It's already April, and can you hear those wedding bells on the not-too-distant horizon? Yes, summer wedding season is almost upon us, and if you own a beauty salon, you definitely need to prepare for the potential gold rush that's about to begin. You do offer wedding packages, right? And your salon's calendar has a whole block of bridal parties booked over the next few months...
Let's take a step back. To make this your most profitable wedding season ever, you need a strategic approach - starting now. Preparing your resources and targeting your marketing to the ideal client will set you up for success. Ready to transform those wedding bells into your salon's cash register ringing? Let's dive into how to create and execute a winning wedding season strategy
1. Understanding the Wedding Market
Let's unpack the wedding season and who you'll be marketing your services to. Peak wedding seasons traditionally start in late spring and continue through early fall, or roughly May through September.
While it's widely accepted that the busiest and most profitable stretch for salons begins at the end of September (back-to-school) and runs through the end of the year (the holidays), here's the opportunity: if your business is equipped to handle wedding season, you can experience one long, profitable peak from spring straight through winter.
According to a study by The Knot that surveyed 17,000 couples across the US, the average cost of bridal hair and makeup was nearly $300. As for hair and makeup for the wedding party, that can cost about $230 total per bridesmaid. [1]
These numbers represent a nationwide average, but it's easy to see just how big someone's "big day" can be for your business.
Find Your Target Wedding Demographics
To truly capitalize on wedding season, you must understand your target demographic. Start by digging into your salon's reports and history.
No doubt you've provided a client or two with wedding hair, skin, makeup, or nail services. But to get bridal parties seeking you out specifically, you'll need to review your client data to truly understand this lucrative market.
Review your appointment records from the past 12 months to identify which wedding-related services were most requested and during which months. Then, hold a team meeting where your stylists share what services wedding clients have been requesting. Note any common concerns or special requests they've observed—these insights are gold for your marketing.
Check client profiles and various sales reports to identify those who have used your services for weddings. Jot down:
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Age patterns (Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, etc.)
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Style preferences
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Budget range(s)
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Specific services requested
Next, conduct surveys with these past bridal clients to understand how they found you, or why they chose you, and what they valued most from their service. This is something you can do easily through email—provided your salon’s email marketing tools enable segmentation.
Research Local Trends
Researching the local wedding market doesn’t require the deepest dive down the matrimonial rabbit hole. It simply requires some old-fashioned observation and asking the right questions.
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Contact 3-4 local wedding venues to learn about their typical wedding volume, peak dates, client demographics, and which beauty vendors they commonly work with. You’ll need to determine average wedding budgets in your area to align your pricing strategy.
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Join local wedding vendor groups on Facebook or meetups to network and gather industry insights.
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Follow local wedding photographers, makeup artists and wedding planners on Instagram. Monitor other platforms like Pinterest to see current wedding styles and beauty trends in your area. Identify whether local weddings tend to be traditional, modern, bohemian, luxury, or something else.
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Create a Pinterest board, or a physical idea board, to track trending wedding beauty looks. Show these to your next 10 clients to gauge their reactions and preferences.
Determine Your Salon’s Strengths
So, now you know the most popular wedding styles and aesthetics out there. This new knowledge will definitely influence the services you’ll offer. Of course, you can only offer what you have experience providing.
First, consider your salon's aesthetic and vibe, and the wedding style(s) it matches up with (luxury, boutique, modern, traditional, etc.). Then, assess what your salon does exceptionally well (color, natural makeup, elaborate updos, skin treatments), and determine which bridal styles align with your team's skills and training.
With that, that next step optimizing your services to draw in the soon-to-be-wed.
2. Service Optimization
As a salon owner, you play an essential role in helping brides, bridesmaids, and even guests achieve their desired looks. In fact, according to that same study by The Knot, nearly 75% of respondents indicated that they hired a beauty professional for their big day.
In other words, your skills are well worth the money to most people! So, you’ll want to creatin flexible, high-value services that can be tailored to individual bride and bridal party needs while maintaining a professional and memorable experience.
Bridal Service Packages
Create 2-3 tiered bridal packages at different price points with clearly defined services. The sample service structures we’ve provided below give you a practical starting point that you can customize to your salon's specific strengths and client needs.
