As a bride, you will spend countless hours obsessing over thinking about your wedding. The guest list, venue, colors, shoes, music, vows, bridesmaids, and so on (you get the point). So there is no wonder why most brides spend so little time planning the “pre-game”. The “pre-game” I am referring to is the whole day you have before game time/wedding time. This part of the day is also affectionately referred to as “getting ready” time and yes the boys have it easy compared to us girls in this department.
It is a time to spend with the most important women in your life, who have laughed with you, cried with you and taught you most of what has brought you to this most special of all days.
Since I have been an integral part of many a “pre-game” (over 500- I lost count), I thought it might be helpful to share some tips based on my experiences.
1) Location, Location, Location – I might be a little biased, but I think one of the best luxuries for a bride is to have a hair and makeup team come to her! If you are not going to a salon on your wedding day, there are some things to consider when deciding where to get ready with your bridal party. Whether you choose to spend the day at your venue, your home or a hotel, you should consider space, lighting, outlets and timing. You want to make sure you and your bridal party fit comfortably in the space and that you will be able to spend as much time there as you need. Some venues only allow you in to the bridal suite a couple of hours before the ceremony and hotels are tricky with check-in and check out times. The two main things that we need for makeup and hair is good lighting and outlets. Outlets can be troublesome in older homes and historic buildings so make note of that when looking at spots, and most hotels are very dimly lit these days because hotels are trying to conserve energy. As freelance hairstylists and makeup artists, we are used to adapting to all sorts of situations but if I am given plenty of space to spread out in front of a large window….I am in heaven:)
2) Be flexible with your schedule – Since every women’s hair is different and every style we do is typically different, we try and estimatehow long each person’s hair and makeup will take. We inevitably spend more time on some women than others (depending on their needs). This is why a strict schedule and lineup does not work. In my experience, if girls are given a specific appointment time, they do not want to deviate from that time and it can create problems for your timeline if your bridesmaids are not flexible to jump in the chair to get their hair or makeup done when they are needed.
3) The final count – It never fails, almost every wedding we style hair and do makeup for we get asked that simple question, “Do you have time for one more?” We consider it a great testimony to our work because we are usually asked by someone who is such a fan of everyone elses hair and makeup and they are kicking themselves for not signing up in the first place!
One person can usually be added without a problem but I have been asked to “squeeze” in 5 girls before. We completely understand that many gals have had bad experiences with hair and makeup in the past and they think they would rather do their own, (that is until they see our work:)). This is why I suggest first sending a link of our website to your bridal party so they can see examples of our work. And secondly, let your hairstylist and makeup artist know if there is anyone “on the fence” about getting their hair and makeup done. We would rather budget in more time just in case we may be having add-ons then have to turn people away because we didn’t have enough time.
4) Make it Fun – Two very simple factors make a very big impact to the getting ready process…food and music! They are both must-haves in my humble opinion. Make a plan to play your favorite tunes or whatever will make you smile and put you in a good mood. Whether it be 80′s music, Frank Sinatra or Lady Gaga, you will be glad to be rocking out!
And it might seem painful to order food when you are spending thousands of dollars on food for the evening but you really don’t want anyone fainting during the ceremony do you? Trust me, even if you are worried about fitting into your dress, you need to eat something on your wedding day, AND girls get grumpy when they are hungry. I have seen groups that pick up a few things to snack on from Whole Foods to getting a whole spread delivered that could feed an army. But please, don’t be that bride who tells everyone “just grab a handful of cereal on your way out the door (true story).”
5) Bring Pictures – Pictures can be a huge help when you are trying to convey an idea to your hairstylist or makeup artist. We LOVE pictures. And nowadays with pinterest there are so many great photos out there at your fingertips. Now, keep in mind that not every style is attainable with every hair type so bring a few options of photos that you like in case you need to switch things up. If you are in need of amazing hair and makeup inspiration, follow us on Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/amiedecker/hair-mu-inspiration/)
6) Timing – Just another note on time (while I have the floor). Trust your hairstylist and makeup artist when they tell you how much time they need. If they have a lot of experience in the wedding industry then they know how long it takes them to do hair and makeup on-site. Each artist is different so it is difficult to go on what someone else might tell you. Therefore, it is best to discuss your getting ready timing directly with your artist you will be with on the wedding day.
I hope this has been helpful to all of you lovely brides out there. I am looking forward to many “pre games” to come! Maybe even yours!
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Photography by: Heather Z Photography via Ariel & Kevin’s Wedding .
