"How long will it take?" is one of the first things brides ask, and the honest answer is that it depends on how many faces need makeup and the time you need to be ready by. So rather than a number, here is how I plan a morning, and what one real morning looked like.
What decides the timings
- How many faces. The bride, the bridesmaids, the mums, anyone else who wants makeup.
- The time you need to be ready by. Usually a little before the photographer wants the dress on, not the ceremony time.
- Your hair stylist's plan. I am makeup only, so we share a timeline with whoever is doing hair.
- Who needs to leave first. A mum who is greeting guests, a bridesmaid with a reading.
Once I know those, I plan the order so everyone finishes together, with time left over. Above five faces, a second artist joins me so nobody is rushed.
A real wedding morning
These films are all from one September wedding morning, in the order they happened. The times are the times they were filmed.
10:10. The bride's eyes, with her hair still in rollers. Skin prep and base are done; the dress is about two hours away.
10:13. In the other chair, skin prep for a bridesmaid in the window light.
10:21. Two chairs at once in one bright, calm room.
11:12. Makeup done, the bridal party is out by the pool in their pyjamas.
12:06. Dress on, veil down.
12:18. Her mum.
And a minute later, she walked out to her bridesmaids.
What a buffer is for
Every morning plan I make has spare time in it. Something always happens: a late delivery, a lost earring, a bridesmaid who needs a moment. With a buffer, none of it touches the makeup, and the morning still feels calm.
Your trial is where we plan it
At your trial we talk through the day, who needs makeup and when, and I write your look down product by product. The bridal page shows how it all works, and my note on bridesmaid makeup covers planning the bridal party. When you are ready, send me your date.