

Who Will Style Your Hair

Whoever does your trial does your wedding day. No substitutions, no agency cover, and if we cannot honor that for your date we will tell you before you book rather than afterward.

Lauren Christine, bridal hair and spa artist at the Erothots beauty salon
Bridal Hair And Spa Artist

Lauren Christine

Lauren leads the bridal hair work here and also takes bridal makeup, which makes her the natural choice for anyone booking a full morning in one place. She introduced the four angle photograph at trials after one too many brides told her afterward that they had never seen the back. She is also entirely direct about when a saved reference will not translate onto your hair type.

  • Bridal Hair
  • Updos
  • Extensions
  • Bridal Makeup
Ellamae Rennison, co-founder and beauty editor of Erothots
Co-Founder And Beauty Editor

Ellamae Rennison

Ellamae co-founded Erothots and writes the hair guides on this site alongside the stylists who perform the work. She set the standards on this page: the same stylist for trial and day, the veil tested at every trial, every section and pin recorded, and photographs from four angles including the one you will never see yourself.

  • Co-Founder
  • Hair And Skincare
  • Editorial
Section 11 / Twelve Answers

Bridal Hair Questions

How Much Is Bridal Hair Styling

The trial is $85 and the wedding day is $150, so $235 for the bride. Bridal party and mothers are $65 each, juniors are $30, a reception second look is $60 and a stylist staying on site is $60 an hour. Booking hair and makeup together for the bride is $430 rather than $470.

Should I Wash My Hair Before The Appointment

Wash it the night before and dry it completely, then arrive with nothing in it. Freshly washed hair is slippery, will not hold a pin and drops within about two hours. The exception is very fine or very oily hair, which sometimes needs a morning wash and full blow dry. We will test both at the trial and tell you which yours prefers.

Do I Need To Bring My Veil To The Trial

Yes, the actual veil rather than a photograph, along with every accessory you plan to wear. Where a veil sits decides the structure built underneath it, and the comb needs an anchor point created for it. A comb pushed into a different place on the day means opening up the style and rebuilding it.

When Should The Trial Be

Four to six weeks before the wedding. Close enough that your hair is in its final color, condition and length, and far enough out that a second direction can still be tested if the first is not right. Book the date itself as early as you can, since summer Saturdays go a long way ahead.

How Long Does It Take On The Day

Seventy five minutes for the bride and forty five minutes for each member of the bridal party. The bride takes longer because it is built in layers with cooling time between them, which is exactly what makes it hold for fourteen hours.

Will It Hold All Day

It is built to. Curls are set and left to cool completely, everything is pinned into a hidden braided or backcombed foundation rather than into loose hair, and hold is built through the style as it goes instead of sprayed over the top at the end. We also test what remains after the veil comes out.

What Happens When My Veil Comes Out

That is the moment most styles collapse, which is why the veil goes in and comes out at every trial. What is left afterward is the version most of your reception photographs will show, so it has to be finished in its own right rather than being whatever remains.

Can I Wear Hair Extensions

Yes, clip in wefts brought by you. They need to be color matched to your finished color and they must be at the trial, because a style built without them cannot simply absorb them later. Buy them around eight weeks out so there is time to match them properly.

Do You Travel To The Venue

Yes, and most brides prefer it because getting ready where you are staying removes a car journey from the most compressed part of the morning. Travel is quoted in writing when you book so the full figure is agreed before anything is confirmed. We need a chair, a mirror, a socket and good light.

Can I Have A Different Style For The Reception

Yes, at $60 for thirty minutes, and it needs booking in advance so a stylist is on site at the right moment. Most second looks are a structured style let down into soft waves, which takes minutes and photographs as a genuine change.

When Should I Have My Hair Colored And Cut

Any significant color change twelve weeks out, final color or a gloss three weeks out, and a trim of the ends two weeks before. Tell your colorist and your cutter that you are getting married so nothing decisive happens. Stop introducing new products entirely in the final week.

Can I Book Hair And Makeup Together

Yes, and it is $430 for the bride's four appointments rather than $470 booked separately. More usefully, we write one combined run sheet with your real names on it and the two run in parallel on two chairs, which is what turns a six hour morning into a four hour one.

Get In Touch

Check Your Wedding Date

Send us the date, the venue, the ceremony time, how many heads and the length of your veil. We will confirm availability, send a written quote and draft you a run sheet before you commit to anything.

Request An Appointment Call +1 571 662 8717
  • Monday9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • TuesdayClosed
  • WednesdayClosed
  • Thursday9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Friday8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Saturday7:00 AM to 2:00 PM
  • Sunday1:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Plan The Rest Of The Day

All Hair Services Bridal Makeup Hair Color Hair Spa Treatment Lash Lift Gel Manicure All Beauty Services
Lost your password?