You want your wedding day to be a stress-free experience and what bride doesn’t want everything to be absolutely perfect? Having a hair and makeup trial is a must to give you peace of mind that they’ll nail the look you are going for, before your wedding morning comes along. Wedding hair and makeup trials can be pricey but this post will tell you why they’re worth it.
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When To Have Hair & Make-Up Trials
From my experience, wedding vendors can book up pretty quickly. You should start booking hair and makeup trials 4-6 months before your wedding to give yourself time to decide on a vendor and lock in the one you want.
You can really save yourself some money by using your hair and makeup trials for a time you’ll actually need your hair and makeup done during your wedding process. Your engagement photos, bridal shower, or bachelorette party are all great opportunities to be glammed up. If you’re planning on paying for hair and makeup for any of those things, save yourself money by using a trial for this. Seeing yourself in pictures is a great way to also decide what you think of your look. Try to coordinate this to kill two birds with one stone.
Where To Start
When choosing a hair and makeup vendor, start by seeing if your wedding venue has a preferred vendor list. Then start stalking their Instagram and socials. You’ll get a great idea of the looks they can achieve. Do lots of research to get ideas of what you’re wanting. Head on over to Pinterest and start pinning hair and make up looks that you like.
Hair Considerations
Try not to go for something that you wouldn’t normally do on a day to day basis. If you are someone that never wears your hair down, having it pulled back might be more comfortable for you. You should also consider the weather, if you’re getting married outside in the summer, having your hair up might be the way to go.
By the time you book your hair and make up trials, you should already have your dress. Maybe you have a gorgeous intricate back detail that you don’t want to cover or a neckline that would just look better with your hair up. Your dress might point you in the direction of how you want your hair to look.
When it’s time for the big day, try to get any cut and color that you’re wanting at least 2 weeks before the big day to give yourself time for the unexpected (someone needing to cancel, the event that you don’t love it and need something fixed).
Another piece of advice, bring your veil if you have it. It’s nice to see what you’re hair will look like with the placement of your veil.
Makeup Considerations
Decide how much glam you want. There’s soft glam, Hollywood glam, or full glam. For me, I was wanting a glam look but I wanted my future husband to also be able to recognize me on our wedding day so I went with a soft glam look.
If you don’t wear a ton of makeup, seeing yourself in makeup can make you second guess things. Have someone take lots of pictures of you, because makeup in person and in pictures look much different. Remember, these are the most important pictures of your life, so do it for the photos.
After Your Trial
Take a look at all of those pictures you just took and analyze what you like and don’t like and be sure to share this information with them if you decide to book. For me I wanted my curls to be looser and I wasn’t digging my lipstick. You won’t hurt their feelings by telling them what you liked and didn’t like. It’s your day and your vision, so being up front and honest will help you achieve that look and feel more comfortable. Communication is always key.
Decide if you can see yourself spending your wedding morning with the people you are doing a trial with. You’ll be spending such a special time in your life with them and if you’re hitting it off right away that’s a great sign! It’s always nice to not be meeting your vendors for the first time on your wedding day. Having the trial just gives you peace of mind altogether.
I recommend purchasing your own lipstick for your wedding day. Your professional makeup will last all day, however, your lipstick will not. When your hair and makeup artists leave on your wedding day you won’t be able to reapply the shade of lipstick that they used on you, so I made sure to find exactly what I was looking for so I could reapply all day long. Try some lipsticks throughout the year to see what lasts all day and looks good on you. I found KVD Beauty’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick to be long lasting and they had great color options. My color choice was: Ludwig.
Some of my other favorites that I tried were Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk and Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil.
Questions To Ask Your Hair & Makeup Vendor
Before booking your hair and makeup vendor, find out the following information:
Do they include gratuity in their final bill?
Is travel included?
What is the minimum price to book?
Will there be a backup hair stylist and makeup artist in the event something happens?
Find out if the stylist that you have your trial with will be the same as your wedding day.
You’ll be sure to feel pampered on your wedding morning if you choose to get an onsite hair and makeup vendor and I highly recommend getting a hair and makeup trial for your wedding to make things run smoothly and to make sure you feel and look your best on your wedding day.