Brides brimming with blonde ambition: pause awhile before you hit the bottle. The big day is not the occasion to showcase a drastic new colour, so take my lead and channel a look that’s you, albeit with a bit of wedding-y polish.

Helping me to lighten up my locks ahead of my summer wedding is Paul Bingham, resident colour specialist at Lockonego. This smart boutique salon on Chelsea’s Kings Road is conveniently located around the corner from some of London’s most bijou bridal boutiques – Phillipa Lepley, David Fielden, Sassi Holford et al.

Paul enjoys a reputation as one of the UK’s leading colourists, and when the L’Oreal Colour Award winner is not colouring the locks of his celebrity clients, he’s working on fashion shoots and editorials. So he should know a thing or two.

On my last visit to Lockonego, Paul highlighted my hair with several shades of blonde: from soft, honey hues to subtle platinum, removing the foils in stages to achieve a consistent colour throughout, and limit the damage. I was really pleased with the results and am to return in April, then once more, two weeks before the wedding.

In the meantime, I asked Paul to share some tips for brides hoping to achieve the perfect shade of blonde for the big day...

1. Keep it natural

Natural = expensive. Ask your colourist to enhance your own tones so that it is rejuvenated with extra dimensions of colour and radiant shine. You might like to try vegetable toners to enhance your existing shade which will provide luxurious shine with reduced damage to the hair.

2. Look before you leap

If you’re determined to go for a drastic change ahead of the big day, be sure to seek advice from your colourist on what will suit your complexion and work with your natural base colour. The last thing you want is to be wasting precious time on colour corrections.

3. Ask for small sections

A block blonde colour will show re-growth more apparently, whereas highlighting the hair in tiny sections will allow re-growth to blend and show through more subtly.

4. Look to the catwalks

Darker blonde tones made a notable return to the catwalk at London Fashion Week recently, likely to be the influence of model-of-the-moment Cara Delevingne. In particular, the Topshop show showcased a more natural looking, honey toned blonde colour.

5. Hold on to your colour

To keep your hair colour looking bright and vibrant use a purple-tinted shampoo such as UNITE Blonda Shampoo to remedy any brassy tones, by neutralising them with the magenta pigments. Star natural ingredients often used to fight against the yellow tinge are chamomile and lavender.

6. Replace lost moisture

Colour-treated hair, especially bleached hair, needs a weekly treatment to keep it looking healthy and nourished. Hair treatments differ from standard conditioners as they contain active ingredients that deeply penetrate the hair follicle. For a blonde bride, these treatments really are a must.

Half head highlights with Lockonego’s Head Technician, Paul Bingham, start at £150. For a full list of treatments and prices, visit Lockonego.com

Lockonego is located at 394 King’s Road, London, SW10 0LN. To book an appointment, call 020 7795 1798.

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Pictures: IMAXTREE