Essential Bride Package ($200-300)
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Includes:
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Pre-wedding consultation (30 minutes)
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Wedding day makeup application (60 minutes)
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Wedding day hair styling (60 minutes)
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Complimentary lip product for touch-ups
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Ideal for: Budget-conscious brides with simple style preferences
Signature Bride Package ($350-450)
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Includes:
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In-depth consultation and style planning session (45 minutes)
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Trial run of both makeup and hair (2 hours)
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Wedding day makeup application with premium products (75 minutes)
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Wedding day hair styling with heat protection (75 minutes)
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Mini touch-up kit with lip color, powder, and bobby pins
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Digital photo guide of the final look for reference
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Ideal for: Brides wanting thorough preparation and quality results
Luxury Bride Package ($500-700)
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Includes:
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Comprehensive beauty planning session with mood boards (60 minutes)
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Full trial run with multiple style options (3 hours)
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Pre-wedding facial treatment (1 week before)
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Wedding day makeup application with luxury products (90 minutes)
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Wedding day hair styling with styling product arsenal (90 minutes)
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Custom-built touch-up kit with all essentials
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Assistant stylist for veil placement/removal and mid-day touch-ups
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Post-ceremony touch-up session before reception (30 minutes)
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Ideal for: Brides desiring the complete luxury experience with attention to detail
Tiered bridal packages like the ones above accommodate different budget levels while communicating the value at each price point. You can take this a step further with a tiered discount approach. Take 5% off each service if the bride brings 3-4 attendents; kick that 10% for 5-6 attendents, and so on.
Once the bride books a certain number of bridesmaids, you can offer complimentary services, like a lash lift. It’s a lot of work (and very expensive) to get married. You might as well reward the bride for their hard work and for bringing you all this business.
Most importantly, the bride and their bridal party will remember how kind and reasonable you were. Maybe (probably) they’ll even shout you out on social media and give you a great review. This is a chance to boost your reputation as a salon that is as accommodating and gracious as it is talented.
Mixed Service Accommodation
It would be wonderful if everyone in the bridal party wanted the same services. Unfortunately, this is the real world. The "Mixed Services Accommodation" approach addresses this challenge.
Some bridesmaids may want only hair styling, others only makeup. Some might want both services. Mixed services accommodation maintains overall revenue for you while accommodating people who don’t want certain services.
Being this flexible requires setting certain rules. In this case, we mean setting a minimum service threshold. Requiring at least 5 total services (any combination of hair and makeup) ensures the appointment is still profitable for your salon despite the scheduling complexity.
Remember, you’ll still count individual services toward a service total. For example:
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Bride (hair + makeup) = 2 services
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Maid of honor (hair only) = 1 service
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Bridesmaid 1 (makeup only) = 1 service
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Bridesmaid 2 (hair + makeup) = 2 services Total = 6 services,
The above example meets the service threshold requirement, qualifying for the initial 5% discount.
The Trial Run
You may have spotted this service included in the sample luxury package above. We felt it was important enough to call out.
The trial run is not a general consultation to go over different services and packages; rather, it’s a pre-wedding appointment where the bride comes in to test her wedding day hair and makeup look.
This typically happens 1-3 months before the wedding and includes:
- Initial consultation: Discussing the bride's vision, reviewing inspiration photos, considering dress style, wedding venue, and overall aesthetic
- Product & technique testing: Applying actual makeup and creating the hairstyle the bride wants for her wedding day
- Documentation: Recording all products used, techniques applied, and photographing the results from multiple angles
- Adjustments: Making real-time modifications based on the bride's feedback
- Timing assessment: Tracking how long each service takes to ensure proper scheduling for the wedding day. This is as important for your salon as it is for the bridal party.
The trial run is one of the most important differentiators between everyday beauty services and specialized wedding services. On one level, it helps justify your premium package pricing. More than that, it demonstrates your dedication to perfecting the bride's look for their big day.
3. Marketing & Promotion Strategies
You’ll need to get the word out that your salon is the place to go. The first and easiest step is to dedicate a page to bridal services on your salon’s website. This is where you will include your:
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Packages & pricing info
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Photos (with client permission)
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Client testimonials
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A form to communicate interest
Creating this page with the right keywords and phrases (wedding hair, wedding makeup) will increase your business’s SEO. Once that is done, pull your Google Business Profile and be sure to include wedding services and appropriate keywords.
