Your perfect dress has been ordered, your venue is looking magical, and now you need to turn your attention to your bridal hair and make-up. Knowing how to find a hair and make-up artist for your wedding can be immensely daunting. It’s an incredibly personal part of your day, having these professionals alongside you as you get ready, juggling excitement and pre-nuptial nerves. 

Here we talk you through how to find and choose your wedding make-up artist and hair stylist.

Confidence – your primary goal

Looking heavenly, striking, and absolutely gorgeous should be a given. The most important consideration to keep in mind when choosing your hair and make-up artist is that they make you feel confident. This means feeling confident in their skill, but also how much they understand you. So as you consider your options, ask yourself: how confident does this professional make me feel?

The getting-ready moments

Look through any wedding photos with a reportage style and you’ll soon realise how magical and special the bride’s getting-ready time is. It’s intimate and personal, usually just you and a handful of close friends and family. However, in this intimate scene are one or two strangers – your make-up artist (MUA) and hair stylist. 

As such, it’s absolutely vital that you get to know and trust who you choose. You need to feel utterly comfortable with them, and in their ability to work with you calmly during some exciting moments. In short – it’s about far more than just the make-up or the hairstyle that you choose.

These professionals are often the ones reassuring you, supporting your bridesmaids, finding a plaster for a blister, or calling for room service to quench your nervous thirst!

How to find a make-up artist for a wedding

1. Start thinking about styles

For both hair and make-up, your starting point should be to think about styles that you like. Head to Pinterest, scour magazines and get Googling. Create a collection of images which reflect the looks you prefer. There may be just one element of a style that you like – if so, jot down what that is. 

As you collect more images, consider whether the skin tone and hair length or colour of the individual in the image is similar to your own. This can help determine how well the style will suit you.

We also recommend thinking about what you normally wear and how you style yourself. Yes, on your wedding day it’s an opportunity to step-up, but completely stepping away from your usual style can make you feel uncomfortable. It’s a good idea to think of your usual style and then consider how that can be levelled-up a notch or two.

You should now have a good gallery of ideas to take to potential MUAs and hair stylists.

2. Consider the wedding location

Next, it’s time to think about where you will be on the morning of the wedding. You could go to a salon for your make-up and to another for your hair. However, this will introduce unnecessary stress and time pressure. Instead, we recommend choosing a mobile make-up artist and hairstylist who will come to your home, or to the wedding venue.

Secret Spa has a selection of wedding make-up artists in Brighton, London and Manchester who will come to your home or venue. Additionally, covering the same areas, our professional hair stylists can also come to you.

Once connected, you can ask to see examples of the individual’s work. They should have plenty of photos to show you.

3. Request some testimonials

This is a big day that will (hopefully!) only happen once, and the photos will be out on show for many years to come. You need to absolutely trust that they’ve done a great job for the brides who have been before you, both in terms of the look they create and how they made that person feel.

Ask them to point you in the direction of testimonials. Additionally, by choosing your MUA or hair stylist through us, you can be sure they’ve been vetted and used by many satisfied Secret Spa clients before you.

4. Check the pricing

There is enormous variation in prices between different providers and suppliers. Firstly, ensure that the prices are completely transparent, with no hidden costs. The price will often reflect the quality of the service, so be wary of any wedding make-up artists or hair stylists whose prices seem too good to be true. 

Check out our wedding make-up artist prices and wedding hair stylist prices for a guideline.

5. Book in for a trial

Professional wedding make-up artists and stylists should happily offer you a trial which won’t be the full cost of on-the-day hair and make-up. The trial is absolutely essential to see if your chosen concepts look as you expect, and that the chosen artist/stylist can create them. 

Trials also serve some other benefits. They enable you to see which products will be used, and the brands. If nothing else, being able to buy your own lippy for touching up on the day will be a great help. There’s also the benefit that any irritation from a product will be identified well in advance of the Big Day. At a trial, you can also listen to recommendations, such as having some new lashes to help your eyes stand out in the photos.

Additionally, the trial is your chance to meet the individual who will be with you on the morning and to see how they make you feel. Do they make you feel confident and beautiful? Do they listen to you and make you feel understood?

6. Double check

Once you’ve had your trial, double-check a few things. Firstly, check that this individual artist or stylist will be available on your day. Then, also check if they have a contingency plan. It’s unlikely, but you want to know they have a back-up in case of an emergency or illness, and that the step-in will have access to your chosen style and products.

Now you know how to find a hair and make-up artist for your wedding, you can get on with the exciting job of choosing your styles!