Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Branham.
Hi Lisa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I signed up for the Cosmetology program at my high school, seemed like a “fun” course and worst case, something to “fall back on”. Turns out, I fell in love with it, but I didn’t fall in love with color or cutting hair, I fell in love with styling it. Every Friday we would have “Friday Free Day” where we could practice any Cosmetology skill we wanted, and every Friday you could catch me doing a hairstyle on a fellow classmate.
I always knew one day I wanted to primarily just do “bridal hair”, but when I graduated with my license in 2011, just soley being a “bridal hairstylist” wasn’t a thing… you worked behind the chair, in a salon, providing all hair services. So that’s what I did, I started out as a shampoo girl in high school and moved my way up to a stylist. I was the only Cosmetology student in my class that graduated with my Cosmetology license (the school didn’t even give me recognition at the graduation ceremony because they didn’t want to hurt the other students feelings…) But I quickly became the “prom & bridal girl” at every salon I worked at, being booked out with those services before any other stylist in the salon, everyone knew it was just my thing.
Fast forward to 2020, the salons shut down during Covid and I noticed I felt relieved, I knew I no longer wanted to go back to doing haircolor and cuts in the salon, I just wasn’t in love with it and knew I wanted to go all in on wedding hair. So during that break, I brought out my mannequin and I practiced bridal hairstyles every day. I stayed up late watching Youtube tutorials, enrolling in online hairstyling academies and posting on social media to get myself noticed, and it worked. After a few months I made it official and launched LB Bridal. Fast forward to 2024, I had just welcomed our second baby girl, my business was taking off and I got diagnosed with breast cancer. I put on a brave face, quietly continued the weddings that I had already booked, but was forced to put much of my business on the back burner. During this time, I was able to really reflect on my life, was I happy with the career I had built? And the answer was yes and no. I was so proud of all that I had accomplished but I quickly realized I was just “another bridal hairstylist” who did great work, I realized I was running myself into the ground taking on too much work and trying to do everything myself. So I took a step back and realized I want to be able to offer my brides more, more of Lisa, I crave more genuine connection and to be someone’s supportive breath of fresh air on what is usually such a hectic overstimulating day. So I started taking on less wedding bookings, booking smaller wedding parties and hiring assistants to handle the larger ones, I started gifting my brides affirmation cards on their wedding days to make them feel seen and give them permission to take a moment to breathe, I capture as many behind the scenes moments as I can to send them the next day so that they can relieve the good parts while they wait months to see photos from their photographer. And now, I’m truly proud of what I’ve built.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road. Being a stay at home to two young children while trying to build a business and getting diagnosed with breast cancer in the midst of it all could have easily made me call it quits, but instead I turned it into my superpower and chose it as an opportunity to see things differently and turn this business into something that meant more.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a bridal hairstylist specializing in voluminous waves and textured styles. I’m known for my curls lasting all day, even on clients whose hair normally doesn’t hold a curl. I’m most proud of my ability to enhance naturally curly hair textures, as a naturally curly girl myself, I find that so many of us have had bad experiences with stylists who don’t know how to style natural curls and so many naturally curly brides feel that they can’t wear their natural hair on their wedding day because they haven’t had their hair styled professionally in a way that they feel confident in.
What sets me apart is how deeply I care about the bride behind the hairstyle. I feel like I’m more than her hairstylist, I’m her ride-or-die girl. I notice the little things, from insecurities about her hair to the moment she starts feeling overwhelmed, and I’m always problem-solving so she feels confident and taken care of. I’m all in from the very beginning, all conversations I have with my brides are directly with me, there’s no middle man, so we’re able to build that relationship ship early on. On the wedding day, I’m just as invested in how she feels as how her hair looks. If she needs to breathe, reset, or take a moment, I’m there. I want her to leave my chair feeling beautiful, confident, and completely herself.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Work podcasts I love when I need a motivational boost are “More Than Makeup by Kellsie Bain” and “The GaryVee Audio Experience”
Podcasts I love in general to feel grounded, confident and help me make aligned decisions are “Alignment with Jenn” and “She’s Iconic with Renee Marie”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.LBBridal.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lb.bridal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.lbbridal/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LB.Bridal/videos
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lb.bridal