Social Media
If you you had the chops to become a master hair colorist, or the patience to deal with a bride's wedding day anxiety, you can handle social media marketing.
The easiest (and most cost friendly) way to market your business online is through social media, so, let’s start there.
When it comes to social media, the most important thing is to create specialized wedding content that showcases your expertise while addressing brides' specific concerns. Using multiple platforms (Instagram, Pinterest, email) helps reach brides at different stages of their planning journey.
For example, high-quality before/after transformations are particularly effective on Instagram. For an effective before/after post, remember the following:
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Share professionally photographed before/after bridal looks
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Include detailed captions explaining the techniques used
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Tag the bride (with permission) and wedding vendors involved
You can release wedding hair tutorial snippets. Or maybe you’ll produce a “Day in The Life” of a wedding stylist Stories series. Don’t forget about polls about wedding beauty trends, which are simple ways to determine what clients want. There are so many types of wedding-themed content you can create.
Whatever type of content you publish, remember this one rule of good SEO strategy...
Use hashtags wisely! Remember the following hashtag types*:*
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Local wedding hashtags (#ChicagoBrides, #NYCWeddings)
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Style-specific tags (#BohoWeddingHair, #GlamBride)
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Industry standard tags (#WeddingMakeup, #BridalBeauty)
Email Marketing
Launching a successful targeted email campaign is a balancing act for salons. You must balance helpful information with gentle introductions to your services. Each email should provide genuine value while gradually introducing your salon's wedding capabilities.
You'll primarily target recently engaged clients, website visitors, social media leads and past brides. Emails in targeted campaigns are sent in a strategic sequence over the course of about a month. For example, an “engagement congratulations” sequence might go something like this:
Email 1: Congratulations (Immediate)
Subject: "Congratulations on your engagement! A little gift from [Salon Name]"
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Warm congratulations with complimentary gift offer
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1-2 stunning bridal images to establish credibility
Email 2: Beauty Timeline (3-5 days later)
Subject: "Your wedding beauty countdown starts now!"
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Simplified 6-month beauty preparation checklist
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Wedding beauty quiz link to capture preferences
Email 3: Style Options (7-10 days later)
Subject: "Finding your perfect wedding day look"
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Three bridal style examples with brief package overview
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Client testimonial with consultation booking prompt
Email 4: Quick FAQs (14 days later)
Subject: "Answers to your wedding beauty questions"
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Top 4 bridal beauty questions with concise answers
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Gentle reminder about booking timelines
Email 5: Booking Offer (21-30 days later)
Subject: "A special gift to celebrate your upcoming wedding"
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Limited-time incentive with clear expiration date
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Direct booking link with simplified next steps
4. Prepping Your Salon
Once the bookings start flowing in, you need to make sure your salon can handle all the logistics.
Your salon’s scheduling system should allow you to block out peak wedding dates. You know generally when wedding season is, but to pinpoint the busiest times, you’ll need to get more granular. Review previous years' booking patterns to identify peak wedding weekends
Streamline The Booking Process
Even small wedding packages are time intensive. Create specific "Bridal Party" appointment types in your booking system and try to reserve 3–4-hour blocks on Saturday mornings/early afternoons during wedding season. Establish minimum booking requirements for these prime-time slots (e.g., must book 3+ services) to make it worthwhile.
Pro Tip: Vagaro enables salons to set buffer times between services. This small feature goes a long way in helping you to avoid overlap issues between wedding parties.
Do you employ any stylists with training and/or experience with wedding-specific techniques? This is your wedding team. Consider designating them as wedding specialists for certain dates. These blocked dates should be viewable on each stylist’s calendar, which means you'll be able to see which dates are filling quickly.
Consultations & Contracts
The client questionnaire captures all important details up front. Knowing specific details about each client's hair type, skin concerns, and style preferences allows you to prepare appropriate products and tools in advance.
This reduces back-and-forth emails and calls that can lead to misunderstandings about services, timing, or expectations. Understanding the full scope of services requested also helps you allocate the right amount of time and appropriate number of stylists for the wedding day.
