January marks the busiest time for bridal enquiries. The clock changes to the year of your big day and the enquiries come flooding in! A question that I often hear as a bridal makeup artist is why does bridal makeup cost more? Sadly, a common piece of advice from those outside of the wedding industry is to not tell your bridal makeup artist that you are booking in for your wedding, and to just say it is a special occasion. Today I thought I would discuss why bridal makeups tends to be a little more expensive, and share the key differences between booking in for a special occasion vs wedding day makeup.
Priority over All Other Bookings
One of the key differences between my bridal and special occasion bookings is that my brides take absolute priority over everything else in my diary. I take wedding bookings very seriously; your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life and I make sure to treat it that way! When you book in with me for your bridal makeup, you are booking in knowing everything will be fully taken care of and that your booking will never be compromised. I book out the full morning up until your ceremony time to dedicate my full attention to you – and this allows for any extra faces to be added last minute!
I will also never book more than one wedding per day, so you can be reassured that your date is exclusive to you.
Long Days and (Very!) Early Mornings
Joining brides on their wedding mornings rarely feels like a job; it is such a beautiful occasion to be a part of and I often step back and think “how is this my job?!” However, wedding days often mean very early starts and long days. I began my first makeup at 4am for one of my weddings – and managed to burst my cars tyre upon arriving to the venue as I was seemingly still half asleep!! That is a story for another day!
I can sometimes be on my feet for up to 8 hours on wedding mornings, and when you are in the midst of peak season, this can really take its toll. I have my fondly named “little old lady routine” that I have to do after every wedding, consisting of lots of stretches (and the occasional hip pop) to help me not feel so achy, and I often come home feeling genuinely hungover – something I have spoken about to other wedding vendors and it is a universal feeling!
Your wedding vendors experience the ups and downs of all the emotions with you, and on your wedding morning there can be a lot. It is an amazing thing to be a part of, but blimey it is tiring!
Bridal Makeup Products are Very Expensive
Your bridal makeup must stay looking perfect for 12+ hours on your wedding day, and although I love a good bargain, products that ensure this finish cost a lot of money. Take Tylers bridal makeup for example, pictured below. If Tyler was to purchase all of the products that I used for her wedding day glam, it would cost just shy of £400. Yes, seriously!
Not to mention that is just one makeup for one skin tone – my kit contains a range of products to suit all skin tones, types and ages. My kit is a huge investment, but it is worth every penny knowing that I can be confident that all of my glams will last through the laughter, tears and of course the dancing!
Bridal Trials are Included in my Prices
In 2023 I made the decision to include my brides trials as one total price rather than having an “on the day” figure and a “trial figure”. I did this because I truly believe bridal trials are one of the most important parts of the entire booking. Trialling your bridal makeup is crucial to ensuring your wedding morning runs smoothly as any little tweaks will have already been discussed and made during this initial run through. It saves a lot of faffing come the day which trust me, you will not want! For many of my brides, this is also their first time of meeting me and doing this in a much more relaxed environment (aka not on your wedding day!) is one less thing to worry about.
When looking at my bridal makeup price, you are looking at the price of two bookings, hence why it may look more expensive. All of my other prices (bridesmaids and mums) are split up as, although highly encouraged for the same reasons as above, they are optional.
Admin
Another big difference between an occasion makeup booking and a bridal one is how many messages are shared back and forth. Weddings tend to be booked anywhere from 6 to 18 months in advance which allows a lot of time for chit chatting! I check in with my brides frequently, especially in the lead up to the big day. Organising a wedding can be very overwhelming so I let all of my brides know that I am only a click away to answer any questions! My average special occasion booking sees between 4-6 emails sent from start to finish, whereas my bridal bookings are often triple this number.
Sickness
This next point comes with an element of touch wood as in all three years of being a bridal makeup artist, I have never been severely unwell on the day of a wedding. I had a wedding in June 2024 where I truly felt like I was on deaths door, but best believe I was out of bed at 5:45am and at the venue by 8am! As mentioned previously, the privilege and trust put in me when choosing me as your makeup artist is not lost on me which means that I will be there on your wedding morning come rain or shine!
Now this is not to say that I cancel occasion bookings left, right and centre (in fact it is quite the opposite as I have the biggest fear of letting people down!), but bridal bookings are a whole other level of trust from you, and loyalty from me.
So yes, bridal makeup is more expensive. But hopefully I have helped answer any questions about why this is the case. As mentioned at the start, January is my busiest time for enquiries, so if you are looking for a bridal makeup artist, don’t hesitate to get in touch! Thank you for reading! x
