Bridal Booking: Tips for Scheduling and Charging Brides

Bridal Booking: Tips for Scheduling and Charging Brides

Bridal season is the perfect time to fill your book (and your wallet) with special occasion clients. To help boost bridal business, we reached out to some SERIOUSLY in-demand bridal stylists for their tips on booking and charging brides. Keep scrolling… you really don’t want to miss these pricing tips!

Breaking Down Booking:

What’s the most important part of booking brides? TRIALS! Trials and consultations are imperative to setting up style expectations and creating a timeline for the BIG day. Depending on the stylist, consultations can range on average 3 months to two weeks prior to the wedding.

• Suggest brides book their stylist when they book their venue.

BTC Team Member Whitney Burkhart (@wb_upstyles) suggests new bridal clients book their wedding date appointments ASAP. If you’re a new client, she explains, we need time to get to know your hair, so trials are SUPER important for setting expectations. “I also ask brides to bring a list of their bridesmaids and style inspirations,” Whitney adds. “Its helps when creating a timeline for the day of.”

• Have the bride test her style out.

#ONESHOT Winner and Florida-based stylist Shayla Robertson (@samirasjewelry) schedules her trials around the bride’s special occasions. Try and have them come in for a trial when they are having their engagement photos taken, or for their bridal shower, she explains. The bride can really decide if that is the style they want and if it holds up throughout the day.

• Booking the Wedding Day Timeline:

On wedding day, the beauty team really sets the pace, explains Bridal Specialist Christi Piontkowski (@knoxvillebridalhair). Always give yourself extra time for styling the day of so no one feels rushed or left out. “I always like to consult the wedding planner or photographer when planning out my timeline,” explains bridal stylist Sarah Whittaker (@sarahwhair). A lot can happen on wedding day (planned or not!), so be prepared to adjust accordingly.

Purposeful Pricing:

There are a lot of factors to consider when creating a bridal pricing list, A LOT. Experience, location (of wedding and where the stylist is based), hair type and style, and if the client is requesting travel. According to The Knot, brides spent an average of $123 in 2018 on their wedding day upstyle. Here are a few key things to remember when setting prices:

• Know when to raise prices… and when to lower them.

Don’t sell yourself short. If 80-90% of your bridal inquiries follow through with an appointment, it’s time to raise prices, explains BTC Team Member and California-based stylist Alisha Jared (@alishajaredhairartistry). On the flip side, if your bridal booking rate is less than 50%, it might be best to lower prices.

• Traveling comes separate.

If you’re willing to travel for a bride’s big day, make sure prices are adjusted to reflect travel time and expenses. Establish a set rate for weddings and events that require travel, with travel expenses separate, suggests bridal stylist Amanda Diedrich (@blohaute). 

• Establish a deposit policy.

Establishing a deposit during consultation can give a little peace of mind and also ensure you don’t lose out on any potential appointments. Talk to the client about their deposit and then deduct it from the end price.   

Want to learn some quickie bridal styling tips? Click for tricks and go-to products!