The questionnaire can be created with your salon software’s custom forms generator, and should include such details as:
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Wedding date, time, and location details
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Getting-ready location and timeline
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Number of people needing services (bride, bridesmaids, mothers, etc.)
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Specific services requested for each person
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Hair length/texture and skin type for each person
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Any allergies or sensitivities to products
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Special concerns or requests (hair extensions, specific products, etc.)
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Inspiration photos for desired looks
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Wedding colors, theme, and attire details
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Other vendors they're working with (photographer, planner, etc.)
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Preferred communication method and best times to reach them
Draft A Wedding-Specific Contract
The wedding contract explicitly outlines what services will be provided, when, where, and by whom. It protects your salon legally and financially and creates long-term scheduling security. It also covers unique, wedding-specific situations like travel requirements, early morning starts, and large party coordination.
Once again, your forms creator can do the heavy lifting here. Just be sure to include the following in your contract:
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Detailed service descriptions with exact timing allocations
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Clear deposit requirements (typically 50% to secure date)
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Cancellation & rescheduling policies with specific timeframes
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Travel fees and policies if providing on-location services
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Additional fees for early morning start times (before salon hours)
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Late arrival policies and how they impact service delivery
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Photo release permissions for portfolio use
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Required trial run timing (1-3 months before wedding)
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Payment methods accepted and final payment due date
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Force majeure clauses for unexpected circumstances
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Policies for adding or removing services closer to date
Equipment & Product Inventory
Proper inventory preparation is crucial to handle the influx of bridal parties and guests. Be sure to stock up on long-lasting, weather-resistant, emotion-resistant, photogenic products that meet wedding day requirements.
Stock wedding-specific beauty and skincare items such as:
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Long-lasting hairsprays: These are essential as bridal hairstyles must withstand hours of photos, dancing, hugging, and various weather conditions. Premium, humidity-resistant formulas are worth the investment.
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Professional-grade bobby pins and hair accessories: You'll need these in bulk and in various colors (clear, blonde, brunette). Quality pins that truly hold are the unsung heroes of wedding hairstyling.
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Waterproof makeup products: Emotional ceremonies and long receptions demand mascara, eyeliner, and setting sprays that won't budge. These are non-negotiable for bridal makeup services.
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Texturizing products: Powders, sprays and dry shampoos create the grip and volume necessary for secure updos and elaborate styles that must last all day and night.
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Long-wear foundations and setting powders: These provide the flawless, photo-ready finish brides expect while withstanding hours of activities in potentially warm conditions.
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Premium skincare masks and treatments: Quick-results products for the days leading up to the wedding help create the perfect canvas for makeup application and give brides the confidence boost they're seeking.
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Bridal emergency kits: Small packages with touch-up essentials brides can purchase for their big day
5. What to Do Afterward
Even after the I DOs, you aren’t done. There are many opportunities following each wedding appointment to set your salon up for further success.
Follow Up
Be sure to follow up with every wedding client. Personalized thank-you notes expressing gratitude for choosing your salon for their special day is a nice touch. You may even include a small gift card or discount for future services if possible.
Being gracious is, of course, its own reward. But it also increases the likelihood that clients will do something for you post-wedding. Request professional wedding photos showing your work and permission to use them in your portfolio and in social media testimonials. Encourage brides to leave reviews on your business listings, especially if they were satisfied with your services.
Post-Wedding Deals & Referrals
Why shouldn’t you keep a good thing going? Offer clients a special package for color touch-ups, treatments, or cuts about 3-4 weeks after the wedding. Have an even nicer offer ready for services around their first anniversary to cement this relationship.
That relationship can pay dividends with a referral program that will grow with each new bride. Offer incentives if they refer other engaged friends to your salon. Speaking of friends, don’t forget about that bridal party. Convert bridesmaids and family members into regular clients by sending them welcome offers.
Your wedding season strategy will change over time, but these are the first steps toward taking full advantage. Vagaro equips you with most of the tools you’ll need to ride the matrimonial wave of spring and summer to a significant revenue boost. For salons on Vagaro, slow seasons don’t exist. Sign up for a 30-day trial and experience it for yourself!
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