Every bride arrives at my salon with her phone already open.

The photo is right there on the screen. Sometimes one. Usually eleven.

And she asks me the same thing every time. Which of these is realistic?

I know the answer before I look. Almost every bridal hair photo you have saved has more hair in it than the person actually grew.

Not filtered, not edited. Physically added, before anyone took the picture.

How the hair situation began

What's behind every bridal photo?

At least four things:

• A professional photographer
• Professional lighting
• Professional makeup
• And a fourth one nobody talks about

You already know about the first three. The fourth one surprises people. Most brides think all that thickness comes from styling.

So what is the fourth thing nobody talks about?

So what is the fourth thing nobody talks about?

Your stylist will recreate the style. It will look decent, but nowhere near like the photo - so you'll probably end up disappointed.

Not because she isn't good, but because every style needs a certain amount of hair to exist.

Height at the crown. Curls that don't go flat by the time you cut the cake.

check out their halo collection ->

If the extra hair isn't there, I can build it out of backcombing and hairspray. But it only holds about forty minutes.

Then it drops. During photos, during the ceremony, or if I'm lucky, somewhere between the cake and the first dance.

Your stylist won’t want to be the one telling you, eight weeks out, that your hair isn't thick enough for the wedding you've been picturing for years.

So I'm telling you now, while you still have time to do something about it. And the fix is simple. It takes a minute to put on, no glue or tape, and you'll wear it plenty of times after the wedding.

The secret in my kit I never used to mention

The secret in my kit I never used to mention

The one I use is the Irresistible Me halo. One or two pieces of real hair on a clear wire, thin as a fishing line. It sits on your head without being visible, because it tucks under the top layer of your own hair.

No tape. No glue. Nothing bonded to your hair. Just hair that sits on your head, with small clips at the back to keep it in place.

It's real human hair, so it takes a curl or any other styling and actually holds it.

With these extensions the style has enough hair to hold its shape.

BLACK

BROWN

BLONDE

RED

Choose from 40 Shades

Four questions I get every single time:

Four questions I get every single time:

Order it eight weeks out, not two

Order it eight weeks out. Not two.

If you remember one practical thing from this, make it this one.

Eight weeks gives you time to order it, hold it up in daylight, exchange the shade if it's off, and still have it in your hands before your trial.

Then bring it to the trial.

Your stylist can work with it, and she can finally tell you the truth: yes, this style is possible on you now.

You get that answer two months early instead of at 8am on the day.

The brides who do this are the calm ones.

The ones who order fourteen days out are the ones texting me at eleven at night panicking about their hair.

If you remember one practical thing from this, make it this one.

Eight weeks gives you time to order it, hold it up in daylight, exchange the shade if it's off, and still have it in your hands before your trial.

Then bring it to the trial.

Your stylist can work with it, and she can finally tell you the truth: yes, this style is possible on you now.

You get that answer two months early instead of at 8am on the day.

The brides who do this are the calm ones.

The ones who order fourteen days out are the ones texting me at eleven at night panicking about their hair.