Is 1 Bridal HMUA Enough?
You may be wondering how many people will be needed to glam you & your squad on your wedding day. Is 1 HMUA enough? Can they really do it all solo? Granted artists are talented, speedy & you may not truly be sure what timing they need but when it comes down to it each artist will need a specific amount of time to successfully complete services & it can’t ( & definitely shouldn’t be) crunched into a shorter time. So how do you know if you need additional artists?
What are the time can your HMU start services? Some venues will not allow anyone in until a later time in the morning which can significantly shorten the amount of time your hairstylist or makeup artist has to work with. For example maybe you wouldn’t need an assistant if your beauty team could start at 8:30 am but because we can’t get into the venue until 11 am now we do need an assistant. The later the start the more likely you will need to add an assistant.
Along with your start time what is your finish time? Your real finish time too! Not the ceremony but the end time for getting dressed or first look or photos. This will typically be 1-2 hours prior to your ceremony time. The earlier you need to be ready the more likely you will need an assistant. Essentially the shorter the time frame to get ready ( whether due to end time or start time) you will need additional hands.
How many people are receiving services? As we mentioned artists need a sepcified amount of time for each service so the more people receiving services the more total time they will need to create everyone’s beauty look. If it is a large party even with an ample amount of time you will need an assistant. An industry standard is 45 minutes per style or look for each adult and 60 minutes per style or look for each marrier ( or bride). So a group of 1 marrier + 7 adults can be completed in 6 hours and 45 minutes ( including set up and touch up) for 1 type of service & you’d likely have a designed hairstylist & makeup artist. Hypothetically starting at 8 am & finishing at 2:45pm. Generally speaking servicing more than 1 marrier & 6-7 adults per service type ( or 1 marrier & 3 adults if 1 HMU is providing both services) will result in the need for an additional artist.
What if you read all this & while you may not NEED an assistant you may want one? Maybe you don’t want to start at 8am or maybe you want to finish at 1:30 pm instead for additional buffer time. That’s fine ! Simply ask you HMU team if you can add an assistant out of convenience. Each team is different & may have minimum but most will work with you.
If you feel there is a chance you may need an assistant added on later as some of your wedding party is slow on responding “yay” or “nay” to services it is advisable to ask the team you’re considering booking if you can not only add these services later but also if you can add an assistant later. Do they have designated assistants on their team or do they have to outsource? Each company is different. At The Stylist Abroad for instance we allow you to adjust the headcount up until 4 weeks prior & we have assistants on our team but I know this is not true for ALL teams. Some months are more popular than others & it may be better to lock your assistant in ahead of time but that is truly a case by case discussion based on yearly trends.
So as you read this & consider all the factors has this peak behind the curtain provided some clarity? Tell me in the comments, will you be using an assistant? Is it a need or convenience ?