WEDDING HAIR AND MAKEUP TRIAL TIPS
Wedding hair and makeup, Wedding hair and makeup Wedding hair stylist
You’ve booked your wedding reception venue, found and booked your photographer, put a deposit on your wedding outfit and know the style of your wedding. What next?
Well one thing you will need to do is find your wedding hair and makeup artist. My aim in this article is to help the search for your perfect person. With the help and advice of my dear friend Sarah from the “The Courtyard” hairdressers in Honiton, I will take a look at the issues you need to consider, so that you can feel and look outstanding at your pre-wedding photoshoot and on your wedding day.
How to choose a Wedding hair stylist?
For many people choosing a hair and makeup artist for your engagement shoot and wedding day is easy, they literally just go to the stylist they have gone to all their life, someone they know and trust. That’s fine for many people but, and it’s a big but, when it comes to wedding hair not all hairdressers are the same. The very last thing you want to do is to ruin your relationship with your existing hairdresser, so by all means ask them if they have any experience in wedding hair, but if they don’t then stay clear. Ask your friends and family, or ask your current hairdresser if they can recommend a stylist with wedding hair experience.
Mobile hairdresser
The next thing to consider when you choose a hair and bridal makeup artist is, can they come to your venue? When I say they, I mean they, as ideally you will need a makeup artist as well as a hairdresser, that way one person can be working on a wedding parities hair whilst the other is doing the makeup. Whilst you may not need them to come to you ( and certainly you going into a salon on the morning of your wedding would be more cost effective), you may decide you want that luxury rather than you going to them, in which case you need to factor in additional travel costs.
Personality
The personality of your hair and makeup artists is key. Whoever you choose you need to be sure that friends and family get along with them. Your wedding is going to be fun, but it is also likely to be stressful in parts, so you need to be sure that your stylists are calm, relaxed, upbeat and skilled, but speedy at their job and flexible when working with other wedding suppliers such as the photographer.
Mood board
So you’ve narrowed your search down to a couple of hair and makeup artists. The next step is to firstly get all your ideas together onto a mood board, not the kind that I need from you re-wedding photography, this is for a different purpose, see my article on (How to create mood board?). Get together pictures of the wedding outfit you are looking at, images reflecting the style of wedding you are considering, your wedding reception venue will also help to set the tone for this, and pictures of the different hairstyles you like. Your makeup artist will also need the same information as your style of wedding will to a certain extent depict the look and feel of your makeup on the day although their aim will also be to highlight your natural style.
Wedding hair consultation
Next book a hair consultation with a couple of stylists from your short list. This ideally needs to be done two to three months before the wedding. Make sure you take in your Pinterest board, your headdress and veil. This appointment is all about tapping into your vision for the day, considering all the factors and allowing the stylist to look at your hair type, thickness, texture, facial shape and colour to see if the styles you have chosen complement your vison of your wedding day. This is also the stage where you can discuss adaptations to your mood board in relation to hair and makeup if they are needed.
Pre-wedding shoot
By collaborating with your wedding photographer the evening after your first hair and makeup consultation can be a perfect time for your engagement shoot, see my article on, Engagement photography tips. Engagement shoots are a great way to get to know your wedding photographer and with the addition of professional makeup, a new fantastic hairstyle, a knock out dress, the other half and a stunning location, we can together make some fantastic photographs.
Rehearsals
Once you have had your consultation and have decided on your hair stylist you are ready to have your rehearsals. There are usually two of these but of course you can add more if you need them.
The first rehearsal is about timings. Ideally your whole wedding party needs to attend this appointment at the salon so that the stylist can get a feel for your hair and check you like the style you have agreed on both for yourself and your wedding party. This appointment also allows the stylist to work out the timings for everybody’s hair needs, but on average depending on the length of your hair a typical hairstyle will take 45minutes with attendees hair taking on average 35 minutes per wedding party member.
The makeup artist will also need time with you at this stage to conduct a makeup trial and make sure no-one suffers from any allergies, although all makeup products at “The Courtyard Hairdressers” are ethical, vegan and made for sensitive skin.
Second rehearsal
Your second rehearsal takes place one week before the wedding and is your opportunity to iron out any tiny details that need to be addressed. If, like at “The Courtyard hairdressers”, your makeup artist also offers nails within your wedding hair and makeup package, then your wedding party can come in the day before the wedding and relax knowing that this part of the wedding prep is completed.
Wedding day
So you’ve done it, you have put in all the work, done your research and found the perfect wedding hair and makeup artist. Now all you have to do is sit back, have a glass of wine, relax and enjoy every minute of your wedding day.
About Helen Chapman Photography
My philosophy:
“To provide excellence by placing YOU, Your dreams, Your wants, Your needs in the heart of everything I do”.
“To create beautifully, naturally, authentic, fun, romantic heirloom photography, that YOU are guaranteed to love and that will be cherished by future generations to come”.
“To provide YOU with a truly exceptional service through following my core beliefs of honesty, fairness, integrity, determination and creativity.”
I have been helping couples plan their weddings in the stunning natural landscape of the Devon countryside, rugged moorland of Dartmoor and spectacular seascape of the coastline of Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall for years and I’m using that experience and relationship with a great network of wedding vendors to help you plan your special wedding day. Why not take a look at my Client resources pages & Check my availability for your wedding and book a call today.
