welcome to my journal

The Answer is an Obvious, Yes.

Why is a photographer talking about hair and makeup??? Um….1. Because your wedding day matters and 2. Cause your wedding photographer captures that ONE look frozen in time and you will have to look at it forever and always and well, you kind of don’t want to regret that right??? And I WILL NOT take the fall for you not loving your hair and makeup. No. Ma’am. Haha! You’re not paying me to photoshop your hair and makeup. So it’s important to pick a hair and makeup artist (HMUA) who will do it right.

Your wedding photos are actually quite the group effort. You may have this fairytale vision in your head of what you want your photos to look like. However, many people don’t consider the fact that it’s not just the photographer who makes that vision come to life. I could be the best wedding photographer in the world but if you do your own makeup, your own hair, buy your wedding dress on a knock off website, don’t pay for the decor, don’t pay for the dj who is going to hype up your people….no matter how skilled I am, I can’t make your photos look like Megan & Harry’s royal wedding….know what I’m sayin’?

So when it comes to wedding day hair and makeup specifically, please remember to add the bridal trial when considering your overall budget. It is well worth it for a few potentially obvious reasons.

Here are the pros and cons of paying for a bridal trial:

Not all HMUA are created equally. You have to find the person/team that best fits the look you are going for. Do you want the glam look? Do you want the contouring, heavy eye makeup, a bold lip, looking like a gosh dang QUEEN on your wedding day??? Or do you want to look more natural? Personal opinion: My favorite makeup artists are the ones that make you look like a slightly enhanced version of yourself. You want to look like you when you look back at your wedding photos, right? You do NOT want to look at your wedding photos and think, “…..who dat?”

Book Your Hair and Makeup Artist in Advance

Great HMUA are booked up year round. If you already love someone’s work, chances are so do a LOT of people. Getting your trial booked early on will also ensure that even though you may like their work, you’ll love their work on YOUR face. Then you’ll still have plenty of time to find someone else if you find out maybe your face is not a fan of their work as much as you had hoped it would be.

False Eyelashes

If you hire a professional HMUA this is typically a given, but make sure you ask if it’s included or not.

And you know what, let’s not forget that it’s TOTALLY OK for you to do your makeup yourself! You know your face best. So if you do your own hair and makeup for your wedding day, just be sure to add false eyelashes to your routine. They really make your eyes POP. Even if you feel like they are a lot, unless you are attaching something absolutely over the top to your eyelids, they will look totally natural in photos. If you are really not a fan of the idea, just put some extra layers of mascara on. You really do not need to go heavy on your makeup at all if that is not the look you are going for, just the eyelashes.

Bonus tip: Bring extra eyelash glue and makeup for touch ups throughout your day. Ummmm, hello maid of honor, I have another task for you….xoxo.