My Journey to Becoming a North Carolina Bridal Hairstylist

Hey!! It’s me again, Dareece, bridal hairstylist in Durham, NC. As most of you know, I work exclusively with brides only or very small bridal parties. How did I get here? And why would I choose not to work with larger bridal parties to make tons of money?? Let me tell you…

I have been in the hair industry for a bit of time. Almost 12 years as of this writing. I worked in hair salons during and after hair school with zero intentions of ever owning my own business. If you would’ve asked me 5 years ago if I wanted my own salon, my answer would have been NO! I just felt like that wasn’t for me and that it would be a lot of work…I’m smirking to myself while writing this because at this point in my life, I don’t ever want to go back to a salon! Anyways, while working in these salons over the course of almost eight years, I would have ladies come in for prom hair, debutante hairstyles and every now and again, a bridal updo. I always loved the updos. I would volunteer my time to fashion shows in the area to be able to do updos outside of work, while hoping that one day I would make it to New York Fashion Week to do updos and exotic, editorial hair.

Well, life didn’t go like I thought…whose life does?! While I was in the midst of every day living, Covid happened. Yikes! Not only was I wearing a mask and bathing in hand sanitizer, the salon I worked at was closing for good. I had seen a lot of things in the salon industry by this point and was contemplating just being by myself. This seemed like the perfect time to take the leap of going out on my own. Plus, one of my coworkers at that time had just taken the leap to open her own salon suite and was loving it. If I didn’t do it now, with all the craziness going on in the world, I would never do it. It felt like the right time to explore this opportunity. What did I have to lose? And that was the birth of Versatility Hair Studio. Now, my salon clients were with me, holding me down. I love them so much!!! I just needed a bit of side hustle money. I found a job listing on Indeed for a wedding hairstylist. What?? People actually do this for a living without working in the salon??! Hmmm…So I applied, got hired and began working with a Raleigh based wedding hair and makeup team.

The wedding team I worked with booked large bridal parties and required a minimum number of people in order for us(hair and makeup team) to come on location. Sometimes I showed up to do a wedding and there would be two hairstylists and two makeup artists. It was almost like being at the fashion shows I used to work where I styled ten models solo. It was fun for a while and I gleaned so much information about the making of a wedding. There is a lot of energy(and personalities) in the room during wedding mornings with larger bridal parties. Oftentimes, there were numerous people that came to check on the bride or bring items related to the wedding. It. Was. A. Lot. I would look around the room and see different people in different groups having various conversations. Most importantly, I looked at the bride. Sometimes she loved the energy, party vibes and having everyone she loved come together in one location for her. But many times, I noticed that the bride looked overwhelmed, exhausted and like she needed a break. I saw several brides separate themselves from the wedding morning chaos to have a moment to themselves, to write their vows, to sit and reflect or to eat in peace. When it was time for me to style the bride who looked overwhelmed, we would have a light conversation or she just sat quietly while getting her hair done. When I finished her hair, she would thank me for allowing her to just relax and chill. She felt better and said my calm vibes helped her to regroup.

Also during this time on the wedding team, I booked brides on my own. I started to realize that most of the brides who sought me out were having intimate weddings. Oftentimes, they didn’t have a bridal party and just needed hairstyling for themselves and maybe one to two additional people. These brides and I connected well and had the best conversations while I styled their hair. We shared a love for nature, had similar view points about life events and agreed that smaller weddings fit their personality better. They enjoyed the quiet calm of getting ready on their wedding morning. So I thought to myself “why not just provide hair services to the bride only and mini bridal parties”? I don’t need to go with the flow of the wedding hair industry that caters to large bridal parties, booking number minimums and impersonal hairstyling sessions. That is not for me or the brides I connect with the most. It doesn’t feel right in my spirit to force anything on the brides I work with because they have enough pressure from so many sources. I feel called to provide a calm, one on one, supportive experience during this time in their lives, while giving them beautiful hair! And that’s how I came to be a bridal hairstylist for North Carolina brides.

It’s ok to do something different and go against the grain. It’s ok for brides to exchange vows in private or with a small group of close family and friends. It’s ok to say no to larger weddings and the overwhelm they can sometimes cause. There’s no wrong choice out here when it comes to deciding what your wedding day will look like. It’s only wrong if you agree to something that goes completely against what you truly want in your heart. It was a no brainer for me to choose an elopement ceremony when I got engaged. My husband and I got hit with a lot of people asking us to have an actual wedding. And to be honest, for a while there, I considered giving in and having a wedding. It would satisfy everyone and we wouldn’t have to worry about a post elopement celebration. But it didn’t feel right inside. It just wasn’t me. Period. This wasn’t a time to just go with the flow. This was a time to do something that was true for myself, as I encourage my brides and everyone to do.

What are some things you have gone against mainstream for because it didn’t feel right to you? I would love to hear from you! Shoot me an email about your experience, even if it’s not wedding related. If you’re getting married in North Carolina and need a bridal hairstylist for a party of one, let’s connect!