If you're new to the blog I select the people/companies for the interviews based on:
- my personal experience working with the vendor at weddings and other events
- I ask myself "Would I hire them on my wedding day?" and the answer has to be yes.
I get the occasional email from vendors asking if they can be featured/pay to be featured - ugh - I don't think so! I select people based on the quality of their work and professionalism on the wedding day, those that I'm happy to see when I arrive because I know my couples will be well taken care of!
Which incidentally is NOT always the case for "preferred vendor lists" if you receive any kind of preferred vendor list I always recommend asking "What is the criteria for listing vendors on this list?" and "Do the vendors pay a fee to be listed?" You would be horrified at the fees charged by some venues to be a "preferred vendor" and the kickbacks "expected" by certain vendors with less integrity...of course you should still absolutely meet all of the vendors you hire for your own wedding day but hopefully these interviews might help.
Anyway, today's vendor spotlight is the awesome Lena of www.HairThatMoves.com. I have had the pleasure of working with Lena (pronounced Len-a vs Lean-a) at four different weddings now so I feel very confident in recommending her fabulous hair services.
I would estimate that hair and make up almost ALWAYS run late at weddings. At maybe 80% of weddings I shoot, photography gets cut back because hair and make up go over. But this never happens with Lena as the hairdresser which is why I am always ecstatic when I arrive and see Lena with her curling irons, hairspray and pins!
Let's get to it:
Leah: Tell me about Hair That Moves
Lena: I started Hair That Moves about 8 years ago. Initially my plan was to cater to my long term loyal hair clients - especially busy moms and professionals who don't have the time to sit in a salon. A well known wedding planner asked me to participate in a styled wedding shoot and this opened up my interest in working on weddings all over the New England region.
Here's Lena:
Leah: How is "wedding hair" different to everyday hair? If a bride is thinking of doing her own hair is there anything she should be aware of?
Lena: Wedding hair is built on a foundation that will last for hours, look soft and shiny, and hold in place. Being camera-ready means as little fuzz and frizz as possible. Everyday hair has imperfections. frizz, curl, bend and while I love to style and color all of these hair types, it is a little more"natural". On your wedding day you may have pictures taken at 11am, a ceremony at 1pm, your first dance at 6pm and your hair needs to look healthy, shiny and flawless for hours! Over the years I've figured out techniques to make hair look natural yet really polished and to make sure the look lasts for 8 hours plus!
Here's Diana and her beautiful bridesmaids with hair by Hair That Moves:
Note that in the picture above Diana's hair is perfectly curled, looks shiny and healthy. That picture was probably taken around 1pm. Now fast forward through a wedding ceremony, family pictures on the (windy) rocks of Nubble Light, couples pictures on the beach in the sun, crazy dancing at the reception and here are Diana & Jeff just before 10pm that night. Note how Diana's hair still looks awesome - no frizz, no limp curls.
Leah: And what about a friend offering to help with hair?
Lena: If the friend has professional hair experience that's awesome but I've heard horror stories of friends just not being aware of the time pressures on a wedding day and everything running late. They may also struggle to curl hair so it lasts for hours or to get a really polished look.
After doing hair at weddings for 8 years, I know to ask questions about the plans and advise accordingly. If the ceremony is on a hot, humid or windy beach then I'm going to suggest an updo to prevent a frizzy mess in pictures! I'm sure you've had to take pictures when all of the bridesmaid's hair is flying all over the place because they didn't think of the logistics of the day!
Here's Lena doing Lauren's hair for her Kennebunkport wedding to Dave:
Lena also did hair for all of the bridesmaids and Lauren's Mom. My favorite "Mother of the Bride" hair ever:
And after a very windy/scorchingly hot outdoor ceremony by the ocean, check out Lauren's perfect hair during the first dance with her new husband. Take that humid-frizz ocean air! You are no match for Lena's magic hair skills:
Leah: So if a couple are in the early stages of planning, when should they start thinking about hair?
Here's Lena doing Lauren's hair for her Kennebunkport wedding to Dave:
Lena also did hair for all of the bridesmaids and Lauren's Mom. My favorite "Mother of the Bride" hair ever:
And after a very windy/scorchingly hot outdoor ceremony by the ocean, check out Lauren's perfect hair during the first dance with her new husband. Take that humid-frizz ocean air! You are no match for Lena's magic hair skills:
Leah: So if a couple are in the early stages of planning, when should they start thinking about hair?
