What makes a bridal look? For Keela Gajadha, the versatility of hair extensions is what allows her to create one-of-a-kind styles for her West Palm Beach, Florida, brides.

“Extensions offer great texture, color and styling options, so they make my job easier,” she says. Gajadha uses extensions on all her bridal clients, even those, like model Kimberly, who already have long hair.

For Gajadha’s favorite design, the voluminous up-down ‘do, extensions are a requirement. “You need lots of hair to create the perfect full finish,” she notes.

Having the additional length also gives the bride the option of a “reception” look, Gajadha says. After the ceremony and the photographs, each knotted section can be loosened and left to drape. “It’s exactly what would happen at a wedding,” she says. “After the ceremony, the bride gets to let her hair down!”

Generally, Gajadha applies bridal extensions three to four weeks before the wedding, but she says that some brides are so obsessed with length that they’ll book right after they get engaged. “My next bridal client is having her wedding in a year,” she reports. “She wants plenty of time to play
with them.”

For this session, Gajadha, with the assistance of Kellen Lincoln, took four hours to place 350 extensions. “I charge $4,000 to do this in Florida,” she says, “but I’ve heard some New York salons charge up to $10,000.”

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