by Margo Callaghan

"It's such a treat for me when a bride calls to ask if I can do her hair for her wedding day," says Susan McLellan, owner of Special Touch Hair Salon in Shelburne. For McLellan, along with her co-worker/stylist Michelle Charron, such a request often means the entire bridal party, from mother-of-the-bride to the flower girl, and of course the bride's attendants will flock to the salon the morning of the wedding. "There is a giddy excitement that surrounds the day - it is truly a party atmosphere."

To add to the festive nature of the appointments (which, by the way, should be booked at least four months in advance of the wedding day!) brides will often bring breakfast and mimosas to share, while McLellan and Charron work their magic - though magic isn't quite the right word. It is more of a science, based on years of experience that McLellan brings to her clients.

"I will usually ask the bride to make an appointment with me for two weeks out from her wedding day, and I'll ask that she bring her veil along. That way, I know what look she is after, and how her hair behaves before the day of her wedding arrives," McLellan explained. She went on to say that some brides-to-be come to that first appointment with a vision, and often times an accompanying photo or magazine article, of what they would like their hair to look like.

"After seeing the pictures, I can usually tell if the hair style will work for them or not. The vision may have to be tweaked." That tweaking may mean taking into consideration the humidity, wind and other variables that can affect the final look of a hair style.

Over the last few years, young women have opted to wear their hair longer, which gives McLellan many more options. Out-of-date is the swept up ringlet style of yore in favor of a more natural look. "If the weather and humidity allow, I like to suggest just sweeping back the front, perhaps holding it in place with small pearl-studded pins, allowing her hair to remain long in the back. It's a look that is beautiful with a strapless gown," she offered.

But, come the day of the wedding, if it is sweltering outside, the bride may want to opt for a style that will be cooler, off the neck and shoulders, though still softly natural. McLellan explains that her work is easier thanks to product that manages to control hair "without shellacking it into place." She also relies on newly formulated "anti-frizz" hair products, so that brides still look fresh and frizz-less into the evening hours of the wedding day. Her tip to brides is that they shampoo hair the day before the wedding. This allows some of the natural oils to return to the hair, which helps control tresses throughout the next day. McLellan notes that for most women, hair products perform better and their results last longer on hair that hasn't been freshly washed.

Science, art, and magic converge the day of the wedding in McLellan's salon. When a bridal party is booked, the two stylists will "close the shop," meaning the salon will belong to the bride and her party alone, making for a private, though often boisterous, setting that is conducive to celebration, along with attention to detail. "Michelle and I will work around the bride's schedule: we'll open early, or late, whatever is best, given the time of day the wedding is scheduled. I also offer to go to the bride's home, or where ever she is staying, if that is more convenient."

It is evident that McLellan and Charron have a mission when they book a bridal party's appointment: to make it easy, look natural, have fun, and share bit of the joyous celebration of a bride on her wedding day.