4 Months Before your Wedding: Booking Appointments with Hair & Makeup Stylists

Have you found the best stylists for hair and make-up with only 4 months remaining to your wedding? You can get referrals to the best studios from your friends, close family members, or even some of the ladies who are in your wedding party. Here are top tips when writing the contract with your makeup and hairstylists.

Have a Practical Order

What is the best order of bridesmaids when having their hair and makeup made? A rule of the thumb is to start with the older girls first. For example, the mothers of the bride and groom may want to go first so they can go to help with other wedding preparations.

If a bridesmaid has young children, let her inform you when her babysitter will come home, before allotting her. If younger girls have their makeup done too early, they may ruin it before the wedding actually starts.

Do not Allow your Bridal Party Too Much Leeway

Nobody wants to go to the salon first. Girls are always worried about holding their hair and makeup through the wedding, reception, and after-party at the end of the day. Whoever is first should receive a touch up at the end of the session to keep things good and fresh. Additionally, have the stylists ready to refresh makeup and hair just after the wedding to reception, and again after the reception to the after-party.

Do not think of these sessions as strict appointments, but rather as schedules so you can keep time and get everyone ready for the wedding. Let everybody be on toes and know exactly what time she should be on the salon chair.

It is difficult to deal with schedules strictly because different people have different hair and skin color. While some are easier to deal with, others may require extra attention, especially where faces have acne blemishes or are too oily.

More importantly, inform all the girls to cancel any other activities on this morning. This allows any girl to go before the makeup artists without a strict time attached. You don’t want the stylists waiting for a bridesmaid who shows up late.

Have Hairstyles in Mind

Do you want to start with making the bridesmaids’ hair and then advance to makeup? While this is the most common way of doing things, you do not have to stick with it. Some people prefer the opposite. Let the specific hairstyle of each girl lead you.

Simply put, you do not want to have a hairstyle that destroys the just done makeup. For example, one that chooses to have curls can sit with the hairstylist first and then do makeup as her hair is set.

Keep in Mind your Timeline as you Schedule Hair & Makeup Services

What activities will the bride engage in on the morning of her wedding? Bridal portraits are common these days. In this case, let the bride have her makeup and hair done before her maids. If she hasn’t planned to take any photos before the wedding, schedule the bride for second last so she can dress and relax before walking down the aisle.

There should always be more than enough time for the bride as she is easily the most important female of the day. You can have her makeup and hair done in the middle of the session’s schedule. This allows time for touch-ups and second takes on her.

Have the Quickest Appointments Come Last

Flower girls should be the last people to sit on the makeup and hair chairs. As young girls can fidget, play and otherwise undo their hair before the ceremony. Similarly, flower girls often request for their lip gloss to be applied a second time or after biting and sipping a snack.

Hire Enough Stylists

Note that each makeup application takes roughly 40 minutes. Take a headcount of all the bride's party to calculate how many stylists you need to hire. You don’t want to rush the few stylists available. While this causes errors in the hair and makeup, having very few stylists will cause a delay in the ceremony.

Let guests arrange their own makeup and hair styling. Focus on the most important women by scheduling services through the day. For example, if some girls in the bridal party will only show up at the reception, let their makeup and hair be done during the wedding ceremony to pave the way for flower girls and other crucial females.

Some stylists can only handle 10 clients before their hands and feet are tired. Know from your styling vendors the exact number of clients that each stylist can handle. This will tell you whether or not you need to hire extra hands.

Determine Just How Much Time to Allocate

Your vendor could cut costs by bringing just one makeup artist and one hairstylist. While this could also save her fees, it can be a recipe for disaster. You risk throwing the whole session into disarray when you cram too many clients under one stylist.

One trick to save money is asking some of the girls, or close friends who know how to do hair and makeup to assist for free. Women who are not part of the bridal party could volunteer to watch young girls while ensuring their newly done makeup and hair is on point.