You’ve found the dress; now it’s time to plan your hair. Up? Down? Boho? Romantic? Will you accessorize with flowers, a veil, or maybe something sparkly? You’ve been gazing at fabulous bridal hair ideas for weeks, maybe even months, wondering which styles will complement your dress and work with your hair. While it’s most certainly true that some styles will work better than others for your hair, it’s also important to remember that most of the online bridal hairstyle photos you’ve seen have one important thing in common: the bride is wearing hair extensions.

Yep, that’s right—hair extensions. All those thick, long, voluminous waves and gloriously full updos you’re admiring in the bridal magazines have been helped along by hair extensions. Bridal hair extensions are among the top trends in bridal style today and they are the secret to getting the glamorous, full, textured bridal look you’ve been obsessing over.

Now that you know the secret, here are a few other things you need to know.

You Can Be Queen for a Day (or Weeks, or Months)

Whether thin, thick, blonde, brunette, short or long – extensions are for everyone. Carla Pressley can recommend the specific extensions that will work best for your unique style, shape, and texture of hair. That’s why — just like with your dress — you’ll want to start planning for your hairstyle far in advance. Depending on how long you want the extensions to last, you can choose from a variety of options.

Clip-in Extensions. You can get small clips of hair that you attach yourself near your scalp. This is a quick, easy, totally temporary process and is the ideal choice if you just want a boost for your wedding day only.
Glue-in Extensions. These extensions are glued to your hair by your stylist near the roots. They will typically stay in for a couple of weeks so you can have them placed and then give your wedding style a trial run.
Tape-in Extensions. These are similar to glue-in extensions, but instead use tape for a more long-lasting hold. You can usually get a good four weeks out of tape-in extensions.
Sew-in Extensions. With sew-in extensions, your natural hair is carefully blended with extensions that are sewn in to your hair along the root line. As you might imagine, this process takes a couple of hours to do, but these extensions can last up to two months.
Fusion, or pre-bonded Extensions. During this process, small, individual beads with a small amount of hair are bonded to your hair at the root. The result is a seamless blend that lasts upwards of four months with good care.

Hair extensions are widely available in different colors, lengths, and textures. Quality also varies significantly between manufacturers. For those with naturally curly hair, a fabulous place we recommend for hair extensions is Kurly Klips. You will find a variety of styles and textures. None of their extensions are pre-dyed, and you have the option to color it to match your own hair.

We also recommend Remy hair extensions, which are the most beautiful, natural-looking ex-tensions available. You can purchase Remy extensions from Bella Crown. Remy extensions can be dyed to match your own hair color for a perfect blend; no one, but you and your stylist will know.

As your special day approaches, remember hair extensions are the secret to getting hair that flows beneath your veil or piles high and proud atop a sparkling tiara. To begin planning, request and appointment with Carla Pressley, as soon as you have a date set. She knows everything about bridal hair in DC.

Photo Credits:

Hair and Makeup: Carla Pressley

Photography: Veronica Weston Studios

Dress: Rosalins Bridal