The morning of your wedding can be a whirlwind of emotions and excitement. The key to setting yourself up for a relaxed and memorable morning, is a well-planned out and thoughtful schedule. Here is a guide with some helpful tips on how to schedule your wedding morning hair and makeup. By working backward from your photographer’s arrival, you can allocate ample time for each step, ensuring you can enjoy and cherish every moment of your big day.
Determine Your Photographer’s Arrival Time
Before you start planning your hair and makeup schedule, determine your photographer’s arrival time. This milestone will serve as the anchor for your wedding morning schedule. Ideally, you should be finishing your hair and makeup touch ups as your photographer arrives. If you want to capture any ‘getting ready’ photos, fake these at the end when your hair and makeup is fully complete and your artists are getting ready to pack up.
Book A Bridal Trial
Having a hair and makeup trial before your big day can help you finalise your desired look and cut down on your getting ready time. You might notice when you’re booking a trial that your artist allows significantly more time than what is allocated for your wedding day. This is so that all the planning, decisions and discussions can be made prior to the morning of your wedding. Minor tweaks may be made on the day, but on the whole, having a trial minimises your decision making on your wedding day and saves you time and stress.
Coordinate Your Stylists
The amount of time your hair and makeup artists allow for each person will vary, so check with each artist on how much time they allow before planning your schedule. My magic formula is 45min for makeup, 1hr for hair and an additional 30min buffer for touch ups. Example:
6 makeups= (0.75hr x 6) + 0.5hrs = 5hrs
Write Up Schedule
Once you have your photographer’s arrival time and your hair and makeup times, plan out a schedule of what the day will look like. When planning your schedule, it’s important to look at it as a guide for your day, rather than a strict schedule. The number one rule for a smooth hair and makeup schedule is having someone in the chair at all times. If your artist finishes someone ahead of schedule, the next person should be ready and waiting to jump in. This flexibility allows for a more relaxed atmosphere and ensures that you have enough time to savour each moment without feeling rushed. When briefing your bridal party on their getting ready times, ask them to be ready approx. 15-20mins before their scheduled time.
Prepare The Space
Ensuring the space you are getting ready in is well lit, comfortable and provides enough space for you, your artists and your wedding party goes a long way in keeping your day on track. Spaces that are cramped or poorly lit can extend your getting ready time and throw off your schedule. Bathrooms are rarely the best place for your hair and makeup artists to set up as they are cramped, isolated and have poor surface area. Often the best spaces to get your hair and makeup done for your wedding day are the kitchen, dining or living rooms. These spaces are typically open, have large surface tops at appropriate heights (like a kitchen counter or dining table), have access to natural light and power points and allow for everyone to enjoy the getting ready experience as a group.
With a thoughtfully planned schedule, you can ensure that the hair and makeup portion of your wedding morning flows seamlessly, leaving you feeling relaxed, radiant, and ready to walk down the aisle. By working backward from your photographer’s arrival time, coordinating with your artists and allocating ample time, you can enjoy a stress-free experience and enjoy every moment of your special day.