Prospective brides often have very specific ideas regarding the look they want to project on their big day. They want to know that their hair will be perfect, both during the festivities and in the photographs they will cherish in the years to come.
And that means identifying stylists they can trust to bring their dreams to life.
It’s a responsibility that Margaret Misenar and her team at Mac Hair Studio take very seriously.
“You want it to go flawlessly, as flawlessly as possible,” said Misenar. “No surprises on somebody’s wedding day. It’s all about making the bride special for that day. It’s all about meeting her needs.”
Toward that end, Misenar has a process. It begins when the prospective bride fills out an intake form on the salon’s website (machairstudio.com/services/wedding-hair-and-makeup), followed by a consultation. It’s important to Misenar that stylist and client click.
“I always encourage them: Please go check somewhere else, because you have to be comfortable with the person who’s doing your hair,” she said. “It makes it easier for the bride, and it just makes the day go so much nicer.”
Misenar always creates a storyboard for the wedding so everyone is speaking the same language throughout the process. The bride-to-be typically sends Misenar a photo of herself and one showing how she would like to look — frequently derived from places like Instagram — and Mac Hair Studio works to “meld” the two looks.
It’s important to consider the shape of the woman’s face, as well as the style of the dress.
“We might have to determine: Does that look fit that dress and that hair?” said Misenar. Every woman is unique, and what works on a model in a photograph may not necessarily work for the bride.
Misenar typically creates the style on a mannequin and sends a photo to her client for approval.
Then, before wedding day, a bride-to-be has a trial session. She gets her hair and makeup done, giving Mac Hair Studio staff an opportunity to rehearse and the client a chance to see how everything will look.
On the day of the wedding, the salon team and the bridal party gather for the real event. A bridal photographer is on hand to document the important day. (See lyndseyannephotography.com.)
Beyond weddings
Misenar launched Mac Hair Studio in 2001 after years of training and experience. The “Mac” is derived from her maiden name, MacKinnon, and the logo comes from her homeland, Scotland. Among those with whom she has trained is Vivienne Mackinder, former international artistic director for Vidal Sassoon.
“I’ve kept up that relationship throughout the years, and now all of my girls follow her program and her teaching,” Misenar said.
The salon, which consists of three buildings, has been at the same location since it was opened: 3831 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville. It is, at once, both a neighborhood salon and one that attracts clientele from all over Northeast Florida, including celebrities, though that’s certainly not a prerequisite.
“Everybody is equal when you walk through the front door,” Misenar said. “Everybody deserves the same type of service.”
The stylists train extensively to perfect their precision cutting skills. The salon uses Ȁz, Keune and Kevin Murphy product lines.
One of the studio’s biggest offerings is hair extensions, which has become very popular in recent years. Mac Hair Studio works with two notable companies to provide this service: the highly regarded hairtalk extensions and Beauvoir, which offers high-quality virgin extensions.
Consultations are also necessary before working on extensions.
“I take pride in having highly skilled, good consultations that lead to good results,” Misenar said.
The team at Mac Hair Studio also excels at hair color.
“In today’s world, color is your bread and butter,” said Misenar. “It’s what you have to be good at ... We really do a lot of training on different techniques of hair color.”
To learn more, Mac Hair Studio can be found at instagram.com/machairstudio and facebook.com/MACHairStudio, as well as its website: machairstudio.com.
