Booking Wedding Makeup and Hair - The Truth About Timelines

Planning a wedding takes some serious organization and preparation. Every vendor you'll be speaking to will have a different point of view as to when you should be booking their services. Today, I'm going to cover the true facts about timelines for booking your wedding day makeup and hair.

The reality is a lot of couples get married during the months of April through to October. Some weekends during these peak months are more popular than others, in particular long weekends.  However in general, any successful vendor in the wedding industry will be busy during high season months. Saturdays are still the most popular day of the week for weddings but Fridays and Sundays are also becoming the new standard.

From my experience, a lot of brides start looking for a makeup artist and/or a hairstylist too late and they become alarmed when they call or email and realize the artist they really want is already booked and probably has been for several months. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say it's very upsetting to get these types of calls from brides - you can hear the panic in their voice and it really breaks my heart to have to turn them away. What you really don't want as a bride is to get to this place!

The farther ahead you book your wedding day makeup and hair services the better.

Fact Number 1: You should book your makeup artist and hair stylist a minimum of 6 - 9 months in advance of your wedding day.  DO NOT book your makeup/hair trial only and assume your wedding date is secure.  Never assume your wedding date is secure until you have it writing. Most makeup/hair vendors will not hold wedding dates without a deposit so you need to fully understand all the terms and conditions of your wedding makeup/hair vendor BEFORE booking with them.

Fact Number 2: Brides who are getting married on long weekends need to book a makeup/hair artist a minimum of a year in advance. Brides who are getting married out of province/state/country should book services a minimum of 18 months in advance. Some makeup/hair artists will put a limit on how many destination type weddings they will do in a year. Know this ahead of time and book early.

Fact Number 3: "In demand" makeup and hair vendors receive numerous phone calls and emails everyday with inquiries from photographers, businesses, other vendors and brides. It's advisable to start your relationship with your makeup/hair vendor early on with clear, concise communication. Be transparent - convey to your vendor what you want from them in a clear courteous manner. Ask and you shall receive!

Fact Number 4: It's important to note that successful makeup artists and hairstylists work in several different areas in the beauty industry, including commercial/advertising, fashion and print work so they are kept busy all year long. They may also provide makeup and hair for prom's, special occasions, makeup lessons, classes and so on. May and June are the busy months for prom's and graduation events. The busiest time for wedding makeup and hair trials is January through to March. Some makeup/hair artists will limit wedding makeup and hair trials to weekdays and weekday evenings - know this ahead of time by inquiring with them and plan accordingly.  

For all those getting married in 2012 - 2013, start planning your bridal beauty now!