Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Dunlap.
Hi Michelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Hello & thank you so much! I grew up in the salon world, my mom worked in the hair industry & I tried to work with her as often as possible! I loved watching her create fun relationships with her clients & all the ‘friends’ she had because she was their hairdresser. The connections were endless & they always came back to her. Fast forward to high school & how I created the LOVE for beauty in those tough years.
I loved to do everyone’s hair or makeup when I got the chance. Prom hair & makeup was my all-time favorite when I was in high school. It turned into such a love that in my senior year of school I decided to go to cosmetology school to take after my mom. It took more than a year to finish because I wanted to specialize in both men’s cuts & bridal hair. Updos & makeup classes took priority & therefore it pushed back my graduation date.
I met my husband in 2007 a year after graduating high school & he pushed me to finish cosmetology school. I am so grateful for that because he KNEW it was my love. We lived in Hastings at the time & I needed change. We decided to move to Red Wing & find a place for us there. We got pregnant & Dave proposed! We were having a baby & getting married! We had originally planned our wedding date for 2010 BUT being pregnant felt too overwhelming to plan a wedding & have a baby.
We had our 1st born in 2010 & he changed our lives. When he was born, it was supposed to be so magical right?! Well, our story was different. My labor was insane & long. It ended in a traumatic c-section. He had been fighting for his life. It was not what we planned. The moment my husband noticed his hand twitching, we knew something was different. Unsure of what to make of it, he brought it up to the team of Drs & nurses.
After the discussion, they all went out in the hallway to discuss further. That is when our hearts sank. When the Dr came in with the pediatrician to tell us they will be needing to airlift our baby to the U of M for testing. It was about 25 minutes later we could hear the helicopter. Since I had just had a traumatic c-section, I was not able to fly with him. I was stuck at the Red Wing hospital for 4 more days without our baby.
Dave went up to Minneapolis every day & every night he came back to spend with me. He is my warrior. He will do anything for our family! He is mine forever. I will never forget this dark time in our life. Since then, they have diagnosed him with Cerebral Palsy & a rare genetic disorder. He had a stroke in utero. Tons of testing & appts later- we know we have one rare boy.
It was hard to move forward in life, we had no idea what our future looked like. We still loved each other unconditionally & we were each other’s person. We needed one another to make life make more sense. We decided in 2011 it was a perfect time to get married. We set our date & started planning! 9.03.2011 was the best date we could find for all our family & friends. We had quite a fun party at what was previously known as Gopher Hills, now the beautifully redone wedding venue- Woodhaven!
In 2011 I was a mom & now a wife. I was so happy in life & loved being where we were at. I wanted to start doing hair & using my cosmetology license for the purpose to make people feel amazing! That was my goal, beautiful hair & a fun work environment. It wasn’t till I worked at Indigo in Red Wing, MN & I still believe that is where my love for teaching others started to develop. In 2014 I worked there for 2 years, then I got pregnant with a baby number 2.
While pregnant I still worked at Indigo. It was still what I loved. The best part was being inspired by so many incredible creatives I met, I never wanted to leave. It was such a blessing to be able to be a part of the Red Wing that many people knew about & loved. It was such a hard balance, I loved the stylist & struggled with the owner.
She was a great business owner but a tough boss. She wasn’t as flexible as I needed in life with a special needs son & a new wife. I tried hard to fit the mold she wanted, but I had other ideas brewing. We went to Chicago twice as a salon trip & that was AMAZING! I got to meet so many amazing stylists & see what other incredible stylists do. I went to business classes, updo classes, and makeup classes & bought some fun stuff while being there, I think another level of love for hair was born from these trips.
I worked right up until my maternity leave. I struggled with what to do, after Drakes’s’s birthing experience, we tried to be more prepared. I was put on high risk for the whole time I was pregnant & that didn’t help. After having my 2nd son, I wanted to be home more. I was not in the right mind space to give to others as the salon needed. I wanted to enjoy my babies. I needed to enjoy my babies.
When Milo was 6months old, that is when I became a freelance artist. I became an AFA through Aveda’s makeup program & was so happy I got to continue my education & be around creative stylists again. I was invited to do makeup updates & do fun classes with Aveda. I was hired all around the Midwest in MN to do makeup touch-ups in beautiful Aveda salons! It was such a fun time in life!
