The Importance of booking a Bridal Makeup Artist

Today, I am going to talk about the importance of booking a Makeup Artist in the run up to your Wedding, and more importantly, why you should consider booking a "Bridal" Makeup Artist.

I touched on this topic briefly in a previous Facebook video I made to raise awareness of the cost and time that goes in to doing the makeup of each Bride. This video reached over 12,000 people and the feedback I received from it was fantastic! (You can watch that video here if you are interested)

Before I trained in Bridal Makeup Artistry, I had no idea that such a profession existed. I was much like most of general public who assumed that I could book anyone to do my makeup for any occasion, and it would all be the same. It wasn't until Bridal week at the Academy of Makeup that I discovered my passion for Bridal Makeup and that's where the dream began....I'll leave it there as that is a whole other blog post!

But back to what this post is about. From your initial enquiry, to your makeup trial, to your Wedding morning, your Makeup Artist should endeavour to give you the the best service possible. Once you find an artist you trust and feel completely comfortable with, he or she will be absolutely worth their weight in gold in the run up to your Wedding.

Bridal Expertise

When booking a Bridal Specialist, you are booking an expert in that field of makeup and with expert status, usually comes a strong training background. If in doubt, ask your Makeup Artist where they were trained and who they were trained by. I was lucky enough to be taught by Bridal expert, Kimberley Dewar who successfully runs her own Bridal business in Devon. During this Bridal training, I was taught how to conduct a professional Bridal consultation, apply a complete Bridal look and given expert tips from Kimberley on how to perfect my craft. Bridal makeup may look easy (dewy skin, shimmery eye shadow and a slick of lip gloss) but it truly takes skill, determination and the right products to achieve the desired look for each and every Bride.

Bridal Experience

Upon finding an artist that has been in the industry for quite some time, you will find that they have probably tackled every situation that could possibly arise on a Wedding morning. From zips breaking on dresses, to the Bride having an absolute melt down and ruining her mascara, your Bridal Makeup Artist should have dealt with it all! You best believe I carry safety pins and tissues in my kit for a reason!

Another trait you pick up when constantly styling Weddings is how to be an excellent time keeper. There is nothing more important on a Wedding morning than keeping to the time scale and you certainly do not want to be on the receiving end of an angry Bride who was supposed to be standing at the top of the aisle 10 minutes ago. Your Bridal Makeup Artist will carefully discuss timings with you beforehand and will have a clear and concise plan of action, leaving enough time for touch ups at the end.

Bridal Makeup Kit

This is a good one and possibly one you don't think of. Although every Wedding is different, one thing you can count on is that classic Bridal is a timeless look. I cannot tell you how many times a Bride has brought me the same image of a picture perfect Bride from Pinterest and said "I want to look just like her". So much so that I have labelled one of my most popular looks, "The Pinterest". If you are looking for the perfect champagne eye shadow, your Makeup Artist has it. If you are looking for that glossy nude/pink lip, you Makeup Artist has used it at least 10 times. If you are looking for a 16 hour base that photographs well, your Makeup Artist will have a foundation routine she swears by. Working so closely with Brides has it advantages and you can quickly build a perfect Bridal kit based on these experiences.

Professionalism

The most important point of booking any supplier for your Wedding is that the face behind the brand is professional and engaging. When working with Brides, an excellent level of client care is needed. Weddings are stressful enough without feeling uneasy about one of your suppliers. Make sure you view your Makeup Artist's portfolio from front to back to check for continuity. Also, read the reviews on their business page to see what sets them apart from others. Always ask for a website. Any Bridal Makeup Artist worth their salt should have a professional, self hosted website. In this day in age, Facebook business pages can come and go. Any artist who invests time and money in to a website is probably in it for the long haul and is definitely worth contacting. I cannot count the amount of times a devastated Bride has contacted me after her original Makeup Artist had cancelled on her at the last minute. Please do your research to ensure this does not happen to you. Sometimes, unavoidable situations will arise where your Makeup Artist has no choice but to cancel on you, but every professional should make sure that back up procedures are put in place and a suitable replacement is found to fill her shoes in this event.

Hopefully these tips will help some of you in the run up to your Wedding and as always, please feel free to contact me if there is anything else you would like to know that is not covered above.

Happy Wedding Planning!! :)

Ashleigh xx