Choosing hair and makeup artist

It helps if you mention the general location of your wedding. The prices may be twice as high in major cities. Also, there may be a minimum number that makeup artists will require if they come on site to the wedding. A lot of the focus is on finding a makeup artist to you think will work well with your face and hair characteristics and your budget.

If you're getting married locally, I would look into hiring your usual stylist for your event. It's always a safer bet to have someone that is familiar with you, your hair and your preferences. If that's not a possibility, I would ask for recommendations from friends/family who have gotten married recently and had good hair/makeup experiences, or you could ask for suggestions on a local wedding facebook group. And of course you can utilize social media to review portfolios of local hmua's work.

The cost of services will vary A LOT depending on location and skill level of the artists. We ended up not getting a hairstylist because everyone felt more comfortable doing their own hair; but the stylists I looked at in New Orleans charged anywhere from $50 - 200 per person. Our makeup artist was $1200 for 4 people. We all used the same artist and I paid for everyone's services.

When it came to picking out a hair stylist and makeup artist, I reached out to several companies. I wanted a company that would provide both services that way I didn't have to worry about hiring two separate vendors. I also wanted a company that would be living to travel to our venue to do hair and makeup. I got quotes from several and then spoke with my bridesmaids. I let them know that professional hair and makeup was 100% optional. I also told them I was talking to a company and what their pricing was. I wanted my girls input before officially booking the company I went with especially because they required so many people in order to travel. My girls were very helpful and all thought the pricing was reasonable. The company I went with had excellent reviews, they weren't the most expensive but they also weren't the cheapest, and the owner of the company was great at communicating with me which was a huge plus. I had a hair and makeup trial and I clicked really well with them and it reaffirmed my decision to use them. The only issue I had during the entire process was the day of the rehearsal I got a call that the hairstylist's assistant had a family emergency and wouldn't be able to make it so instead the makeup artist arrived early to assist the hairstylist.

I found my hmu through wedding wire and asked for photos from their portfolio specifically Asian makeup since I’m Asian and it is very different since our eyes are more monolids. I also was going for a much more natural look for the wedding day and a more vintage look for the welcome dinner. We tested both looks during the trial which I scheduled a couple days before the wedding since we had a destination wedding.

I have a single stylist for me and the bridesmaids, but I only have three. If I had any more, we wouldn’t have time to do it that way. So definitely ask the stylist how many they can do in the time available!

Prices will vary widely depending on your location and the skill and reputation of the vendors. Were you planning to cover the costs for your wedding party? That's not an obligation of course. Keep in mind that it's up to them whether to participate, use their own people or DIY.

In most wedding parties I've been in where everyone got their hair and makeup done on site there were one or two hair and makeup people. Usually only one of each unless the party is large.

Prices vary from one area to another. Even in the same city, there is a wide range of prices. The best places to start looking are Instagram for your city and Yelp which doesn’t allow vendors to remove reviews. When you find a few styles you like, reach out to those stylists and book a consultation and trial. Do not under any circumstances hire them for wedding day services or leave the trial appointment until you are 100% happy with the results. If they are truly bad, then you move on to another stylist for a trial. But you are not legally bound to that vendor until you sign the contract.