booking a bridal makeup artist — Blog — Makeup the Bride | Makeup Artist Los Angeles

You’re engaged, so now what?! Once you have your venue, dress and most likely photographer booked, you are going to want to reach out to your makeup and hair team for your wedding day. But, even before you ‘BOOK’ your talented artists for your special day…an engagement photoshoot may be on the near horizon. Take this opportunity to make Makeup and Hair trial appointments to see how it translates on camera. You can always modify your look so it still can be a surprise for your fiance’ and your guests on the day of but book ending these services for an engagement shoot is a great idea!! I have been glamming Brides for over 2 decades, I will always recommend doing a run through for an engagement photoshoot or if this isn’t possible then doing it for a Bridal Shower is a great option.

Here are some tips for choosing an artist for your engagement makeup. Always ask your friends and family for makeup referrals. This by far is the best way to start your search. If this isn’t available to you then so some research with the venue and photographer or hair person you have chosen if applicable. Going to Instagram to do this research is a great way to see who has worked with these venues, photographers and hair artists before. It’s a great resource to visually get an idea of who would be a good fit for you on your special day.

Once you book your engagement makeup session, bring makeup looks that you would like to possibly try. Make sure you choose someone that really wants your voice to be heard and that doesn’t make you feel nervous about speaking up. The ‘Bridal’ beauty process is a collaboration and you should feel like you have a say in what your wedding day beauty should be. If you have any special concerns like skin sensitivities or tattoo coverage concerns, make sure your artist knows about this ahead of time so they are aware and can accommodate accordingly.

Make sure you vibe with your makeup artist. Make sure that they are personable and professional. Make sure their tools are clean and they are on time. Also, it’s important that they will help set the tone for the day as this makeup artist will most likely be the first person you see on your wedding day.

To recap…try and reach out at least 6-9 months ahead of time to start looking for your bridal makeup artist…make sure your artist is a good fit with the vibe you are going for….make sure you have seen their work and you like it…make sure they are willing to modify your makeup if you would like without getting offended…and make sure after you see your engagement photos that you look how you want to look with the makeup applied. You can always change it up a bit for your wedding day but see how it photographs and how it held up throughout the day. When booking your makeup artist…make sure if you give a deposit or retainer for your day that if for some reason you change your mind then you have an option to do just that.

I hope this helped you. Due to Covid, if you feel more comfortable doing the makeup yourself and would like help in achieving your engagement makeup and/or wedding day makeup look…I offer that option too! Set up a Discovery Call with me and we can speak to how my DIY Virtual Bridal class can work for you!!

So now that you are engaged, now what? How to find your Bridal Makeup Artist and then some!

How do you find a Bridal Makeup Artist and how long in advance should you be booking a makeup artist for your wedding?

The search to book your makeup artist should start 6-9 months before your wedding date. It takes a bit of time to do your research, ask friends and family for referrals, reach out to artists to make sure they are available AND to schedule a makeup consultation before you commit. Here are a couple of creative search ideas…for Instagram or Google look up hashtags that are wedding makeup related -for eg. #makeupthebride #naturalbridalmakeup #bridalglamlosangeles #weddingdaymakeuplosangeles #(venue)makeupartist #(area)makeupartist etc. If you have a wedding coordinator or wedding photographer-you may ask them for their referrals. There are also Facebook groups that are wedding-centric that you can reach out and ask for people’s feedback and referrals like Something Borrowed, Something Blue!

2. Should you always schedule a makeup consultation before your wedding day?

YES! You should always have a makeup consultation before your wedding day so you can really see the makeup and how it looks in real life, wear it out and about to see if you would like any modifications done or if you perhaps had any reactions to anything. Any changes should be expressed to your artist in advance so that everyone can be on the same page for your wedding day beauty.

3. How do you prep for a Bridal Makeup Consultation?

Please have inspiration photos available for your makeup artist so that they can get a visual on what makeup styles and looks you gravitate to. Tell your artist what your wedding vibe is, what your wedding dress style is, what your sensibility is when it comes to beauty so that the makeup artist can ‘marry’ all the elements together in person. A few more helpful tools is to come to your consultation wearing white, off white etc. to mimic the color of your dress….try to schedule a hair consultation the same day if possible…and try to schedule a dress fitting in the same day as well! In a perfect world this can happen and I understand that this is not always available to us and our busy schedules! But, good information to have in your pocket. Another reason why looking for your artist within the 6-9 month timeframe is important.

4. What if you have a large bridal party? How will that work in respect to makeup?

If you should have a large bridal party and in need of a couple makeup artists to accommodate, your KEY makeup artist should have a few assistants that they can call on to help with your size group requiring makeup services. If there are any specific instructions for the assistant, the KEY makeup artist will communicate that to them (for example, if the Bride wanted a consistent look with everyone’s makeup-then this would need to be spoken to before a wedding day). Any payment or other fees like travel for assistant would be communicated through the KEY makeup artist. The KEY makeup artist will also discuss and breakdown payment for assistant or co-artist and will pay them for their help directly on the day of event unless otherwise discussed. Here is another important reason the 6-9 month timeline is important to acquire a makeup artist…they have to be able to reach out to an assistant if need be to put them on hold for that day so they don’t book anything else. Wedding season is busy so you want to make sure you give enough time to individuals to schedule accordingly.

5. The contract and questions you should make sure to ask before you sign and commit to your Bridal Makeup Artist.

You should sign the contract to secure the day and date of your wedding at the time of the makeup consultation. You should have the exact number of makeup services needed at least 30 days or more out from your wedding date so timeline can be created and the assistant can be informed of how many services they will be responsible for and their timeline for that day if applicable. Everyone needs to be flexible and understand that when it comes to weddings and scheduling…modifications may have to happen even after timeline has been created to ensure best results. Make sure there is a clause in your contract for any type of cancellations, postponements or any natural disasters or pandemics. Make sure everyone is aware of what is expected financially at time of booking and signing the contract to what is expected closer to the wedding date or on actual wedding day. Make sure the type of payment that you would like to give is accepted. Make sure travel fee or holiday fees are included. Make sure that if you would like your makeup artist to be there during photos and possibly after ceremony for any touch ups, that this is also represented in contract. All of these facts should be reflected in your makeup contract.

6. What you are paying for when you BOOK your Bridal Makeup Artist.

When you book your makeup artist, you are purchasing a luxury service that you can rely on! Here are some key elements to think about when breaking down cost. -Committed hours of service which includes early arrival to set up and travel to and from location -Experience and Expertise -Reliability and Adaptabillity -Sweat Equity (emailing, phone calls, communicating with coordinators and photographer and venues if applicable, cleaning and sanitizing makeup kits, purchasing disposable items for cleanliness, creating touch up kits, travel time and any trouble shooting that may occur, and being covid compliant) -Covid Safe Certifications -Organizational Skills -Professional Gear -For eg., Director’s Chair and Professional Makeup Light that is needed for proper lighting -Doing and going above and beyond to ensure client’s happiness

FAQ PAGE

7. How do you book a virtual makeup class with me?

Go to Calendly and see which class works best for you!