As a bridal hair and make-up artist, my life is consumed by all things wedding…… I literally eat, sleep and breathe weddings.  Especially at this time of year!

I appreciate this is not the norm for most people, and if you’re just starting to plan your wedding you may not have a clue where to start and what to expect when booking your hair and make-up artist.  So I’d like to take you on a little journey…..

In this blog post, I’m going to take you through a typical wedding booking with Sarah-Lou Beauty, right from the initial enquiry to the big day itself and beyond.

I’ve got mail
A booking would usually start with a phone call, email enquiry or Facebook message.  I’m a very busy lady but I know you’ll be eagerly awaiting my response, so I do my very best to answer all emails and messages within 24 hours (most of the time a lot quicker)!

I will always respond with my availability on your wedding day, full pricing information and an accurate quote on the services required including any travel charges involved, as well as answering any other specific questions asked.

If I don’t hear back from you after a couple of weeks, I will always send a quick follow up email.  I’m not being pushy, just want to make sure my email was received (and not landed in spam!) and you have all the info you need.

So you want to book?
Once you have confirmed you’re interested in booking, I will send over a copy of my contract for you to review and complete, as well as details for paying the all-important deposit – as soon as I have received both, the date will be reserved in my diary. Exciting!

Arranging the trial
Once your booking has been confirmed, you’ll want to start thinking about arranging your trial.  It’s entirely up to you when (and if!) you have a trial, although as a guide most brides would usually have theirs a couple of months before the wedding.  I do always recommend a trial for the bride, just so we know exactly what’s happening on the day and to make sure your chosen style of hair and make-up is both achievable and exactly what you’re looking for.  I would always advise getting your trial booked in the diary as soon you can, to make sure you can get the date you’re looking for.

The all-important trial
This is your chance to try out the hair and make-up look you had in mind and to make sure you’re happy with it.  I would encourage you to do a bit of research before the trial and look for styles you particularly like (or dislike).  Don’t worry if you’re still not completely sure when it comes to the trial, as I will chat through all options with you and advise on suitable hair and make-up styles, depending on a number of different factors.  Once you are completely happy with your hair and make-up, I will take pictures and keep notes of all products used so I can refer back to on the wedding day.

Always on hand
After the trial, I generally won’t have any need to contact you until nearer the big day. But that doesn’t mean you can’t contact me!  If you have any questions at all (no matter how daft you think they are), I’m always at the end of the phone, email, Facebook message etc so please just get in touch and I’ll be happy to help!

Run up to the big day
A week or two before your big day I’ll be in touch to re-confirm all details with you including the date, time, number of people for hair and make-up, and final balance due on the day.  This will give us both peace of mind that we know exactly what’s happening and when!

On the day
A wedding day for me will often involve an early start, and depending on how far I’m travelling, can see me setting off as early as 5am!  Hair and make-up usually starts any time from 7am, but don’t panic if you think that’s very early to have your hair and make-up done! I’m more than happy for you to dictate the order that everyone goes in, but with an early start like that I would usually advise beginning with hair.  That way I can curl and set hairs and start with that side of things, before moving on to make-up later in the morning.  More often than not a bride will want to go last and that’s no problem at all.  I would however advise with large parties that the bride goes second last, just so there’s plenty of time for her to get her dress on once her hair and make-up are finished.

I say this so many times, but I absolutely love being a part of a bride’s wedding morning and I like to think of myself as more of a friend than a supplier on your wedding day! I spend a good few hours with you, and try my best to have a calming effect and help turn your nerves into excitement for the day ahead!

After the big day
Now that your wedding day is a distant memory and you’ve returned from honeymoon, you can expect an email from me to follow up and invite you to take part in my customer feedback survey.  I’ve tried to keep this short and sweet as appreciate you don’t want to spend ages filling in forms!  It’s really just a few questions so I can make sure everything was OK for you, and invite you to make any suggestions on how I might improve the service for future brides!

Hopefully this post has given you an insight into what your hair and make-up booking with Sarah-Lou Beauty will involve and has helped to answer any initial questions you may have before and after you book.  Happy wedding planning!!