I continued to do hair & makeup for brides on the weekends and it started to take off more & more. I am hand-picked out some of the best stylists I knew in that year of life & trained them myself. Knowing I needed some ladies that rocked at hair & makeup it was best for me to give them what I knew worked best. I recruited our babysitter Julia & enjoyed working with her. She, at the time, was in school to be an aesthetician. She was so beautiful & so sweet, I knew I needed her!
In 2016 our life was turned upside down AGAIN! My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We had to pause most things. We had to fight for life together. He fought & fought! Through it all, Red Wing was such an incredible community. There were meals, love & donations coming in tenfold. There were some tough moments, but we made the best of what we were handed. Our boys had play days with all the families that stepped up to help us out. There was so much love & support- it was overwhelming at times. He was told he was in remission in 2017.
At this point in our life, we needed to move forward with growth & happiness. That was hard, so hard. We just lived life. I stayed home with the boys & did some weddings. I also taught stylists my knowledge of bridal hair techniques & makeup tips. It was fun for the moments. I was paving a new road for us. I started to do more & more wedding days… that was such a blessing to me!
I also started to do more fitness & take my health & wellness into consideration. We enjoyed it- so I started to compete in CrossFit & loved it! That opened up another avenue to meet more people! It was fun while it lasted. In 2020, everyone’s world was shaken up. Our days felt terrifying. My husband got the news that the cancer was back. It was stage 4 again. This was the worst. We knew it was going to be rough, but we were stronger than before & HE was really to kick this crap for good.
We made the decision together to go through chemotherapy again. I paused wedding days & pushed forward with living for him & our little boys. I continued to style my hair on my mannequin & stay practicing what I love. I stayed booking my brides for the 2021 season, not knowing what to think about life. I was so unprepared to do life without my husband. I needed him. He is a part of me.
On March 15th, 2021 we had so many reasons to celebrate! He was cancer free again! We got to move forward in life together! At this point, I had some beautiful brides booked & some incredible life to live! We went out & bought an RV. It was OUR time to shine! This year was the year of building, growing & booking my beautiful people. I trained my stylists, & makeup artists to be who we thought we needed for Michelle Dunlap.Design.
Now to this day, I feel like I bring a little extra love, compassion & happiness to my couple’s wedding day! I feel so impelled to tell them to live for the moment. Live in now, be present, and take a moment to take it all in. Don’t forget the little things. Love is the most important- to live with, have, give & hold close. Being a part of the “glam” hours of a Brides day is my dream come true! The joy that radiates from all of the people around, is exactly what fills me up! I love spending time with our sweet couples & bringing their vision to life!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My son- is now age 12. We have been to therapy at Family Achievement Center 2 times a week since he was 3 years old. My husband- has had chemotherapy twice, both longer than 9 months.
My son- is now 8. I homeschool them both now since my husband started chemo in 2020. I train my stylists myself for both hair & makeup tips & tricks that I know work best. I take 8-10 classes a year to make sure I know all the new fun tips & tricks!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known for my LOVE of doing hair & makeup! I do love timeless, & romantic updos. I think edgy styles are some of my all-time favorites! I enjoy classic styles too. Dreadlocks are my new love. I think texture & color make me feel more creative! I specialize in styles with braids. All the braids, fishtail, Dutch, French- you name it, I LOVE it!
I enjoy makeup too! I get excited when someone sits in my char and says “I trust you, do what you think is best” Soft glam is my go-to. Although I love a bold makeup look too, accentuating their beauty is a beautiful feeling! I think making someone feel like the best version of them self & giving them the WOW factor- is the best feeling in the world! Adding lashes and airbrushes have been very helpful for people to feel a step up from other makeup applications.
I am proud of my ladies that continue to show up & do their best. They work so hard to stay up to date on the new trends & keep me informed of all that. I am so proud of Julia & Madi! They both continue to amaze me with the hard work they put in to wow me & all the people they get the privilege to style or do makeup on.
What are your plans for the future?
I am planning to grow a whole team or two of leaders!
I would love to have more than 5 stylists/artists to be able to accommodate more than 1 wedding on the same date. I am in the process of building that right now. I’d love to have a salon one day & train stylists to do Bridal & special occasions along with extensions & dreadlocks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michelledunlap.design/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelledunlap.design/
- Other: https://planning.weddingchicks.com/pro/wedding-beauty-services/michelledunlap.design/810840 AND https://mnbride.com/michelle-dunlap-design
Image Credits
@leahfontainephotography, @tonyahjortphoto, @sageriver_studios, @everworth.photography, @laurenhayaphotography, @jennaswansonphotography, and @clairemarjoriephotography_
