Most women dream of the intricacies of their big day, right from getting the perfect gown and the walk down the aisle. Every bride wants to feel beautiful for her nuptials. After all, it’s the one day she is guaranteed to have all eyes on her. That’s why she sets out to get every detail right.
When D-day arrives, every bride typically has everything in place, and all they can hope for is for the day to go on as planned. Most brides also go for a wardrobe change between their ceremony and reception. One thing you don’t expect is for the wife-to-be to take the drastic route and chop off her hair for the big day.
A Blushing Bride
Holly Garrido was your typical blushing bride, and unsurprisingly, like most other brides, she felt like she still had unfinished business before she could walk down the aisle. Garrido visited the Avant-Garde Salon with intentions to shake things up for her big day. However, what she had in mind was essentially life-changing.
Garrido had put years into the process of growing her locks, but it just wasn’t cutting it for her big day. The task at hand also needed just about every free hand in the salon to chip in and help the bride-to-be tame her locks.
Up To The Task
Garrido explained to the stylists that she wanted a makeover before walking down the aisle. The state of her hair left the team speechless. Garrido had subjected her mane to a lot, including several dye jobs, and it now left her locks dry and damaged.
Garrido had also let her strands grow wild, and the team had the challenging task of letting her know that the first order of business was a chop. The kind of damage she had needed at least two-feet of hair cut off to rejuvenate her mane.
The Tough News
Jeremy Hartfield, one of the stylists working on Garrido, knew that the job called for reinforcement. Garrido’s locks need intervention from colorist Sara Pastella as well. They also needed to sit down with Garrido to figure things out. The woman was about to headline an even more life-changing occasion after that.
It wasn’t hard to see that her locks weighed down on her, and Garrido hid beneath them for months. Pastella would later reveal to Modern Salon during an interview that Garrido’s father was partially behind the condition of her mane. He had told her that women should keep a head full of long locks.
The First Trim
Beyond helping Garrido achieve an aisle-ready look, Hartfield and Pastella also had the task of helping her overcome the insecurities surrounding her appearance. Hartfield started by tying Garrido’s locks in a ponytail, and the next step was giving her the first trim.
That first-chop took two feet off of Garrido’s mane, and it was a rather drastic change. Garrido let out a surprised scream when she saw the chunk of hair Hartfield had cut off. Her shocked reaction caught the attention of those around them who were now curious about the situation.
Inching Closer To A Change
Hartfield had gotten the ball rolling, and he wasn’t about to stop until Garrido got her dream look. He kept trimming off chunks of hair until he had gotten rid of all her damaged locks. That wasn’t even anywhere close to the end of it.
Now, Pastella has the task of giving Garrido the winning shade she deserved. Garrido still kept trying to adapt to her new length while Pastella prepped her for the coloring. The good news was that Pastella wouldn’t have to try too hard to get the perfect shade.
Going Chameleon
Garrido already had a new cut, and she only needed a color change to complete her transformation. Pastella worked on her mane with care, and it wasn’t long before she set Garrido up under the hood dryer. Sadly, the dye didn’t take.
This was the last thing that Garrido needed on her big day, but all was not lost. Pastella knew what had to be done to fix the problem. She had years of experience working as a colorist, and she knew that the solution was giving Garrido’s roots a shadow.
The Final Touches
Finally, Garrido’s had a look any wife-to-be would dream of pairing with her wedding look. However, it wasn’t over, and she still had a surprise coming. The team offered to go the extra mile and do her makeup. They wanted to give her the full transformation she deserved.
Garrido was up for it because she trusted them to help her bring her desired look to life. They went with darker lashes that perfectly emphasized her eyes paired with a pale pink lip color. If Garrido had thought that they couldn’t top off her new cut, she was in for a surprise.
Seven Hours Later
The task took the salon seven grueling hours to give Garrido a look she envisioned for her nuptials. When Garrido got to the salon, it was 7 p.m., and the team worked round the clock, making sure that by the time she got up from the styling chair, she got precisely what she needed.
It was 2 a.m. when Garrido got up from the styling chair. The team at the salon hadn’t expected that the transformation would take that long, but they were committed to seeing it through. By the time they were done, they were all staring at a brand new person.
Her First Wedding Gift
Anyone who had seen Garrido walk into the salon and the woman she had morphed into seven hours later wouldn’t believe that it was the same person. Garrido herself couldn’t believe that the team had helped her achieve her dream.
The team at the salon had reservations that Garrido would maintain her new look in its full glory. That’s why they extended her a generous offer that she couldn’t resist. Essentially doubling as her first wedding gift, the salon promised to work on her locks for free for a full year.
The Root Of It All
Garrido once took great care of her hair, and she never shied away from switching things up. Her boyfriend, Vashon Ridgeway, had a hand in Garrido’s change. Through the years they dated, he watched her grow out her hair to the incredible length.
It didn’t stop Ridgeway from popping the big question, and she didn’t hesitate to say yes. They started planning their big day and settled for a date at the close of 2017. Garrido eventually realized that she didn’t want to walk down the aisle with her hair in its deplorable state.
A Shift In Mind
The news about their impending nuptials had to be shared with family and friends. It also called for a couple of social media posts, and let’s not forget the highlight that came in the form of wedding dress shopping. She got her dream dress and even shared snippets of it, but one thing made her rethink everything.