Lena: It's never to early to get in touch with me! I already have a bunch of dates booked for 2013 and we haven't even started the 2012 wedding season! I always recommend a design appointment or a trial. We can talk about what you're looking for on your wedding day; it's really helpful to bring photos and pictures of hair you LOVE and also that you DON'T like so I can get a better sense of what you're looking for.
I can also get a feel for your hair, face shape, desired look ect. After having this appointment and/or the trial you should feel confident that your hair will look amazing on your wedding day!
Leah: Is your focus always on the bride?
Leah: Is your focus always on the bride?
Lena: Well, obviously the bride is my priority but I want the whole wedding party and family to be happy with their hair. I bring a huge binder of hair styles for all types of hair and chat to the bridesmaids and the moms before I start their hair. They really appreciate being able point to a picture and say, well I love the structure in this but I'd like bigger curls/less volume etc. I'm conscious that the bridesmaids are spending their money too and I want them to love how they look!
Here's Lena helping pick out a style from her big book of hair with one of Catherine's bridesmaids back in October:
Catherine's veil being pinned (I love that Lena also shows a bridesmaid how to carefully remove the veil without pulling out the style)
And Catherine's beautiful updo with jeweled hairpin. You are probably thinking that Rob's reaction is utter joy at seeing his wife for the first time but perhaps he was thinking "OMG, I have never seen Catherine's hair look so awesome!" Kidding ;)
Leah: Are there any common "hair mistakes" you hear about and advice on avoiding these?
Here's Lena helping pick out a style from her big book of hair with one of Catherine's bridesmaids back in October:
Catherine's veil being pinned (I love that Lena also shows a bridesmaid how to carefully remove the veil without pulling out the style)
And Catherine's beautiful updo with jeweled hairpin. You are probably thinking that Rob's reaction is utter joy at seeing his wife for the first time but perhaps he was thinking "OMG, I have never seen Catherine's hair look so awesome!" Kidding ;)
Leah: Are there any common "hair mistakes" you hear about and advice on avoiding these?
Lena: I would say the most common mistake brides make are letting others try to influence them away from what they want. So a bride might really want to wear her hair down but maybe a sister, mom or friend is trying to convince them to do something different.
Sometimes it can be a challenge to achieve a look based on the natural hair type, volume and length. Luckily extensions and hair pieces can help in this situation but a trial would be even more important in this case.From a practical/timing point of view, you should schedule any chemical service (color, straightening, perming) two weeks before the wedding to allow your hair to settle down but not long enough for your roots to show. It's best not to try a new dramatic color in case you don't love it. An intense conditioning treatment or shine/gloss treatment is also a great idea.
Leah: I know from a photography point of view it's much easier for me to take the getting ready pictures if hair and make up come to you but are there other reasons?
Leah: I know from a photography point of view it's much easier for me to take the getting ready pictures if hair and make up come to you but are there other reasons?
Lena: It's really a time and convenience thing. On your wedding day you want to eliminate any causes of stress - like traffic, looking for a parking spot etc, hoping your bridesmaids aren't late to their appointment. So having hair and make up come to your hotel suite or home makes everything easier and it's more fun to all get ready together.
Here's Lena in action doing Jane's hair for her wedding to Wendy just last month:
And Lena doesn't only do updos, she did everyone's hair in the image below - short hair, long hair, guy's hair!
Leah: What wedding hair trends are you seeing right now?
Here's Lena in action doing Jane's hair for her wedding to Wendy just last month:
And Lena doesn't only do updos, she did everyone's hair in the image below - short hair, long hair, guy's hair!
Leah: What wedding hair trends are you seeing right now?
Lena: Braiding is really big right now; partial braids or even incorporating a few tiny random braids into an up-do. I'm seeing less super-constructed up-dos, more of a softer natural feel. I love to watch award shoes like the Oscars for inspiration and trends. I get occasional requests for flowers in hair, it's really important to talk to your florist to identify a flower that will last all day. I'm seeing a lot of beautiful hairpieces, often from Etsy that compliment the dress perfectly. And veils have been shorter in past years.
Leah: Speaking of veils, they're usually only worn for the ceremony so how do you style the hair so that it still looks great once the veil is removed?
Leah: Speaking of veils, they're usually only worn for the ceremony so how do you style the hair so that it still looks great once the veil is removed?
Lena: I'll talk to the client and find out when she plans on removing her veil. We can work in a small hairpiece or a jeweled hair ornament so it still looks special once the veil is removed. I'll also show one of the bridesmaids how to carefully remove the veil.
