All you need is love and … some wisdom from a wedding professional.
Now, I know a lot about weddings, but not everything, so “People We Love”is a series of interviews with wedding professionals, who will share their stories and wedding wisdom.
Meet Ria from Aurum Hairstylists
Business Name: Aurum Hairstylists
Tell us a bit about yourself and your business: My husband and I created Aurum in 2014 – we have young children, so the commitment meant my husband built and designed the salon – then stayed home with the kids while I ran the salon as a solo operation. I quickly realised I was busier than I could keep up with so slowly started building my team from there. We now have 4 stylists in total. At Aurum we pride ourselves on being open and caring about our clients and helping them manage their hair at home. We specialise in bespoke contour colouring techniques, wedding hair, luxury hair treatments and home care advice.
What do you love about your job? I love helping people feel better about themselves – when they leave my chair with a smile on their face and a skip in their step – that’s the moment that makes all the long hours and hard work worth it.
What do you do in your spare time, hobbies/interests? I have young children, so most of my spare time is dedicated to them and my family. I come from a large family so the best relaxation for me is catching up with family and friends as much as possible. I love travel, home design and decor, beach walks and yoga when I get time.
What one thing do you wish every wedding couple knew? Just enjoy the day, as it goes so fast. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Focus on your love and connection with your partner, not just the day and the party – everything else is a bonus.
Any wedding trends you love, or would love to see disappear? For brides hair wise – I love classic looks whether it’s soft or structured. It should always be timeless, so you can look at it in 20 years and still love it. I love how weddings in general progress with time and reflect the couple’s personality rather than just doing it to be on trend. Pinterest is so fantastic for ideas and themes and just creating mood boards of images that speak to you and reflect the kind of day you want. Being able to show these to your hairdresser or anyone else involved in your wedding is so important, so everyone knows the overall look you want.
Any great /interesting stories about working with a couple? Because I trained and worked in Arrowtown we did weddings all year round so I developed these skills early in my career, and I still have an image in my head of every single bride I have had the pleasure of working with. Most had amazing love stories, some were dealing with devastation and family loss, and how different brides choose to honour that special loved one that couldn’t be with them was so emotional to see.
I have done weddings at the top of a ski field, near the beach in Brighton, Queenstown hotels, my own bridesmaids on a beach in Thailand, Larnach Castle. Doing a bride’s hair on Christmas Eve, standing in the shower as there was no where else to stand while she was getting her make up done. I tell brides during the practice that their hair should feel secure enough to run around the block – one bride actually went to the gym and ran on the treadmill for an hour with hair practice hair up in and I’m proud to say that it lasted!
What two pieces of advice would you give a couple planning their wedding? Have fun. Make sure it’s about you as a couple, not all about pleasing everyone else. Book as much as you can well in advance to secure your date, as weddings tend to book a year in advance, even for hair and make-up.
One insider tip/trick to pass on? Hair wise – most brides grow their hair for the big day – but that’s not what your hairdresser needs to work with. Healthy long hair is best – get regular trims every 8 weeks and deep conditioning treatments every time you get it trimmed. Also think about having some shaping and layers in your hair – this helps curls to sit better and last longer. The right salon quality shampoo, conditioner and styling products you are using are the most important next to regular trims to maintain healthy hair.
Talk to your hairdresser about what you can be using specific to your hair needs from now on to create good hair habits and have the healthiest, shiniest hair for your big day. Also if you have a dream colour in mind start planning that well before the wedding so that your stylist has time to plan it out, as sometimes colour can take a few visits to achieve the right shade.
If you love advice and vibe of Ria at Aurum then you can contact them here:
Website: aurum hairstylists
Facebook: Facebook/aurumhairstylists
Instagram: @aurumhairstylists
Pinterest: aurumhairstylists
Angela Port - Celebrant - Dunedin 