MIL wants to use her stylist

atintheburgh

Hi Everyone. So we are getting married November 14 and I am super excited. For the most part planning to date has gone pretty smoothly. I plan large events as part of my job, so for a while it felt like I was just going home from work to do more work, but now we are in a little bit of a lull, with the big things booked and before we can do the small things. However I now have an issue I need some help with. We are getting married in groom's hometown (made much more sense than mine or our current city). His mom, who I love and is usually very laidback and hands off, is determined that I use her stylist for the bridal party hair. Here's the problem, her stylist does not have a website, has a really underused facebook page, ONE yelp review from 2008 and...nothing else. My MIL has short, stylish hair but my bridesmaids, myself and my mom all have long hair (like middle of back and longer). I can't find any pictures of any of this stylists' work. Plus apparently they have an hourly rate as opposed to a per person price - and MIL does not know what that rate is. I am starting to freak out because I did not budget a ton of cash for our hair and because I am worried about his ability to get all of us done in time on the day. Is there a diplomatic way to broach this with MIL?

arrrghmatey

atintheburgh said:

Hi Everyone. So we are getting married November 14 and I am super excited. For the most part planning to date has gone pretty smoothly. I plan large events as part of my job, so for a while it felt like I was just going home from work to do more work, but now we are in a little bit of a lull, with the big things booked and before we can do the small things. However I now have an issue I need some help with. We are getting married in groom's hometown (made much more sense than mine or our current city). His mom, who I love and is usually very laidback and hands off, is determined that I use her stylist for the bridal party hair. Here's the problem, her stylist does not have a website, has a really underused facebook page, ONE yelp review from 2008 and...nothing else. My MIL has short, stylish hair but my bridesmaids, myself and my mom all have long hair (like middle of back and longer). I can't find any pictures of any of this stylists' work. Plus apparently they have an hourly rate as opposed to a per person price - and MIL does not know what that rate is. I am starting to freak out because I did not budget a ton of cash for our hair and because I am worried about his ability to get all of us done in time on the day. Is there a diplomatic way to broach this with MIL?

So are you the one paying for the bridal party hair? Because whomever is paying gets the final decision. If you're paying and you've found someone else you'd like to use, then you say "MIL, thank you for the suggestion, but I've already gotten the bridal party hair taken care of!" If she continues to insist, then you need to stay firm, and bean dip. You may even need your FI to step in and tell MIL that the decision has been made. You can always allow her to use her stylist to do her own hair, if that's what she wants.

Trust your instincts. When I told my stylist that I was engaged, she started going off on her rates for bridal hair and how her sister does make-up and could do my make-up. I like my stylist, but she is chronically late for all of my hair appointments, and has even canceled a couple of times. She lives far away (I've moved since I first started going to her, and I've since started going to a different salon), and I don't know what her sister's reputation is as a make-up artist. And they don't specialize in bridal events, so it would be a gamble in terms of them showing up on time, doing a quality job, and getting the entire bridal party finished in time between the two of them. So I opted to go with a glamour company that specializes in bridal events, has good reviews, reputable website, etc. So don't take a gamble on your wedding day!