Venue, check. Photographer, check. You're going down your list of wedding must-haves and everything's looking good. Now how about looking good on your Big Day?
We all know a little something about dolling up when we go out; for a Girls Night, a birthday, maybe New Years Eve. But make up and hair for your OWN I Do's?? You'll have those memories and photos for life! Like your Caterer and Photography, there's a pro out there that can take care of your Bridal Beauty for you.
But how do you choose the right team for you? Let's face it, every next person and their grandma claims to be a make up artist or hair stylist. Sifting through the hundreds of ultra-low budget offers on Kijiji and getting whiplash from the ultra-high pricing of some Bridal studios can leave you with your head spinning.
Have no fear! We have created a simple, fresh take on narrowing down the perfect Hair and Make Up Artists for your special day:
One: Your Look
The first step to zeroing in on the right bridal make up artist and bridal hair stylist for you is deciding how you want to look on your Big Day. This can be done by matching your wedding day details with beauty inspo on Instagram or Pinterest. We found that brides that looked for a middle ground between what they typically do for hair and make up for a special occasion with keywords having to do with their Big Day's ‘theme’, had better success at their first trial and found their perfect beauty team faster. When you have a clear vision of your dream hair and make up, it's easier to find these looks in portfolios, weeding out the artists who aren't your style and booking a trial with a team that's experienced with the look you're going for.
Example:
Kryssi knew she was getting married late September and decided on the prestigious Heritage Centre for her special day. The Queen of Ruffles and Bows herself, she chose to juxtapose wedding aspects like décor and colour scheme in her rustic wedding venue with the theme of her day: A Fairytale Wedding fit for a Princess. With these details in mind, paired with her personal comfort level with hair styles and make up, she combed the internet, searching for Beauty Teams whose websites reflected the regal feel of her day. Unfortunately, Kryssi attended several failed trials leaving feeling unhappy and self-conscious. The artists were not proficient in the glamorous, bombshell look she described, and even tried to convince her the look she wanted was not 'bridal' and that's why they couldn't deliver.
Kryssi switched gears, and instead of looking for the most beautiful website and photoshoots, instead found a few images of what she liked for hair and make up online, and looked for portfolios that mirrored her wishes from highly rated and responsive teams. By doing this, Kryssi booked her trial with a team that was able to:
provide professional recommendations on the possible looks, helping her to narrow down to one (used years of experience and wedding trend knowledge)
execute the styles flawlessly (exhibited excellent technical skill)
and went on to make suggestions, now that they’ve had the trial, on how they could make her dream make up and hair even more of a reality with some additional products, services, and accessories (assessed their performance and took notes to improve results for the final application)
Kryssi's beautiful results by matching portfolios to her beauty inspo pictures:
Indecisive bride? No fear! Still compile your collection of possible looks, and when contacting artists ask if they have some type of questionnaire they use to determine their clients’ needs. Most beauty professionals with years of experience build a file on their clients just like at a doctor's office, and they too should help you narrow down your choices once they learn more about your vision.
Step 2: The Hype
In our techcentric world, every business gets a rating. On apps, on pages, thumbs up or down, ranked out of 5 stars. These rankings of course can help in finding a beauty vendor, or any vendor, that you can trust. On top of this, looking at the team’s testimonials from real clients, as well as referrals and recommendations from Brides and other vendors, is huge.
Friends, family, or competition, can click a rating on Google etc. within seconds. Real Brides that rate, sharing their happiness and gratitude for the incredible way they felt on their day of thanks to their Beauty team, is paramount. You will find that some brides write in via e-mail or straight onto a wedding planning site which helps that vendor’s stats. Others write in thank you cards, others tag their vendors on their Instagram posts and give thanks on social media. Some brides even take selfies with their vendors, posting quick Thanks on their stories fitted with wedding day hashtags! And vendors are happy to share these on their sites or profiles. These brides typically rave about 5 things:
Ease to work with leading up to the day (booking trials, flexibility, turn around times on e-mails, etc.)
Ease to work with on the day (comforting and friendly)
Ability to make the look a reality (technical ability)
Punctuality (to trials/ the day of/ return at reception if applicable)
How hiring that team positively improved their overall Bridal experience (value)
Loving how you look is the main reason you are hiring a Beauty Team for your day. But how your team works with your vision and happiness in mind to make that look a reality, and how looking that way will make you feel; free to truly enjoy every moment of this momentous day, THAT is truly the magic touch of a professional Bridal Make Up and Hair team.
Wedding Day Selfie - Stacy with her Wedding Day Artist, our very own Annika!:
Step 3: The Vibe
So you’ve gotten organized:
you’ve got some looks you really love based on your wedding day details and your personal style
you’ve researched the portfolios of perspective beauty vendors and
you’ve looked through their testimonials and other commendations
Awesome! Still, you hear of brides going to 3, 4, even 5 trials and still not finding the right vendor, and based on e-mails you’ve got 2 or more teams you think could be the right fit. Who do you give your proverbial last rose to?
Let’s reflect on the list of 5 Things Brides Rave About in their testimonials about their beauty team in Step 2. #2 Ease to work with on the day. This point, we in the industry feel, is our generation’s make or break it factor for choosing your Day Of Team, Beauty or otherwise. Your beauty team has an incredibly important job. Not only are they bringing to life your vision of yourself on such a magical and happy day, but they are spending some of the most intimate moments with you before the energy of the day sets in. Don't you want to spend that time with someone you like?
We see your mom tying up loose ends and getting your bridesmaids off their bums to help out. We see your little sister taking her 16th Snapchat selfie, saving it, and taking another one. We see your sister in law already losing her mind with your niece who's demanding to watch Peppa Pig on the iPad that's charging to record the ceremony. And we see you. You, who are doing pretty damn good, because besides thoroughly screening this team of perfectly primped and polished superstars who are straight slaying you, you did Step 3 and got to know them.
We highly recommend meeting your prospective bridal teams prior to a trial. At the very least, especially if you are out of town or even may not possibly have a trial, do a Zoom or chat on the phone. It is one thing to be good at make up or hair and be professional about it, but for a person to spend the morning of your wedding (and depending on what packages they offer, the rest of that day) with you and your otherwise most favorite people in the world, you have to get along! More often than not your artist and/or stylist also assists you with keeping your schedule going, keeping you sane when faced with random wedding guests that decide to ‘pop in’, and helps to solve challenges like how is bridesmaid #4 going to get her hair and make up done if she’s still knocked out from last night? (yep, this happens, and also yep, there’s a solution, I’ve solved it myself!) Your Beauty Team’s #1 priority is you, and most professional artists or teams are happy to book a consultation to chat over a coffee or even on Zoom. Knowing that you are getting outstanding service and professional results is only surpassed when you know those two things are coming from a team you are truly happy to have with you on your special morning. Confirming that 3rd factor will help you finally know it’s time to book.
RECAP: We suggest the BEST way to choose the right Beauty Team for you is to:
Find your Bridal look, so you can find portfolios of teams who excel at creating it
Go through real brides' testimonials and reviews on your prospective vendors' sites, accredited wedding planning resources, and business pages online
Get to know your possible favorites to tell who you get along with best for your Big Day
We hope that our collective years of experience pooled into this piece helps you to finalize a truly important component of your Wedding. We are here to answer any questions or comments you may have! Congratulations and Good Luck!