Considering Charlie Miller for your wedding hair or a special occasion?
Occasion hair is part of our heritage at Charlie Miller. We began offering the service around 40 years ago, either at the venue or in one of our city centre salons.
All wedding and special event hair queries are handled at head office by our co-ordinator extraordinaire, Darlene Sparrow. She gets exact details of whatever is needed and then liaises directly with each of the salons to find the perfect fit for the bride’s big day. She checks availability as well as accessibility to each of our branches. If the bridal party require the stylist to travel to their venue, then that’s where we go!
Darlene takes into consideration all ideas the bride-to-be may have, which might mean matching her up with a specific stylist; more and more brides are going for simple, less intricate styles for their wedding.
Loose waves, natural curls or bohemian styles are looks that all of our stylists execute beautifully. But, the ‘less is more’ vibe can also work perfectly with a certain dress or theme.
But ‘hair-ups’, including those ‘undone’ up-do’s, half up half down styles, and the more intricate braids are a skill set all of their own. Requiring intense training and a love for occasion hair, this service is available with a select few. One such stylist with a passion for put ups is South St Andrew Street’s Karyn Holloway. Karyn has been mastering this skill since she was 19. Now a seasoned Senior Head Stylist, her ardour has only increased with experience.
There’s such a wide spectrum of wedding and occasion hair.
Ranging from classic chignons to modern fish-tail braids and beyond, Karyn relishes every one. “It’s so creative, so varied,” she tells us. “I love the journey with the bride from start to finish.”
Some brides have no idea where to start with choosing the right style and that’s absolutely fine with Karyn. She delights in the opportunity to help choose the best look and has a few go-to questions to help her client decide.
“I always ask to see their dress first as this helps us when deciding what will best suit their overall look. I also like to know if they plan on wearing anything in their hair- whether that’s a veil, comb or even fresh flowers.”
Darlene recommends a trial for every bride, whether you’ve chosen your look or know your stylist.
Most brides opt for the trial within 3 months of the wedding, when the dress, flowers and theme are all set – this means we can work around all these factors to choose the perfect look for the big day – but if that timeline is not feasible, don’t fret- there are ways and means around it!
Karyn tells us one of the most vital questions, even if someone has come in with their mind set on a full ‘up-do’, is whether they’ve ever worn their hair up before, and when she explains why, it makes perfect sense. “When a bride walks down the aisle, I picture them as a polished version of themselves. Do they think they’ll look and feel like a completely different person with their hair up? Is there a reason they’ve chosen never to wear their hair up before?”
Karyn’s goal is to make her bride feel “beautiful and super confident”, so she offers up a few different options or variations, demonstrating this in their dedicated consultation time.
Her most requested look is pieces softly taken off the face with gentle face-framing curls, which can be transformed into a new look in the evening.
Trainee Ruth from South St Andrew Street loves observing and assisting with brides and sees Karyn as a huge inspiration. “She’s so specific when explaining her thoughts to her client, describing her techniques and ideas in detail from start to finish. I love to watch as she adapts and alters to the client’s wishes and is full of ideas if the first look isn’t exactly what the client pictured. Nothing’s ever a problem and it’s amazing to watch her work her magic”.
If you’ve opted to come to the salon on the morning of your wedding day, you’ll be greeted with a team delighted to hear your plans and meet your bride squad. There’s always a fantastic buzz in-salon when a wedding party is due in.
If you’ve chosen for our team to come to your venue then your hairdresser, or indeed hairdressers, will arrive armed with their session bag, excited to get to work on giving you the wedding hair of your dreams.
Always happy to work and liaise with photographers for the perfect ‘getting ready’ shots, Karyn knows the best angles and has featured in many a wedding album over the years. She loves to see photos of her beautiful brides glowing on their big day and is forever honoured to have played a role in making this happen. “It makes me so happy to become a little part of a couple’s history”.
With her finger on the pulse at all times, Karyn let’s us know that Hollywood waves and messy buns adorned with jewelled combs are a big wedding trends for 2024. She also reckons we’ll see more front veils paired with classic, sleek up-dos, and she hopes to turn her hand to all these styles over the coming months.
It’s not just for weddings we can create a bespoke hair up; prom hair, graduation hair and even festival hair is becoming more elaborate.
Whatever the reason, we’re always up for discussing something that’s “off price list”. Charlie Miller stylists are thrilled to look after you whatever the occasion. Feel free to contact any of our salons to discuss all things braids, buns and chignons!
For wedding enquiries contact darlene@charliemiller.com.
Vivienne Westwood photography courtesy of Rachel Scott Couture.
For all other occasions, contact your favourite Charlie Miller branch.