Wedding days are often filled with tight schedules, time constraints, interruptions and emotions. Makeup artists and hairstylists must possess excellent time management skills to ensure that the bride and her bridal party are ready on time. They are experts at working efficiently yet accurately, allowing ample time for each service and avoiding unnecessary delays.

Weddings can be stressful for both the bride and the professionals involved. Skilled makeup artists and hairstylists possess patience and professionalism, understanding the importance of creating a calm and enjoyable experience for the bride. They listen attentively to the bride's desires, offer suggestions, and make adjustments as necessary to ensure complete satisfaction.

If you’re employing a makeup artist whose profession is in weddings, that’s what you’re paying for. Weddings are different from any other event in that it is one of the biggest days in a person’s life. Nothing can afford to go wrong - especially the hair or makeup.

You’re paying for the experience of this professional to be calm under pressure and someone who is backed by multiple positive reviews or awards. This is their livelihood and it shouldn’t be underestimated. 

They will have seen it all over the years so they are well placed to deal with any last-minute hiccups or changes.

When you hire a bridal makeup artist, you’re getting more than a flawless look for your big day.

They do this week in and week out so can provide a calming presence and talk you through their wealth of experience. They know the ins and outs of weddings and how long everything typically takes, as well as how to hold your bouquet, when to start getting dressed, and which side the button holes go etc etc!

Weddings often take place in various locations, and makeup artists and hairstylists may need to travel to provide their services.   This includes the time to travel to your wedding venue, house, hotel or Airbnb, as well as transport costs, possibly accommodation depending on the location of the wedding, and parking.

Professional makeup artists who do this week in and week out are highly sought after. Therefore charge a premium compared to a regular makeup artist or hair stylists, who only do weddings occasionally. 

To do bridal hair or makeup they might have to turn down the regular business they’d get on the same day from multiple clients. Therefore they need to charge accordingly for their figures to match. 

Equally, due to the timings of weddings usually running quite similar, they may only be able to do one wedding a week. Also, they may only be working for 6 hours on a Saturday morning, but add on 3 hours of travel time and getting up at 4am for a 6am start and their weekend is dedicated to your wedding.  Also, as most weddings are during the summer, wedding professionals work their life around wedding seasons, that includes holidays, family events and even babies - I know a few wedding photographers who planned their conception so their babies were born in autumn so they could return to work in spring!

Creating the perfect bridal look requires a high level of expertise and skill from makeup artists and hairstylists. These professionals must have a deep understanding of various techniques and trends to ensure the bride looks stunning on her special day. 

Professional makeup artists specialising in weddings are well-versed in a wide range of techniques specifically tailored for brides. They understand the importance of using long-lasting and high-quality products that will withstand the demands of the day. These artists have a thorough understanding of how makeup will appear under different lighting conditions, ensuring the bride looks flawless in photographs and throughout the event.

One of the primary goals of bridal makeup is to enhance the bride's natural beauty. Skilled makeup artists know how to highlight the bride's best features while concealing any imperfections. Through the use of contouring, colour matching, and precise application techniques, makeup artists can create a look that enhances the bride's unique features and enhances her overall appearance.

It's important to also find an artist that will ensure the style will last through the whole day, including an evening on the dance-floor!   Airbrush makeup is my most popular wedding makeup service. A perfect foundation is the best basis for a flawless complexion, especially when you're looking for a serious 'WOW' complexion for your big day!  Airbase provides a long-lasting finish which means you won't need to worry about any touch ups during your special day.

It's light and pigmented, creating a lovely flawless finish which is great in your wedding photos. It feels luxurious on the skin and is incredibly lightweight as it’s a silicone-based foundation, and is durable and long-lasting - perfect for bridal beauty. This also means it's tear-resistant! It comes in a wide range of colours which can be mixed, allowing perfect colour matching to any skin tone.

Every bride has her own vision of how she wants to look on her wedding day. It is the responsibility of the makeup artist and hairstylist to bring that vision to life. Skilled professionals possess a high level of creativity and adaptability, allowing them to tailor their techniques and styles to suit the bride's preferences and the overall wedding theme. They can transform ideas and inspirations into personalised and stunning looks that perfectly align with the bride's vision.

