Book Your Bridal Beauty Team - A Timeline & Guide

This is most likely all very new to you & that’s A-OK. While with many vendors you can experience their work in action prior to booking that’s not always the case with bridal beauty especially if you’re booking further out. It can be a bit of a leap of faith but here’s to helping it be less of a leap & more of a calculated jump.

1) Research: Look at what’s out there. Look on social media, wedding websites, directories & of course referrals. Really peruse to see if the style is the right fit for you & if they are in your realistic budget. Then create a list of who you’d like to work with. It’s even better if you organize by top choices.

2) Reach Out: Take that list & reach out to that top choice person. Don’t reach out to them all at once! You’re going to loose track of responses, confuse answers & honestly forget to respond to some. No one (including vendors) like to feel like they’re being called to a mass audition or to be ghosted even if it’s accidental. So reach out to the ones you like most. When should you reach out? As soon as you fall in love with their work! Depending on the location, the date (like 10/10/20), their desirability & establishment they could book up for some dates 8 months + ahead of time. Less “popular” dates can have more of a chance to be booked more last minute but you just never know. We promise we won’t think you’re crazy if you reach out SUPER early.

3)Convos: Have in-depth conversations. Ask ALL the questions you want to ask… because we want to answer them. While we may know the general presentation of things you need or may want to know there may be others & without asking we don’t know to tell you. Or something could not make sense because maybe on the day-to-day you’re not a hair person. That’s fine! But we don’t want you to feel lost or not choose a vendors because pieces of information are missing. These conversations also allow you to really get a feel for the personality of the vendor & if you jive. These convos can be done online or over the phone/video -whatever you prefer!

4) Trials: Trials are important & while our company doesn’t require them, we do recommend them. They’re a great way to do a test run. Typically we advise 6 weeks prior to your wedding since those last few weeks can become so busy. Things to keep in mind for your trial include : Is your hair long enough for the style you want or does it need to grow? Do you need extensions at your trial & can this be arranged? Is you hair the color it will be at the wedding?Do you have an accessory and/or veil to bring? Or does your stylist? Is it the same season as your wedding to see how skin tone & humidity impact your hair & makeup? It’s advised to bring all those things you need with you at your trial (or your stylist have them available) so you can see exactly how it all comes together. You don’t have to have the trial before booking but you can if you feel you NEED that preview. For some it makes more sense to have the trial after booking because they haven’t decided on all those factors just yet.

5) Secure Your Date: Your date is not secured because you reached out or even because there have been lengthy convos. Some vendors (like us) will put a courtesy hold on a date to those who inquire first. Others that inquire will be told that someone else is already in talks & the original person is told that others have reached out but all this expires, (time range varies per vendor). To secure your date a retainer & signed proposal is needed. This means you’re officially booked! So if you’re ready ask your vendor for it if they haven’t already offered it. Remember both parts!

6) The In Between: The time between booking & your wedding is filled with connecting the dots of a dream beauty look to it’s creation. It’s during this time there’s more convos to create the timeline, have the trial if you haven’t already done so, get extensions/accessories if wanted, give advice & really work out/advise on anything else you need. You should be approaching your wedding day feeling like your beauty team has throughly flushed out all the details so the day of is seamlessly smooth.

7) Final Payment/Schedule: Make sure you know when the final payment is due & schedule is created. For us it’s 2 weeks prior to your wedding so that during those last 2 weeks no one needs to worry about anything & certainly no one needs to think about payment on the day of. That’s our protocols but it can vary per vendor so ask.

8) Wedding Day: YAY! Your glam team arrives & you get beautified. You are so happy you booked your dream team well in advance, had an amazing trial & get to sit back, relax & be pampered.

9) Reviews/Photos: IF you feel so inclined leave reviews & share your photos. When you were searching for your beauty team these were probably very important things you looked into before reaching out & booking. This helps these vendors reach couples like you. Obviously not a necessary step but VERY appreciated.