Hey bride-to-be! You’re engaged, set the date, picked the venue, chosen a photographer, and now you are thinking about hiring someone to do your hair & makeup on your wedding day. This is a big decision, and, chances are, you’ve never done this before.
I’m here to offer you some advice on hiring a wedding hair & makeup artist or team for your wedding.
I have over a decade of experience doing hair and/or makeup for weddings. I have learned a TON since I first started.
I know the possibilities are endless, and it can be difficult to wade through the multitude of hair & makeup pros in your area when narrowing down the field.
Here are some of my best tips when deciding who to hire for your wedding day glam:
Decide What You Want To Look Like
I have this as my first tip because this should be the first thing you do before reaching out to potential artists. Evaluate your wedding style or theme and think about the part your hair & makeup should play in the overall vibe.
Once you have that figured out, you’ll have a clear idea of the type of style you are looking for in a hair & makeup artist before you begin your search. While most of us do a good job at executing virtually any kind of style, at the end of the day, we all have an aesthetic that we do best.
Ask Friends for Recommendations
Once you have decided on your wedding day style, reach out to recently married friends and ask for their recommendations (bonus points if you really liked their wedding day hair & makeup) with this style in mind. I would resist putting up a post on Facebook unless you absolutely have no one to reach out to.
Let your friends know about the vibe you are going for, and see if they can recommend an artist/team that can execute the style.
Check Out Online Vendor Directories
In addition to getting recommendations from your friends and recently married ladies, I would advise you to visit Wedding Wire and The Knot to get an idea of the range of wedding hair & makeup professionals that are in your area.
This is key for several reasons:
These pros have invested a lot of money and time into these listings which indicates that they CARE about their business and want to attract brides like you
You can view real, unbiased reviews from their previous clients
These pros more than likely specialize in wedding styling
You can get a sense of their style by looking at the portfolio images they have in their listing
Evaluate Potential Stylists’ Wedding Experience
This is huge. It’s one thing to be a great hair & makeup artist, but it’s another to be a great wedding hair & makeup artist. There is a difference.
When you work with a stylist or company that specializes in weddings, you can be sure that they know what they’re doing. They have an ironclad contract that protects both you and them, they run their business efficiently (which is so important when planning a wedding with deadlines and such), and aesthetically they know what it takes to provide a look that is both beautiful and secure (to last you all day and night!)
Decide How Much You Want To Spend
Once you’ve done some research on the wedding hair & makeup professionals in your area, you should have a good idea of the average cost of services. Use this as a parameter to set your wedding hair & makeup budget.
Of course, like most things, you get what you pay for. Do you want an exceptional experience with high quality service? Expect to pay more than this average. Are you cool with a basic experience with above average service? Expect to pay the going rate. Either one is completely fine – you just have to decide what you want and how much you are willing to pay for it.
But please, do not ask a wedding hair & makeup professional to discount or price match their services. Each pro in this industry has taken great consideration to set their rates, so it’s important for you to know that this is not negotiable or appropriate.
Make Sure You Are Hiring A Professional
They should have a real, working website. They should have lots of images of their work on others (not themselves). They should be practicing a high level of sanitation. They should have a contract with mutually beneficial terms.
Some of these are things you can determine by their online presence. The others (such as contract terms and sanitation practices) can be learned just by asking! There is certainly nothing wrong with reaching out to an artist/company you’re interested in working with to ask what their sanitation practices are. A good artist will be glad you asked and happy to share.
Good Communication Is Key
After you have taken a good look around the internet, it’s time to contact a few people. Go to the websites of your favorites and shoot them an email through their contact form. Chances are, they’ll want to know your wedding date, venue, desired services, and available time frame. Fill out the contract form to the best of your ability and wait for responses.
Once they respond it’s important to take note of a few things: Would you want to be friends with this person after corresponding with them online? Do you get good vibes when communicating with them? Are they timely in their responses (timely for a working professional is a response within 2 business days)? Are they clear and concise with their messaging?
Depending on what you value, you may view some of these communication traits differently. If you are a Type A person that values quick, clear, and concise communication, you will likely want to work with an artist/company that exhibits this type of communication with their clients. Conversely, if you care more about establishing a relationship with your wedding vendors, you would prefer an artist that takes the time to get to know you in their initial communications with you.
If you have taken the time and care to follow these tips for selecting your wedding hair & makeup artist, you are on track to have an excellent experience with a beautiful end result that is perfect for you. Remember that this day will be captured and viewed/remembered for your entire life, so every decision is an important one. Don’t take it lightly!
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If you are a bride in the Southeastern United States, give us a shout! Nashville Wedding Stylist is a bridal hair & makeup artist agency based in Nashville, TN with artists that are adept in many different styles of hair & makeup. We specialize in weddings and take pride in providing an excellent experience for our brides and clients.