Leah: Tell me a little about your qualifications?
Leah: Tell me a little about your qualifications?
Lena: Well, I'm a licensed cosmetologist and hair designer. So I can officially do hair, make up and nails. Having a licensed professional means that they're more aware of sanitization and good practices. I also carry business insurance. It's the little things you don't think of if you're new to the wedding industry - for example I bring silicone heat mats to rest curling and straightening irons on so I don't cause damage to furniture or carpet!
Leah: Tell me something about you that people might not know and what you do when you're not doing hair?
Lena: Oh, this is a hard one. I may look confident, but I'm definitely an observer first and a talker second. I try really hard to overcome this, but I'm not a fan of being center of attention. [Side note from Leah - this is actually awesome on your wedding day, Lena will talk to you if you want her to but it's not the "Lena Show". I've worked with some hairdressers who don't shut up. Blah blah blah and it can get really annoying when you want to relax, chat with your friends and family]. When I'm not doing hair I'm a busy mom with two great children and I love just spending time with them and my husband.
Leah: This was awesome! Thank you! Any final remarks?
Leah: Tell me something about you that people might not know and what you do when you're not doing hair?
Lena: Oh, this is a hard one. I may look confident, but I'm definitely an observer first and a talker second. I try really hard to overcome this, but I'm not a fan of being center of attention. [Side note from Leah - this is actually awesome on your wedding day, Lena will talk to you if you want her to but it's not the "Lena Show". I've worked with some hairdressers who don't shut up. Blah blah blah and it can get really annoying when you want to relax, chat with your friends and family]. When I'm not doing hair I'm a busy mom with two great children and I love just spending time with them and my husband.
Leah: This was awesome! Thank you! Any final remarks?
Lena: I just love seeing and being involved in getting the bride with un-done hair in her bathrobe to pinning on her veil once she's in her wedding dress. It's just magical to see her reaction when she looks in the mirror or when her bridesmaids or parents see her for the first time. I get such a great feeling when the bride says "Wow, I look amazing! I didn't think I'd look like this.". I also really enjoy working with experienced make up artists to come up with a great schedule (make sure you check out **this** blog post on Joya Beauty who Lena usually works with) and of course working with great photographers so we get to see all of our hard work look amazing on the day.
Lena is obviously crazy busy with weddings at the weekend but during the week she also does "everyday" hair in and around the Dover, NH region. I personally used to get my hair done at a high end salon in Andover, MA but after paying $290 for cut/color/highlights and not being able to see any difference at all I tried Lena out for my own hair and I am happy to inform you that the results were awesome (and over 50% less than the Andover salon!) and I am now a regular client.
Contact info:
Web: www.HairThatMoves.com
Email: lena@hairthatmoves
Phone: 207.698.7997
Cell: 603.682.4465
And if you enjoyed this interview, here are a bunch of other vendor spotlights from the archives:
Joya Beauty in Dover, NH - Joanne is all kinds of amazing and together with Lena they're my hair and make up dream team!
Soiree in Andover, MA - fabulous wedding stationery and more
Flair Bridesmaid Boutique on Newbury St in Boston, MA - you MUST make an appointment here to see Stacey and Lindsay if you don't have your bridesmaid dresses picked out.
Boston Uplights in Reading, MA - Paul is a lighting genius, his magical lights can take your venue from beautiful to spectacular and they look amazing in your photographs!
Lena is obviously crazy busy with weddings at the weekend but during the week she also does "everyday" hair in and around the Dover, NH region. I personally used to get my hair done at a high end salon in Andover, MA but after paying $290 for cut/color/highlights and not being able to see any difference at all I tried Lena out for my own hair and I am happy to inform you that the results were awesome (and over 50% less than the Andover salon!) and I am now a regular client.
Contact info:
Web: www.HairThatMoves.com
Email: lena@hairthatmoves
Phone: 207.698.7997
Cell: 603.682.4465
And if you enjoyed this interview, here are a bunch of other vendor spotlights from the archives:
Joya Beauty in Dover, NH - Joanne is all kinds of amazing and together with Lena they're my hair and make up dream team!
Soiree in Andover, MA - fabulous wedding stationery and more
Flair Bridesmaid Boutique on Newbury St in Boston, MA - you MUST make an appointment here to see Stacey and Lindsay if you don't have your bridesmaid dresses picked out.
Boston Uplights in Reading, MA - Paul is a lighting genius, his magical lights can take your venue from beautiful to spectacular and they look amazing in your photographs!
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