We recently connected with Keysha Danner and have shared our conversation below.

Keysha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Some couples search for artist to come preform hair and make up services the day of, and then there are those that want a more luxurious experience. I offer beyond that. I have worked weddings for 10 years, and in the last 3 years I’ve focused more on elopements. I have learned that I love serving couples in a more intimate setting. Being able to be there for the couple in more ways than just hair is so much more fulfilling for me. I love being able to help step in as a Maid of honor when the Bride doesn’t have anyone there for her. Or being able to offer my time and stay with the couple as they take photos. There is nothing worse than getting the photos back and notice that your hair was flying every where in the wind, or your make up smudged. It’s nice to know you have a whole team backing you up, by being fully prepared with the necessities that you probably didn’t think of, because you’ve never done this. I pay attention to the little details, to make magical moments happen throughout the whole process. I’m able to guarantee my clients a stress free wedding day by over communicating with them about their desires. I offer different packages that tailor to every client. Every couple is unique because they require a different set of skills that I’m able to offer them. I have a vast network of vendors that I love to use and connect people with for the greater good. I’ll leave this thought with my couples… Imagine feeling confident in knowing that your wedding day is in good hands, being able to rest easy and enjoy the day surrounded by loved ones including the people getting you ready.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When couples decide they want to commit their lives to one another they have a decision to make. Do we want to get married in front of our friends, family, and of course the obligatory friends of family? Just the two of us? or do we want it to be just us and a few loved ones?
There is a difference between Intimate weddings and eloping, I love being apart of both! The secrecy of an elopement and the simple yet enjoyable time with loved ones. Both are intimate with the main focus being on the love story!
I just recently located to Denver Colorado where the majestic Rocky Mountains makes for a perfect ambiance for either.

I have always had a strong passion for love stories, so when couples tell me their unique ideas and visions, I am able to help them enjoy their weekend filled with love and laughter beyond hair. I learned quickly that people need more than just hair services on their wedding day. They need someone to help them keep grounded and even guide them with making decisions. There is so much planning that goes into a wedding, it’s easy for a small task to fall through the cracks, leading to more stress. I’ve created a system that helps couples have a stress free day.
Before I moved to Vegas in 2015 I didn’t know just doing wedding hair was a thing! Once I started focusing on just wedding’s I learned so much about what people truly want. They want to be heard and understood.
I did that by thinking of the questions that keeps my couples up at night. Will my hair and make up last all night? Will I be ready in enough time? Do I have every thing I need in my bridal emergency kit? I’m here to help you rest easy knowing you can trust me and my team in handling it all. I work with people that love creating little magical moments just like me!
Let’s not skip passed the emergency bridal kit, did you think of that? I have collected some of the most bizarre things in my emergency kit. (portable dress hook, Plyers, step stool, Portable fans, safety pins, double sided tape, cotton balls, oxygen (higher elevation is a real thing!, & liquid IV)
Being able to bring more value to people helps me feel more impactful to their day. There won’t be a time you’ll here me say, Idk! I say I’ll figure it out!
I like to leave my clients with more knowledge about hair products and tips for styling. Like I said it’s not just about receiving a hair service for me. Some of the products I work with, Big & Sexy, Schwarzkopf, Aiir Professional, Osis, and GHD styling tools as well as Paul Mitchell.
My main goal is for my couples to fall in love with each other all over again. To transfer their love story into beauty that will be captured for a lifetime.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Growing up in the hair world we were given task that seemed nearly impossible. I loved the challenge though! Having to figure out a problem in the event we did not have what we need, or we were given a job with no time to prep. I truly believe it made for a stable foundation. I travel on site for weddings. Some times it’s local, some times It’s in another state, I go where ever couples need me to go. This bride wanted me to come to Salt Lake City Utah. I had traveled in the day before so I had time to prep my kit and get familiar with the area. I had a friend living in the city at the time that offered to give me a ride, so I didn’t have to rent a car! As we are on our way to the wedding, I had this awful feeling in my chest that I forgot something! My friend had asked if she should go back to the house and grab what I left. I told her I would figure it out, I’ve been trained for this. Little did I know, my whole entire product bag was left behind. I was showing up to do this bride’s hair and had NO PRODUCT! Luckily I had a travel size dry wash. That’s all I had to use for products. This client had very frizzy and extremely curly hair. So I did what any other hair dresser would do, I round brushed her. I had all my brushes so I used that to my advantage, I locked in 6 round brushes, used a lot of tension and got it polished the best I could.
Have you ever been so hot while you blow dry, you switch it to cold and cool yourself off? yeah this was that moment for me. I was able to use the dry wash for the finishing fly aways and she nearly cried. She wrote me the nicest review and stated that her hair lasted all night long! I even had people from he wedding texting me that her hair looked amazing and held all night.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started hair in 2013 I thought I wanted to slay hair behind the chair and do all these funky styles, and I did! I moved across the country and worked behind the chair with some pretty talented hairstylist but I knew in my heart I wanted some thing more. In 2019 I decided to branch off and freelance. I was so scared leaving consistent and comfort behind but I knew the reward would be greater. I decided to put my passions with my talent and created Beauty Ignites. When the pandemic happened in 2020 that’s when my career hit a pivotal moment. I was no longer able to do personal services. I had to take a step back and reconsider the direction of my business. I invested in a business coach that helped me find my niche. She built my confidence as a stylist that I have never encountered behind the chair. I switched my focus to elopements, during the pandemic people were still getting married but in secrecy, and let me tell you they went all out! It was such a fun time, even though we were in mask and appointments took twice as long with all the extra sanitation, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Since things have gotten back to normal I’ve started doing more intimate weddings, and it has been nice being around couples and their loved ones.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.keyshadanner.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/beautyignitestravel?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: Keysha Danner
• Other: google business: Beauty Ignites

Image Credits
Beth Surya, Amber Garrett, Jess Palatucci