We recently connected with Shelby Rae Lee and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelby Rae, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Some of the biggest trends I’m seeing in the hair & makeup wedding industry are softer glam looks using pink and peach tones rather than neutrals, monochromatic makeup, fully down glamour waves, and the mid-way up-do (That midway being my personal favorite)
With these new trends I’m seeing the need to educate other beauty professionals on how to achieve these styles. With my new business launching this month (The Beauty Room Lou) I hope to offer 1-on-1 training for other local professionals, I also hope to offer educational videos via our Instagram page.

This year I was award best of wedding on The Knot and Wedding Wire due to this new trends at weddings I’ve serviced.

Shelby Rae, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Sure! I’m Shelby Rae Lee, and I have been in the hair industry for 14 years, and I found my love for wedding hair & makeup in 2012. My desire to work with weddings came from the love of being apart of some many people’s special days. Growing up in church I was taught how sacred wedding were, and so I loved being a part of that. I learned from an early age about the beauty industry as a profession, and knew I wanted to make my livelihood out of it. As I continued to grow in my craft of being an independent artist, I realized how important it was to have others working with me. So I decided to open The Beauty Room Lou. The Beauty Room Lou was opened in January 2025 after months of prayer and plans for what it would look like. I decided to start a team of hair & makeup artist to be able to best service brides in our local community. Being able to book hair & makeup within one group will help things run smoother on the brides wedding day since we will have the ability to work with one timeline. I also decided to offer The Beauty Room Lou as a rental space for all other beauty professional in the area to be able to work. Being someone who has struggle to find a professional space to offer bridal previews in, I knew this was something our community needed. The Beauty Room Lou is located in Historic Middletown on Main Street, the salon I offer color & cut services at (Strands Salon- Middletown) is just around the corner. So I love to be able to walk between the two for work days. I’m most proud of doing things a little differently than industry standard by allowing beauty professional who work on their own to be able to use our space. I hope to be able to prove to my children that you can work in a job like the beauty industry as much or as little as you want being your own boss. The ability to control my own schedule has allowed me to be a present business owner and a present mother.

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

I had a pivot in my life and business when I had my children. I went from working 6 days a week 10-12 days to significant cutting down my hours. I wanted to be able to still use my skills in this craft, but also realized my God given calling to be a present mother. Once I had my first daughter in 2020 I knew I needed to make a change. I decided to go full force into the wedding industry since I’d be able to set my own prices and hours. After doing that for 3 years I realized there were so many others in the industry like me trying to do the same thing, which is why I knew I needed to create the space for like minded individuals.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Client reviews & recommendations! I could not possibly have become this successful without my wonderful clients. They have gone above and beyond after the wedding to leave reviews on all my platforms as well as constantly referring me to friends/family that are now in the season of getting married. All of my past brides have a special place in my heart for everything they have done for me, and for trusting me to be such a big part of your day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/the-beauty-room-louisville-ky-2032143
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeautyroom.lou/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570983151578&name=xhp_nt__fb__action__open_user

Image Credits

Juneberrry Weddings, Through a Summers Lends Photography, Sav.Allen Photography, HV.Photography.US, Melissa & Garry Photography, Brittany.Blake Photography, Brizzy Rose & Emma Photography, Anna-may-photography