At the salon, we don’t really go by months, we go by seasons. And just like that, Holy Communion season is over and bridal season has arrived in full force.

For the last few months, it’s been tiny veils, big white dresses, curls that needed to survive the chapel and mammies standing with tissues trying not to cry because their wee girl suddenly looks far too grown up. Communion mornings are honestly an operation. Somebody always forgets the veil, somebody’s running late, there’s a panic they will be late for mass. At least one child decides they feel sick five minutes before leaving the house.

And now? The wedding chat has started.

The bridal trials are in. The extension appointments are booked. Every second client is sitting down saying, “Right girls… what are we doing with the hair for this wedding?”

Becoming part of people’s biggest days is a special part of the job.

placeholder image — Becoming part of people’s biggest days is a special part of the job.

Honestly, bridal season is one of my favourite times of the year in the salon. There’s just something lovely about it: the buzz, the excitement, the craic of it all.

Because wedding hair in Derry isn’t just about the bride. It’s the bridesmaids, the mammies, the aunties, the cousins, the wedding guests and usually somebody who decided the night before they now want a completely different hairstyle after seeing something on TikTok.

And the styles! Everybody arrives with screenshots. “Loose waves but pinned.” “Not too glam but glam.” “Up but down."

Then comes the wedding morning itself and that’s where the real chaos begins.

There’s just something lovely about the buzz, the excitement, the craic of it all.

We arrive at houses at silly o’clock in the morning carrying everything we need and enough hairspray to survive a hurricane. The kitchen’s packed, somebody’s frying sausages, prosecco is somehow opened before breakfast and there’s always one bridesmaid still sitting in her pyjamas with soaking wet hair saying, “Sure mine won’t take long.”

Every house has a different vibe too.

Some are calm with candles lit and lovely music playing. Others feel like absolute scenes from Mrs Brown’s Boys. Somebody’s looking fake tan, somebody can’t find their heels, somebody’s lost an earring and there’s always one person roaring, “Has anybody seen my handbag?”

And through it all, the hairdressers are just quietly trying to keep everybody calm while curling hair at record speed.

bridal season is one of my favourite times of the year.

But honestly, that’s the lovely part of the job too. We become part of people’s biggest days. We see the nerves, the excitement and the emotional moments nobody else notices. The bride is having a wee quiet minute with her mammy. The proud daddies are trying not to cry. The bridesmaids are fixing each other’s dresses while dancing around the kitchen to old dance tunes.

It’s more than hair.

And let’s not forget, bridal season also means wedding guest hair season in Derry, which is practically competitive at this stage. Women have the dresses bought months in advance and still arrive at the salon saying, “I haven’t a clue what way to get my hair.”

Add in our famous Derry weather, where one blast of rain can wipe out a blow-dry before you even reach the car, honestly, it’s survival of the fittest.

But I love it. The madness, the laughs, the early mornings and the atmosphere. Communion season may be over, but bridal season has officially taken over and we are ready for it.

Love Margaret.