This read offers a few pieces of advice that I have picked up so far, to any fellow HMUAs, that can help behind the scenes and work towards consistency and efficiency as an artist. Once taken care of, these tips and tricks should hopefully allow your mind to have more space to solely focus on your art form.
Often when I tell people I work on weddings I am met with the reaction of "that much be a lot of pressure," which of course yes, like any job there are high pressure moments. However, this role creates such a unique buzz and sentiment which can absolutely be enjoyed. If the daunt of the stressful elements of bridal feels too much and is what's stopping you from giving it a go, it definitely doesn't have to be that way!
Inevitably when the coming together of multiple different suppliers is all in the works during a wedding morning, there will sometimes be mishaps. These are usually out of your control. So having a well-organised routine to prepare for these as best you can, should limit the impact on your performance.
The main point to remember, in any makeup context, is that you and your client both want the same thing. In the case of bridal it's for them to feel the best version of them self on their wedding day. Sometimes it will be easier to get to that point straight away than others, but the best thing you can do is listen and use your knowledge to help prompt your client when describing their vision of exactly what it is they're after. If you then also bring a willingness to adapt and re-try things when needed and create an open space for them to be honest with feedback, you can't go far wrong.
Thorough Consultation
Regardless of whether you have been able to arrange a trial prior to the day, going into the wedding morning with as much knowledge as possible, will give you your best chance of delivering what they are hoping for, while preventing any time wasting.
Ideally the trial run through will happen, which is the case with the majority of bookings. It's important to take a little extra time here discussing, listening and experimenting. To give you more speed on the day of the wedding. If your client is using visual aids of makeup looks on other people, make sure to dissect and describe the different elements of these looks to figure out specific likes and dislikes. Gage an idea of their usual makeup routine, and how this may be similiar or different to the style they'd like as this will also help visualise their expectation.
Experimentation at the trial saves precious time on the wedding day. It scratches the natural itch to want to see other options, allowing yourself to only have to adapt to any natural changes on the day, such as a slight tan or changes to the skin.
With the occasional booking it just isn't possible to arrange a trail, which is usually because of location. Even when this is the case, it's still important to gather as much as you can before the wedding. A video call consultation will be your best option here. Although it won't be the same as seeing a potential look come to life, attention to detail when describing and prompting your client will be valuable here. Being aware of the possibility of a few more final tweaks being needed on the day is also beneficial, when planning your timings.
Knowing your timings (avoid the over promise!)
If you are worried about being a sightly slower worker, the more practice you're able to get, the faster you will become. In the mean time, as long as you are honest and realistic with clients in the consultation stage about your own timings, this won't be a problem as you should theoretically avoid the dreaded over promise.
When I mention "the over promise" I refer to the scenario of a client enquiring about a number of hair and makeups which is sadly just not doable in the time frame available. It can be hard to say no, over fear of losing a potential booking but this is unlikely and usually it will just be a case of explaining timings further, suggesting a smaller booking and finding a second pair of hands to share the workload. It may feel like a disappointing conversation to have but will be nothing compared to the feeling of over committing yourself to an unachievable schedule and creating a set of rushed or late looks as a result.
A good place to start here is getting to know your typical per person timings. Once you have figured this out you will find it much easier to know what's doable when taking on new work. Of course you will sometimes find yourself spending a little more or less time of certain clients but this usually balances out across a booking. However if you have got slightly behind that is when your insurance hour before the ceremony will come into clutch (as well as being their primarily for touch ups, changing into dresses, photos and for everyone to take a moment before the ceremony begins.)
Pre-wedding routine
This part of the job may feel a little less exciting but is an important foundation to lay down for delivering an overall quality package.
When liaising with multiple clients at a time it's very important to maintain an updated data base in a form that works for you. For me I use a spreadsheet to keep all my client information in one place, including ceremony times, trial and venue addresses, social media consent, wedding dates and completed vs due payments. I then keep a more in depth file per client, on a word document, which notes the more hair and makeup related specifics, such as mood board imagery, consultation and trial notes as well as discussed wedding day schedules.
Human error is inevitable every so often. If a small mistake is made in the admin phase it's often easy to fix by just double checking with a client. However avoiding this as much as possible, having a reliable system will help maintain professionalism as well as make your life easier when gathering all your info ready for a wedding morning.
