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Planning a wedding is stressful enough; the last thing you need is a bad hair decision sabotaging your special day — one that will be documented for eternity. Do you go with an accessorized updo, a braided twist, or loose and luxurious curls? There are so many choices, but it needn’t be overwhelming if you follow my top ten tips for preparing for your hair trial and wedding day. I’m sharing this over at bethenny.com too — everybody deserves beautiful hair on their wedding day!

1. Show and tell.
On the day of your hair trial, bring anything you think will help your stylist understand the looks you love or the style of your wedding. Have a friend take a photo of you in your dress at a fitting. Bring a swatch of fabric if you think that will help. Bring pictures of brides, celebrities, models — anyone whose look inspires you.

2. Enhance your unique beauty.
When you’re finding pictures to show your stylist, try to find ones that don’t stray too far from your own look and style. If you are the kind of girl who loves having her hair down and flowing, maybe you don’t want to go for a sleek updo — and vice versa. I think it’s best to go with the look you normally go for when you dress up for an occasion, and then glam it up a notch for your wedding day.

3. Be open.
Your hair trial gives you the chance to live with a look and discover whether you feel comfortable with it. If your hair artist suggests looks that you hadn’t considered before, don’t feel pressured to follow their advice, but while you have their expertise at your fingertips, you may as well give it your consideration.

4. Accessorize.
There are so many great hair accessories available now to add a gorgeous accent to your wedding hair. It will depend on the look you’re going for. For a more classical look, you might want to wear a Swarovski crystal brooch. Jeweled barrettes can be great. Some of my favorites at the moment are bird-cage veils, feathers, and unstructured fabric flowers, which go beautifully with more flowing, playful gowns.

5. Extend yourself.
Don’t shy away from having hair extensions for your wedding day; it’s way less of a drama than it may sound. And no one needs to know — it can be our secret! Extensions are great if you want a little more length or fullness, or if you or your artist is worried about your hair holding a particular style all through your wedding day. Even if your own hair falls, the extensions won’t.

6. Keep having regular haircuts.
At your trial, your artist can give you guidance on whether you need to grow your hair. If your hair is very long or unlayered, it can be difficult to manage and style, limiting the looks your artist can show you at your trial. Because Once Upon a Bride is based at my full-service salon Loft 26, we can take care of your hair right up until your wedding day.

7. Don’t get your hair cut just before the wedding!
It’s better to be safe than sorry, so avoid having a cut too close to your wedding. Especially avoid a radical change of style.

8. Look after those locks.
Pay special attention to hair care in the weeks before your trial and wedding, so that your hair is shiny and healthy. If you’re unsure of the best products for your hair type, consult with your stylist.

9. Be product-free on the day.
On your trial day and wedding day, have clean, dry hair. Avoid using a lot of conditioner that morning, especially a leave-in one. Stay away from silkening products that weigh your hair down and make it slippery to work with.

10. Be flexible.
Say it rains or a wind suddenly springs up on your wedding day, and that down style you had your heart set on just isn’t working. Don’t worry — last-minute changes can be okay, so long as you and your artist are prepared. When you come in to Once Upon a Bride for a trial, your artist will show you a couple of styles and variations so that you have options on the day.

Girls ask me all the time how they can achieve the same looks as the gorgeous Bethenny Frankel, whose hair I have been styling for years for her photo shoots and TV shows. So I shared my secrets over on bethenny.com, and now you can create the same styles at home.

Photo: Forbes.com

I wanted Bethenny to have luxurious looking hair, so I went old school and used electric rollers. They are best when used on clean and dry hair. Take 1-inch sections, spray the section with a wet hairspray to dampen, and then put in the electric rollers. Spray the set with a strong hold hairspray and let the rollers stay in for 30 minutes.

Trick: The wet spray will allow the hair to form the shape of a large round curl while drying on the roller.
Favorite products for this look: Paul Mitchell Sculpting Spray, Sebastian Shaper Hairspray

Photo: Getty Images

On wet hair I applied a clear gloss so my basic blow dry would be shiny. I added a root lifter to give a slight lift at the root, so hair would not be flat. I dried hair 80% and then used a round wooden brush in large sections to achieve a smooth, basic blow dry.

To keep her trendy and stylish, I added hair extensions that were 2 shades lighter than her hair color.

I placed a few throughout her hair so I could achieve an ombre highlight (dark to light). This is a bit more edgy for Bethenny to wear on a regular basis.

Trick: Buy clip-on hair extensions (easy to use) one or two shades lighter, and only use a few pieces. You won’t harm the hair with bleach and can create a new look in seconds.
Favorite products for this look: Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Oil, Oribe Shine Light Reflecting Spray, Oribe Root Lift

Photo: Bethenny/Warner Bros.

To achieve the best sexy waves, I always ask Bethenny to show up with day-old hair. Hair then has some texture already and will not be so clean, slippery and fresh. I spray hair with a hairspray to get the hair prepped and texturized. Add a dry shampoo spray at the roots for a clean boost.

I use my wand iron throughout the hair and alternate my section size. For instance, the first row, I take an inch section and then the next row I take a 2-inch section. This allows the hair to have more of a flow. I use a wand and not a regular clip iron to achieve waves because when using the wand you will not curl the ends. If you only have a regular iron, then you want to leave at least one inch from the bottom out of the iron so the ends are straighter and not curled. To achieve the prettiest waves, you want to remember to always wrap the hair away from the face on both sides.

Trick: Freshly washed hair and over-conditioned hair make it harder to get waves and won’t hold or last. Work on dry, one day old hair.
Favorite product and tools for this look: Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo, Sedu Blow Dryer, Sedu Wand Iron

This style is great when you have time to indulge and pull out all of your tools. I start with wet hair, and apply a root lifter and gloss to the ends of the hair. I use a large round metal brush in big sections so I can achieve a full body blow dry. I use electric rollers on the top section to get a full voluminous look.

I then section hair in horizontal rows and alternate two sizes of curling irons. After I wrap each section on the iron, I wrap the hair up in a barrel curl and clip at the root and let sit in a set. Once I am done, I spray hair and let set for at least 30 minutes.

Trick: I use a 1-inch and a 2-inch iron.
Favorite products for this look: Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Oil, Oribe Root Lift, Oribe Hair Spray

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