Garrido’s hair needed help, and thankfully, Avant-Garde Salon was where she found it. They not only gave her the transformation she wanted, but they also made her feel special. That’s all any bride-to-be wants to feel on their big day.
Inspiring Others
We all love a good story and Garrido’s tale about overcoming her insecurities in time for her nuptials fit the bill. She became an internet sensation after Avant-Garde posted photos of her transformation. Everyone praised their work, and they also tipped their hats to Garrido for making the brave move.
Some people believed that Garrido never needed the transformation, and indeed she was beautiful before it and remains gorgeous after. Garrido’s new look helped accord her the confidence she felt she lacked and needed to feel in her skin.
An Award-Winning Job
When the OneShot Hair Awards came around, the Avant-Garde Salon earned recognition for their exemplary work. They received the top salon award, and they admitted that they set out to show Garrido and her daughter that she could be beautiful both ways, inside and out.
You could say that the salon’s work on Garrido qualified as an award-winning job sharing her story and photos must have also earned them more recognition than before. Regardless, they gave a woman the transformation and confidence she needed to start the next chapter of her life.
Unveiling Garrido’s New Look
Garrido soon opened up about her story, and it earned her a Transformation Shot of the Year nomination. Pastella had a firsthand seat in witnessing Garrido’s inspiring makeover. She took to the stage to talk about Garrido’s journey, but something was missing.
They had shared Garrido’s photos, with her consent, of course, hoping that her story would encourage other women facing similar situations. They had posted the photos online, where just about anyone across the globe could come across them and derive some inspiration. However, Garrido still needed to tell her own story.
A Catwalk Star
The award ceremony doubled as an opportunity for Garrido to strut it on the runway. The woman that walked the catwalk took the room by storm thanks to her renewed sense of confidence. She wore it on her sleeve, and everyone could see it.
Best still, Garrido had maintained the look with help from the Avant-Garde Salon as promised. It all started when she walked into the salon; Garrido had taken back control over her self-confidence. The icing on the cake was the fact that she had the look to match the perfect gown for her big day.
Waiting On Some Good News
Once the catwalk was done and dusted, Garrido, and the incredible team from Avant-Garde Salon waited for the results. They were all rooting for Garrido, who also received the same support from the audience.
Several people had turned up on the day specifically to see Garrido’s transformation up close. They were all waiting to hear some good news, but despite how it went, Garrido and the team had accomplished much more than an award could capture. They were all winners in their way, and that’s all that mattered.
Second Win In A Row
The verdict was in, and for the second year in a row, Avant-Garde Salon took the win home. The team went on about the business of transforming lives with some much-needed makeovers. Garrido, on the other hand, no longer allowed herself to stay in the shadows, and she embraced the spotlight.
The team still thanked Garrido for allowing them to showcase her incredible transformation. Garrido also stayed indebted to them for giving her the makeover and helping her have a look to match her gown for the big day and also help with maintaining her new look.
More Than Just Hair
India Arie reminded us through the lyrics of her famous hit, “I am not my hair,” that we are much more than our looks. Every woman knows that looking good correlates with feeling great, and that’s why we all spend the time and money to keep our hair looking great.
Eventually, most of us find that look that works, and we keep it. The need to switch things up fades, and we only strive to maintain the perfect look. Garrido had allowed her hair to grow uncontrollably for a reason, and several other people faced the same battle.
Taking A Leap Of Faith
Getting a trim, or the big chop for those who dare, remains the most drastic way a woman can transform her look in an instance. That uncertainty that floods us with every single snip that shaves off hair from our head soon fades once we come to terms with the change.
It never helps if you go to the wrong stylist who butchers your hair because that instantly takes away your trust in salons. The next set of people who work on your locks have the tough task of changing your perception and giving you that look you desire. Like Garrido, we all soon find the best stylist and stick with them.
Giving Back
A majority of us have been there before and possibly will be back on the styling chair, taking inches off our mane. That provides an opportunity to give back through your hair. Several organizations accept hair donations, like Locks for Love.
These organizations then transform the donated locks into wigs for people dealing with hair loss issues. Often, these wigs go to cancer patients or people suffering from alopecia. It gives us a different outlook on the strands that cover our heads. They can end up doing some good on another person’s head.
Shaking It Off
They say that when a woman cuts her hair, it means that she’s about to make changes in her life. This statement accurately describes the baggage that some of us carry through our lustrous locks. Like Garrido, we hold onto the length because it might seem like the one good thing going for us.
Trimming or drastically cutting your hair symbolizes letting go of the past and embracing new beginnings. Symbolically, the act of cutting the locks also represents cutting off negativity from our lives so that we can finally move on.
Embracing Overall Wellness
Beyond the emotional changes that come with a new haircut, there is always that resolve to embrace overall wellness that comes with it. Garrido, for instance, fell off the wagon when it came to taking care of her mane until the reality check that helped her get back on track.
After shaving off a decent chunk of locks, Garrido restored her confidence, and she also felt beautiful both inside and out. Hair sometimes carries oils that don’t gel well with the skin, and frequent trims to get rid of split ends helps keep the situation in check.