With wedding season around the corner (admittedly it might not seem that close with the weather we have today), I thought I would throw together some tips on choosing a makeup artist for your wedding:

Get Referrals-

The first thing you want to do when trying to find a makeup artist for your wedding is to ask your family, friends and other vendors you are using for your wedding such as your wedding planner, photographer/videographer for referrals. If you’ve gone to a wedding and loved the bride’s makeup, find out who her artist was, and how happy the bridal party was with that artist. That way you already know the MUA can do a great job.

Once you’ve gotten a good amount of referrals, check out their websites. Most bridal makeup artists will have a portfolio tab on their site (many artists also work in print, film and TV) which will display work that they have done. That way you can see first hand how good they are and how well their work looks when photographed.

Be prepared-

When contacting the makeup artist, be well prepared. Know how many women in your bridal party will want to have their makeup professionally done, where you plan on having the makeup applied on the actual day and when you will need to be ready for.

Know what questions to ask the artist. Obviously the most important will be cost. You also want to know if there is an extra charge for lash applications, do they provide false lashes, is there a travel charge and what the cost is for a trial.

Price can vary from artist to artist, with the range being anywhere from $60 to $120 per person, and often times the bride will be charged more because of the additional time and attention to detail required.

Book a Trial-

The best way you can help your makeup artist make you look the way you want to for your wedding is to come prepared with either magazine clippings of the look you want, or even saved images on your phone/tablet. This is a great starting point for both you and your artist.

Take a picture of the finished look with your phone/digital camera. This will give you an idea on how the makeup will look in photographs.

Make sure you are 100% honest with your MUA about the finished look. If there are any adjustments you would like made, or if there is anything that you are unhappy with about the look, let them know. It’s better to be honest and see if the artist is able to give you the desired look, than to walk away unhappy and stressed about finding someone else.

Book the artist-

If you are happy with the look, book the artist as soon as possible. Bridal artists often book well in advance so don’t take too long to decide on who you want to go with. It’s also a great idea to make sure that the makeup artist makes note of the products used and/or takes a picture themselves. Any good artist knows that you can’t rely on memory alone to recreate a look done in a trial.

A lot of makeup artists will have bridal contracts ready for you that will specifically state all of the details involved with cost, if there is any deposit required/given, location, timings, number of people, etc. It’s a good idea to have everything written down so that both you and the artist are clear on all the details.

The big day!

Make sure you keep your artist updated on any changes in timings or location and provide them with a list of contact numbers as well as provide your maid of honor with her number just in case you are not accessible.

Have a place setup for the artist to do their work. You will want to take things into consideration like lighting, ample room to work, enough table space and find the tallest chair in your house (i.e. a barstool) ready to get the artist going once they arrive.

Be sure that everyone in your party has their payment ready! No bride needs to see any members of their party scrambling around at the last minute.

Hope these tips help!
If you are looking for a bridal makeup artist, contact me at info@deepaberar.com and congratulations to all of the brides-to-be!