As a photographer specializing in weddings, throughout the years, you start to realize that certain patterns repeat themselves. I must confess that this pattern is one that hurts the wedding day tremendously. And I urge brides to take note.
Now, I understand most couples keep wedding budgets and look for ways to save money. But, at the same time, all the investment in a wedding can go out the door if you lose your peace and joy on your wedding day. So read along to find out why I recommend hiring a pro-make-up artist for your wedding.
Let Me Start With A Little Story…
While planning her wedding, Beth researched her potential makeup artist for the big day. She reviewed the makeup artists’ Instagram feed and liked what she saw. There weren’t any red flags that stood out to her. And she, unfortunately, did not have a makeup trial done before leading up to the wedding to make sure she liked the look!
On the day of the wedding, I showed up with my team to photograph this ceremony. We arrive early to get a feel for how things are moving along, introduce ourselves to everyone (including other vendors), and scout the area for lighting, poses, etc. Although, when I arrived, I immediately noticed that none of the women, including Beth, had their makeup done. There were only 2 makeup artists for the bride, 8 bridesmaids, and mother-of-the-groom. There seemed to be a gray cloud over their faces when it should be a joyful day!
My team and I walked through the venue to introduce ourselves to the coordinator setting up the ceremony. But upon our return, we noticed there had not been much progress with the ladies’ makeup! At this point, I was only 35 minutes away from starting to capture cute photos of the bridal party in their pretty robes. They were expected to be ready by a certain time, but it did not look like it was going that route anytime soon.
We quickly huddled up and reviewed our timeline to see where we could buy and save some time. We knew that our post-ceremony time was going to be compromised, but our priority was to keep things running smoothly without stressing out Beth. Once the bridal party was ready, we rushed to take photos! (Now, this is usually not how we like to work. As rushing kills creativity. Luckily, I still have ways to make my subjects genuinely laugh in front of the camera!)
Where did the bride go wrong…
In picking the makeup artist? So glad you asked. The girls she hired were not professional wedding makeup artists. Having certain vendors specializing in weddings makes a difference on the big day. In this case, the makeup artist did not accurately estimate the time she needed to do the whole wedding party. Also, the type of makeup the vendor used did not hold up well throughout the day. Typically, brides want to look flawless at their wedding. And in this case, the maid-of-honor was consistently having to touch up Beth’s makeup!
So, here are five tips to all brides seeking advice on professional makeup artists for their weddings:
- Talk to your makeup artist! Ask them how much experience they have applying makeup on busy and hectic wedding days.
- Read reviews left by previous brides and clients.
- Get a makeup trial done before the big day! Although you may have to pay for this extra session, it will help in the long run. Use this extra consultation to go over what look you want to go for. And have some photos for inspiration!
- Brides typically need high-definition makeup that will last all day long. Discuss with your makeup artist what they’ll do to keep you looking fresh without too many touch-ups.
- Make sure the makeup artists know how much time they need to get everyone ready on time. Schedule it well so that no-one feels rushed, the vendors can work together, and the timeline can run smoothly.
