A Bay Area makeup artist shares wedding morning dos and donts
As a Bay Area makeup artist since 2014, I have been in many wedding and bridal suites.
I’ve seen the good and bad. Luckily never anything too ugly, but I can share a lot of details to help you fully enjoy your morning and set the tone for the rest of your day.
Bay Area weddings are something special. I’ve been in hotel rooms overlooking the Monterey Bay, cabins in the middle of a Santa Cruz redwood forest, Air BNBs in the middle of Sonoma wine country and working on site at the most incredible venues like the Holly Farm in Carmel and Nestldown in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The morning of your wedding sets the tone for the day. Not just in your timeline, but in your mood. It’s the difference between relaxed and present or stressed and anxious.
I’ve compiled a list of my top recommendations.
What to DO on your wedding day
Make sure you have enough space for everyone. What you think is enough space will get crowded. Get a bigger space than you think you will need. If you’re staying in a hotel, ask to tour the suites ahead of time. If you have a large group, inquire about a conference room. When looking at Air BNBs, look for open space and big windows.
If your venue offers a getting ready location, not only do I recommend looking at the amount of space you have, but inquire about the time you can enter. Many venues limit when you can enter the suite which is often later than your makeup and hair artists will need to start. In this case, I recommend doing all beauty services off-site and getting dressed at your venue.
A timeline is the most important part of your wedding day. Often, not enough cushion time is included which can create unnecessary stress. Work with your artist, coordinator and photographer to make sure everything is in order.
Be sure you are not the last to receive services. If by chance your timeline is running behind, you don’t want to be the last and take the chance of running late.
One of the biggest reasons timelines get behind is when the bride or to-be-wed is pulled away from the chair to gather things for another vendor. In order to avoid this, have everything ready in a bag and inform several people of its location and contents. Example: details for your photographer.
Everything takes longer on wedding day, even the most normal and simple of tasks. Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.
Eat and brush teeth before makeup touchups
Do something normal in the morning- if you run, meditate, do yoga
Bring a speaker and have a few playlists prepared. You never know what mood you’ll be in or want to be in. Often my clients start with calming music and shift to something more upbeat and fun towards the end of the morning.
Sleep, it’s so important and often challenging the night before your big day. If sleeping next to your fiance is going to help you have good sleep, screw tradition and do it!
Have everyone available in the room for their appointment early. If your artists are running ahead of schedule, take advantage and get someone else’s butt in the chair!
Wear a button-down, zip-up, robe or wrap top that can easily be removed and not mess up makeup and hair.
Assign at least one person to keep the room tidy. Whether in personal or professional photos, you don’t want to document mess. It also helps to have designated spaces for things like attire, bags, shoes, beverages and food instead of everything be scattered all over the place.
Have your photo and video people in the room for touchups. This is the best time to get photos. No need to have the entire morning documented, you just need a few possed photos of applying lipstick and powder.
Similarly to the details ready for your photographer, have a bag ready to go to the venue. Once makeup and hair is complete, it’s go time and you don’t want to be worrying about having everything you need or not.
What to NOT do on your wedding day
Eat something you wouldn’t normally. It’s not worth a potential upset stomach.
This isn’t a wedding morning tip- don’t do any new beauty services 6 weeks before the big day. You run the chance of a negative reaction that may not go away in time.
Do anything you don’t want to!
What other advice do you have for the wedding morning?
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