Wedding makeup and hair services require meticulous attention to detail. Skilled professionals pay close attention to every aspect of the bride's appearance – from the placement and blending of eyeshadow to the precision of hairstyling. Each stroke and touch must be executed with precision and care to ensure a flawless result. Professionals in these fields understand that even the slightest imperfection can be magnified in wedding photographs and strive for perfection in every aspect of their work.

If possible, its always recommended to have a trial run with your hair and makeup artist.  What happens at a trial? Click here to find out. This is to test their desired makeup and hairstyles, allowing the bride to discuss and finalise the look for the wedding day. This is usually charged separately, however some artists do choose to include the trial.  I personally only take the costs of the trial as a deposit, as after the trial if a bride is not 100% happy with their hair and makeup they are not financially obligated to go ahead with services on their wedding day.

Good training for hair and makeup artistry does not come cheap. I have done various training courses with professionals in the hair and makeup industry, as well as various brands and professional beauty show demonstrations in person and online. There is always something new to learn and I normally do some kind of hair or makeup course every year or so.  I know a lot of artists are self-taught, however I wanted to ensure I knew and had guidance in different hair and makeup styles, suiting it to everyone's individual face shapes and features, as well as ensuring I understood and kept up with the latest hygiene standards. 

As you can imagine, maintaining a top-quality hair and makeup kit is an expensive feat. As well as the constantly replenishing disposables like cotton buds and tissues, there is also hairspray, IPA, foundation and lots and lots of hair grips!  I have a cupboard full of stock to ensure I never run out.  Also, products can get damaged during transit, unfortunately, at least one of my palette lids is normally broken!

Working in a creative industry, I’m sure you’ll agree that a business should reflect this. I want to look professional and aesthetically pleasing, from my style of hair and makeup, to my branding, website and social medial.  I believe my website is my shop window, therefore all content is to show the artist's attention to detail and care.  There are also costs involved in hosting the website and marketing, as unfortunately, you can’t rely on word of mouth alone to book clients.  Brides often use Facebook and Instagram to find their wedding suppliers which means it is essential that I’m keeping my content up to date. It is time-consuming to create content, taking photos and making posts.  I am now outsourcing this as I am dyslexic and not great with English, I didn't want any mistakes to put potential brides off - I also wanted more time to concentrate on other areas of my business.  My posts are now done by Amanda of Holly Admin Solutions, and as an independent business owner, it's so nice to be able to have help doing my marketing. 

Like most hair and makeup artists, I pay to insure my kit and for public liability insurance. This ensures that both myself and my brides are covered, keeping everyone’s mind at ease. Some wedding venues require this to even allow you to work on their premises.

I spend at the very least an hour, but usually several, each day on admin. This includes responding to enquiries, sending out quotes, emailing clients, preparing schedules, researching trends, sending invoices, creating social and blog content, updating my website…the list is endless! Even though I don’t get paid directly for any of this, it still takes up a lot of my time. Work never stops for me; I’m often still sending out emails late at night. If I have a day when I’m not out on a job, I always make use of this time catching up on admin.  

I have been in the industry for 8 years now and in this time I have done so much to improve my services. I have developed and refined my skills, gained knowledge, improved my customer experience and expanded my business. And in the same way you would expect to be promoted and paid more for a job that you have gained experience in, so do we. Experienced makeup artists charge more because their fee reflects their worth. Weddings can be stressful enough as it is and for such an important day, you will be thankful that you booked an experienced and reliable artist.

Being self-employed means taking care of your own accounts which usually means paying an accountant, and yet again more admin! I also pay a monthly subscription for accounting software to ensure all my accounts are up to date and to help manage payments.. I’m not entitled to any holiday or sick pay. If I don’t go to work, I don’t get paid. Even though running your own business means a certain amount of flexibility, it can also mean working unsociable hours and in peak seasons I often end up working 7 days a week. If I get a job opportunity and I’m available, I will always take it. There are always quieter times when you wish you’d taken advantage of that work! There is so much more to it than turning up for a few hours to apply a bit of lippy and hairspray!