Crying on Your Wedding Day: How to Protect the Hair

It happens in almost every getting-ready room, and it is the most human part of the day: the crying. A mother sees her daughter in the dress. A sister gives a toast at the wrong moment. You read a letter. And then everyone looks at you in the mirror, panicked, because the makeup is running and the hair is at risk.

The good news: hair is far more cry-proof than makeup. Water alone does not destroy a style. What destroys a style is hands. The instinct to touch, blot, and rearrange with fingers is what lifts the surface and creates frizz.

What I build in on purpose: a waterproof setting at the front. The pieces closest to your face get a slightly stronger hold than the rest of the style, because those are the pieces tears actually reach. If you have face-framing tendrils, they get pinned with a hidden anchor so a hand can sweep them back without losing them.

The mascara problem: this is not a hair problem, but it becomes one. Waterproof mascara, always, even if you never cry. I have seen a beautiful updo with a mascara smudge at the temple in every single portrait.

What to hand the bride: blotting papers for the face, a clean tissue, and a rule. Blot, do not wipe. If a section has come loose, press it back with flat fingers, not a comb, and let it be slightly imperfect. Imperfect and slightly loose looks like real life. Re-combed hair in the same spot looks like a repair.

The one repair I will do if I am still on-site: a two-minute front-section reset. This is one of the reasons trailing hours exist. Extra on-location hours are $400 per hour, and brides who cry easily often keep me for one.

If you want a style that survives the emotional parts, inquire and tell me you are a crier, I will build it that way. Full pricing here.