Jessica Ciofrone

Can you tell us a little more about you and your styling background?

I started working in a salon when I was 13 years old. In high school I learned my love for formal hair design when I was styling friends’ hair for sweet 16’s and proms! 

I dropped out of college to pursue this as a full time career. After I built my following in cuts and color, I almost gave up on it all after working for a terrible boss. I ultimately decided to give it one more chance and go after what I love and that is when I started Bridal Rush. This business changed my life! 

What bridal trends are you loving right now? 

Right now I am loving the very soft, pulled + tousled styles. I feel like it really showcases the more intricate bridal work, which is what I am most passionate about! It allows for each style to be completely unique rather than producing the same style for every client. 

I love the creative freedom in the new trends and how they incorporate everything from braids to soft waves.

What new trends can we expect to see this season?

I predict that natural beauty is going to be up and coming. I think we are going to see less complete transformations and more of enhancing the natural beauty our clients already possess. So I think we will see more soft makeup applications and less heavy glam makeup. Likewise I think we will see less of those big, structured hairstyles and more soft romantic styles.

How do you stay inspired?

I stay inspired by watching my employees grow and improve their skill. Every time I see them hit another level of growth and become more than what they thought they could be, it makes me want that for myself as well. I want to be better for them, so that they can look to me for the guidance they need, and I want to be better for my clients, so that I can keep providing them with services that make them feel so beautiful year after year.

What advice would you give to a bridal hairstylist just getting started?

I would say know your strengths and don’t be afraid to fail. 

It is easy to compare yourself to others and think how do I become like that person? 

However I feel that we do ourselves an injustice by doing that. You will be the best version of yourself and the most successful when you stay in your lane and show up every day for the things you enjoy, love and are naturally good at. The success will follow. 

If you try something and it doesn’t turn out as you planned, keep pressing forward. We learn the most through our struggles. The most successful people in the world all have made mistakes. The difference is that their mistakes didn’t define them or their potential.

Best advice to a bride regarding her hairstyle?

I always tell my brides, don’t go too far from your comfort zone and trust your stylist. If you never wear your hair up, this is not the day to choose an upstyle. In 20 years from now you want to look back on these photos and see YOU.  So, I always encourage my brides to stay true to who they are with their bridal hairstyle. Your stylist should be able to help direct you and find what will help you feel like the best version of yourself.

What is the one product/tool you can not live without?

I cannot live without hairspray! I know this sounds so minimalistic, but I always think to myself if I had only one product, a comb and a few pins, hairspray is the only product that can give me hold, volume and shine if I had nothing else to work with!

I am loving my volume powder for softer volume and texture!

Best advice you have ever been given in the hair industry? 

When I started Bridal Rush, there weren’t many stylists providing on location hair and makeup services and if there were, they were freelancing. The idea of a bridal company was newer at the time. Shortly after it seemed everyone wanted to go out on their own and be an on location based business in hair and/or makeup. I was scared that I would lose relevance. It is ironic that the best advice I received I had to give to myself in order to encourage myself to not give up. I told myself that it’s okay if we all succeed. It’s okay to support someone else that does the very same thing as me and that her/his success would never take away from my own. I stopped being afraid to share with others and I think that made me so much stronger. 

What do you love to do outside of work? 

All I want to do when I am not working is spend time with my family. Owning a business consumes a lot of my time and so I cannot wait to be with them when work is done. I am such a homebody and love to enjoy everything local to where we live.

Guilty pleasures? 

Binge watching shows I love and snacking! I could be so incredibly tired but if I am into a show, I will stay up all hours of the night and watch every episode. I have no self control to wait it out!