Finally, something I always bare in mind is the administrative stresses of wedding week faced by my brides. I like to reach out the just before the day as a final reassurance of confirmed timings. Sending this out in good time, up to a week before the day means giving clients one less thing to worry about in those potentially apprehensive couple of days before the wedding itself. Leaving this message to the night before, will limit your wriggle room for any adjustments you may need to make and potentially forfeit a relaxed night for your bride and early night for you (which is often well needed for those early arrivals times!)
Product familiarity
The majority of wedding mornings will involve working on bridal party members who haven't have had a trial. This may be daunting when thinking about the extra time required for consulting. My main advice here is to begin with asking the relevant questions that relate to skin care (and of course allergies) and beginning your skin prep while discussing the rest of the details of your look.
As well, knowing the products in your kit well and what they each can bring to a look will be a massive time saver. As this will allow you to quickly be able to piece together your look and pick out your products confidently throughout the application.
Kit organisation and set up
I have a few ideas for this one, which may seem like very small details but once all put together, can save some valuable time on a wedding morning.
It's important to have a kit that caters for absolutely any hair or skin type or shade. It's often more cost effective to buy larger bulkier items, but these can be a hindrance for taking up space in your kit bag. Decanting into minis will free up space and therefore mean less journeys back to the car, which can save you a good five minutes here and to add onto your application time.
Consider you're location also. If I'm working at a house, it usually means much less of a distance from your car, similarly if working at a venue I have been to before, I already know how much time to factor in for the car park to getting ready ready space journey. Whereas factoring in a little extra setup time for new venues is always handy, when finding out where you need to go with all of your kit bags!
Having a system for how your arrange your kit bag too, will ensure you're not wasting any time rummaging around for products in front of a client. I use an affordable carry case from Amazon with useful section dividers. I then create separate compartments for the following: skincare, base products, blush and bronze, lip and eye pencils, small eye palettes and tools and then other smaller palettes.
When it then comes to setting up your overall kit, getting used to a familiar set up will again help with this.
In terms of saving time on application, every little helps. Through practice you will learn how you work best, so it's great to reflect on this in order to improve your rhythm for next time. For me, I've learnt to work with my table behind me when working on hair, to save all of the reaching forward. I also have a magnetic wrist strap for my pins (another affordable Amazon find,) which prevents the gymnastic performance of holding your hair in place while attempting to reach for a pin! Even things as simple as tying a bin bag to my table leg for any disposable waste to ensure a clean and hygienic work station, it all adds up!
Post wedding routine
Although it sometimes feels like the last thing you feel like doing after work, it's useful to re-organise and sanitise your kit as soon as you can (shortly after a nap of course.) This is for a number of reasons. Cleaning your brushes and products sooner rather than later will ensure good hygiene for your kit, and prevent any festering germs. Secondly, it means that you are ready to go again!
You never know when a spontaneous call out may crop up and having a kit that's ready to head out the door straight away is great in the event of this. Also if you know you it's always been done after a wedding, you're definitely ready to go again for your next booking, giving you one less thing to worry about in the future.
Positive Mindset
An element that can only really be learnt through practice is maintaining a calm and positive mindset throughout. These tips should help here but we are all human and sometimes constructive feedback may feel disappointing if delivered in a certain way. If doubt ever does start to creep in on a job it can be easy to let this effect the rest of your work. But it is important to consider the stress that your client may be feeling too, particularly on a day as important as their wedding.
A Final Note From Me...
So just remember the mutual aim, that you both are striving for the same perfection. Although your work is a personal reflection of you and your skill, it is important to be able to remove that personal attachment in order to adjust the look to meet your client's vision, (even if this slightly differs to your own personal preferences,) they are who you're there to please. Maintaining care for your client and doing your best to advise and listen, is the best thing you can offer, and remember that they have booked you and your work for a reason! So there is no doubt needed!
For anyone in the process of finding a bridal hair and makeup artist, particularly in the Devon or South West region, I would love to get in contact! For more information about what I offer and for further examples of my work, see my website link below.
www.harmonyevansartistry.co.uk
Aug 7
8 min read
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