You’ve “set the date”, hurrah! You’ve managed to bag all your dream suppliers, hurrah! And you’re feeling rather smug about your organisational skills, hurrah! Your evenings were initially spent filling out booking forms and transferring deposits, but have now turned into a “rabbit down the hole” situation of scrolling your favourite wedding blogs and stalking your photographers’ Instagram…then follows several months of waiting. Fast forward to just 8 weeks before the Big Day, and wedmin. gets busy again!
Meetings with your florist, food tastings at your venue, dress and suit fittings, hair and make-up trials fill your diary, but how do you make all these elements come together for a seamless and stress-free wedding day? Communication and trust. Firstly, if you’ve done your research, you will have booked with suppliers that you know will deliver on the style, quality and service you want for your wedding, so trust their advice and allow them to do their job. Secondly, pick up the phone or meet for a coffee. Good communication is key so no wires are crossed, and so you can relay info. from one supplier to the next.
With regards to a wedding morning, coordinating hair and make-up for a group of women is actually easier than you think, but some things (in my opinion!) are a MUST to ensure that not only are you ready and out the door on time, but also that the morning is relaxed. This is so important, as a stressed morning could potentially set you up to be flustered for the rest of the day!
My first piece of advice is to book with a hair stylist and make-up artist that will travel out to you. This means your bridal party can stay together all morning, and relax in your matching robes sipping champagne. If possible, have your bridal party stay with you the evening before, or arrange for them to arrive early that morning – this means everyone is on site, and your hair and makeup team can get started as soon as they arrive! Every minute is precious!
With regards to calculating a start time, I usually work backward from the time you are due to leave for your ceremony. Getting dressed and packing up your final bits and pieces to take with you takes longer than you’d think, so allow around 30-40 minutes. Plus, your photographer may want to take some portrait or group shots before you leave. I then allocate 45 minutes per person for make-up, and around 15 minutes to get set up when I first arrive. This may seem like a long time, but it keeps the flow of the morning more relaxed and allows a few minutes here and there for breaks (breakfast, teeth brushing, present giving, etc.). With regards to whether hair or make-up is applied first, it really doesn’t matter so long as hair doesn’t need blow dried after make-up is applied. And generally, I start with a bridesmaid and finish with a bridesmaid. Lastly, as important as it is to ensure we keep an eye on the time, don’t be tempted to draw up a schedule for the morning. Flexibility on a wedding morning is key, and so long as everyone is on site and there is always a bum in the make-up/hair chair, everyone will be finished on time!
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