Get Ready! Get Set! Get Glam!

September 18, 2019

Get prepped! Get primed! Get ready to be glammed!

 

“Should I do a wedding day hair and makeup trial?” I get asked that question often! I have brides who do trials and some whom I do not meet until the day of the wedding. Should you do a trial? My answer is always a resounding, “Yes”! In this blog I will break down why you need to do a hair and makeup trial with me before your big day and also how to prepare for your trial appointment.

 

Ladies, hair and makeup trials are so important! You try on your wedding dress to ensure that it fits before the big day, you taste the wedding cake before the final order, you visit the wedding venue before making your deposit. Hair and makeup should be no different.

 

The excuse I hear most often as to why a trial was not done before the wedding is, “I didn’t want to pay for it. I was trying to save money.” That usually comes from the bride who did not do a trial, thought bright red lipstick would look good on her, then decided she hated it…..all on the day of the wedding with thirty minutes to go before she walks down the aisle. Ladies, you really need to try out your wedding day hair and makeup before the big day in order to avoid stressful situations such as these. How do you know that you will like your hair all up when you normally wear it all down? How do you know that you will like the purple eyeshadow that matches your bridesmaids dresses? Never worn false lashes before? You may hate them on the day of the wedding and won’t know that until after I have glued them down. You may have fine, thin hair and be married to a picture on Pinterest of a bride with a large, voluminous updo. If you don’t do the trial and you show up on the day of the wedding with that picture in hand, you will be sadly disappointed when I have to tell you that you really needed extensions in order to achieve that look. At the trial appointment we could have tried the updo, the purple eyeshadow, the false lashes, and I could have let you know that you needed to purchase extensions in order to achieve the look that you wanted. The trial is the time to discuss your look with me and give it a test drive before the big day.

 

I also get asked so often as to when the best time would be to schedule the trial. Lover.ly.com suggests, and I agree, to purchase your dress before scheduling your hair and makeup trial appointment. “Your dress will automatically affect the style you choose for hair and makeup. A ballerina bun will look a little off with a boho inspired dress, and a stunning back might call for an updo instead of cascading curls”. (“How to Prep for your Wedding Hair and Makeup trial”, www.lover.ly.com) Stephanie Weers of Wedding Wire states, “Setting up the trial too early usually results in brides second guessing or being very indecisive. I recommend waiting 4-6 weeks before the wedding. This way their wedding style has been figured out, they’ve likely seen their dress finished, and they’ve purchased accessories.” (“Wedding Hair Don’ts from the Experts”, Stephanie Weers, www.weddingwire.com) I have to agree with both statements. Most of the time, when a trial is scheduled too early, the bride does have time to think and rethink her wedding look. This can result in the bride feeling like she needs to do a retrial, which is fine, I’m just trying to save you some money! With all precautions taken, sometimes a retrial is necessary. Maybe you thought you wanted your hair all down but thought more about it and now you want to try out an updo to beat the heat if your wedding is in the summer.

 

The Knot states, “It can take a few tries before your makeup artist totally nails your ideal beauty look so don’t get discouraged. Make sure you set aside a few hours with them and bring lots of beauty inspiration to look at together. Be specific: matte or dewy? Bronze or smokey? Don’t leave anything out.” (“Ten Beauty Appointments You Should Make Before Your Wedding Day”,www.theknot.com)

Yes, please plan ahead and schedule your time accordingly for your trial. I like to block out two hours for a hair and makeup trial appointment. This allows for time to discuss your expectations and to look at the photos of beauty inspiration that you have gathered.

 

How do you choose which hair and makeup look is the winner? “Your bridal makeup shouldn’t be too different from your daily makeup routine, but choosing the right look requires a little bit of thought. Whether you wear a full face of makeup or head straight out the door with only a moisturizer on your skin, we like to think of your bridal makeup as a boosted version of your everyday look.” (“Which Bridal Makeup Look Should You Rock for your Wedding?”, Samantha Iacia, www.weddingwire.com) Once you make the trial appointment, start saving your favorite hair and makeup look photos for us to review together. I suggest starting a Pinterest board. Pinterest has a plethora of bridal hair and makeup looks to inspire you. Don’t let Pinterest overwhelm you though! Once you start noticing a trend in your pinning, you know you are headed in the right direction.

 

On the day of the trial, please come with day old clean hair and a clean face. I will remind you of this in an email confirmation that I will send out to you one week prior to the appointment. “One obvious thing is not to make drastic hair changes before your wedding hair trial. Your hair should be wedding ready when you go to your hair trial, and it should be a length and cut you are used to. The same goes for skincare. Definitely don’t schedule a tanning session right before your makeup trial, or get any skin altering facial treatments. You’ll want as neutral a canvas as possible,” says Colleen Griffin of Aphrodite Salon in Portland, Maine. (“Your Wedding Makeup and Hair Trial: What to Expect”, Lauren Rodrigue, www.weddingwire.com)

 

For your trial, bring all of your hair accessories that you plan to wear on the wedding day with you to your appointment. That way, we can make sure that your hair accessories work well with the hairstyle that you have chosen. Be realistic about your hairstyle that you choose. “You may not realize it, but many of the wedding hairstyles you’ve seen on Pinterest, in articles, and on social media, actually involve hair extensions. Even if you’re not interested in adding length, a few well placed clip  in extensions can make all the difference by adding volume and shape to your wedding hairstyle.” (“The Wedding Hairstyles and Secrets Every Bride Should Know”, Samantha Iacia, www.weddingwire.com)

If you are doubtful as to if you need hair extensions or not, just reach out to me. Send me a photo of your current hair and your inspiration photo. I am happy to give you my opinion prior to the trial appointment and point you in the right direction.

 

I also suggest not bringing a crew of people along with you to your appointment. It happens just about every time that a bride brings a crew of people to her trial appointment, that there are just too many opinions. The bride gets overwhelmed and frustrated with everyone’s input. If you do want to bring along another opinion, narrow it down to one or maybe two that you trust the most. Everyone is welcome to come to your appointment, I’m just trying to save you the headache. Remember, the opinion that matters the most is your own!

 

Take lots of photos at your appointment. I’ll take a lot with my camera and I am happy to do so with your camera. That way, you can look back at your photos and remember just how awesome you’re going to look on your big day!

 

This leads me to talk about trials that I do myself for weddings that I will not personally be at; another artist will actually be performing the services. This happens often because I can not be at all places at all times. You will know before you even book if I will personally be at your wedding or not. I carefully choose the artists who represent me at all weddings. I only choose whom I believe to be the best! Some brides ask me why I am doing their trial and not the artist who is performing the services at their wedding. Essentially, it is my work. I want to meet you and personally create a look that you are happy with. I take lots of pictures and notes and share that with the artists assigned to your wedding. You are in excellent hands!

 

I hope that you can now understand why a trial is so important and how you can best prepare for it. I know that there are issues of time and money involved but it is time and money well spent to ensure that you are confident in your beauty look on one of the most important days of your life! So what are you waiting for? Contact me today to schedule your wedding hair and makeup trial in San Antonio! I can’t wait to create a look that is uniquely for you!


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