How to Take Charge of Your Wedding Day Beauty Dreams: 5 Steps to Make it Happen

The one thing you know for sure about your bridal look is that you want to look beautiful. But....the big question is, "how can I be sure that I will look my best on my wedding day?" Choosing the right hair and makeup team can be a really hard decision to settle on. What questions should I ask? Will they know how to make me still look like me? I'm so picky, can they actually create a look that I would be happy with? Will my look last all night long? So, I'm here to help you with this huge decision.

1. Book Early. Really, most brides save booking a hair and makeup artist for the very end when the budget is slim and some of the best choices are already booked up. This is a huge MISTAKE! Imagine that you have a beautiful venue, a gorgeous dress, the flowers are AMAZING, but you hate your hair and makeup. If you don't feel beautiful on your wedding day, honestly none of the rest matters. As a bride we all want that "first look" where your "about to be" husband looks at you and thinks "WOW that's MY wife!" Not, "she doesn't even look like herself" and "what kind of hairstyle is that!" So remember, booking a professional hair and makeup artist well in advance, when the good ones are still available, is more important than you think.

2. Ask the right questions. So, where do I begin with my search and what questions should I ask??? Brides really don't know what questions to ask when approaching a hair and makeup professional so they start with the easiest question they can think of...."what is your pricing?" This is a reasonable question, but definitely not the most important. While you don't want to break the bank on your hair and makeup, you don't want it to be the deciding factor. I've done weddings before where a family friend was brought in to do part of the bridal party hair, and guess how many updos I ended up redoing??? ALL OF THEM! (and this didn't just happen once either, it has happened MULTIPLE times and actually EVERY time that the situation has arose) You really can't place a price on feeling beautiful, it can end up costing you double in the long run and makes for a very unhappy girl! The most important questions should be surrounding the value of the service. Is this artist experienced with bridal party work? Do they specialize in weddings? (A very important factor for understanding if that particular professional will understand the importance of the timeline and what to expect from the photographer and how to work around "getting ready" pictures and getting the bridal party ready along with little flower girls and the MOB along with any grandmothers.) Do they have an expansive portfolio of professional pictures? Just that fact alone can tell you that the artist has a good relationship with photographers, which is a good thing. Photographers love to work with great hair and makeup artists because it makes their job editing just that much easier. Plus photographers love having beautiful pics and like I said earlier, if the hair and makeup is bad the look just isn't complete. Another important question to ask is, can this artist create a look that will last all night long? Weddings are long events that involve crying, sweating, and dancing, you are going to need a professional that understands that you need to look as good for the wedding night as you did for the wedding and reception. Finally, don't forget to find out what other brides are saying about that particular hair and makeup artist. Be sure to also look for what they are NOT saying.

3. Choose an on-location hair and makeup team. You need to be in charge of your bridesmaid's timeliness. You know you'll be on time, but how can you control your bridesmaids? We've all got that friend that we are always waiting on. Hey, I'm not pointing fingers, I admit that friend is sometimes me! But, this is your day and everything depends on the timeline. The way to take charge and avoid any issues is to choose an on-location hair and makeup team. This way all of your bridesmaids are there together in your presence. You don't have to worry about a salon getting backed up by that girl getting high lights whose appointment went over because she was late. Or your bridemaids having their hair done wherever and getting in traffic between the salon and the venue.

4. Schedule a trial. Another way to be in charge of your wedding day beauty dreams is to schedule a trial with your chosen hair and makeup team. By performing this practice run you can test out your look to see if it is truly the look you want. You know those days you fix your hair and makeup and walk out the door feeling like you look great, but then you see a picture of yourself and you're like yikes I look like crap! Weeeelll you don't want that happening on your wedding day. Especially if you're paying thousands for that amazing photographer, you want to actually like the way you look in those expensive pictures. We have actually booked brides after having their bridal portraits done using a different hair and makeup team and their photographer has said, "look, I gotta be honest with you, you are going to HAVE to hire a different hair and makeup professional for the wedding day." And, you should see the difference in the bridal portrait pictures and the wedding day pictures. If you didn't know better you would think the bridal portrait pictures were "before" pics compared to the wedding day. So be sure to fork out the extra money for that trial run. Hey, you may even like the hair and makeup artist, but after wearing the look all day may change your mind about that hairstyle you chose and decide that a different look would suit you better.

5. Choose pictures of looks on girls with the same hair color and skin coloring as you. An updo on a girl with highlighted hair looks completely different on a solid colored head of hair. Also, that smokey eye on an olive complexion will not look the same on a fair skinned bride. By choosing inspiration pics of girls who look similar to you, you are more likely to choose a look that will be complimentary to you and your features. Also, be sure to be somewhat open to what your hair and makeup professional would recommend for you. They know how to match skin tones to makeup colors and how to up play or down play your best or worst features, and how to look at your face shape and choose the right hairstyle for your face. It may be something you never considered for yourself, but you may end up falling in love with the look because it best suits you.

So now that I've given you the keys to being in charge of you and your bridesmaid's wedding day beauty dreams, I hope you can put them into action. The result should be a glowing bride who feels beautiful and it shines from the inside out, timeless pictures documenting your beauty on that day, and a stress free timeline for your wedding day. Happy wedding planning!!!!!

XOXO,