This is the most important day of your life! Well, maybe not the most important, but your wedding is definitely up there. You've likely invested a ton of time and money—and if you're shelling out your hard-earned cash for a killer photographer and photo album, you'll probably want to look your best in those pictures as well as IRL. So a professional makeup artist is a godsend, since they'll be able to nail a cat eye or make your skin look flawless. But the process of getting there can be tricky. How can you be sure they know what you're looking for—especially if you're not quite sure yourself? Read on to learn how.Bridal Beauty Must-Do #1: Find a Makeup Artist Earlier Than You ThinkSure, booking your makeup artist as soon as you find a venue might seem a little intense. But leaving yourself enough time to have a consultation—and maybe even makeup trials, if you want them—ensures you won’t turn into a beauty bridezilla a few weeks before your wedding. “Finding an artist that you mesh well with and that can bring your vision to life is a lot more important than brides think,” says Rocio Matos, makeup artist and education director at makeup studio Blushington.
It takes time and research to find a good match. And on that note...Bridal Beauty Must-Do #2: Do Your ResearchEven if you've curated a Pinterest board of your dream makeup looks, there's no guarantee that any of them will look as good on your own face. And, in the same vein, if you google "best wedding makeup artist," it doesn't mean that you'll get the best makeup artist for what you really need. Look for one whose work you consistently like—particularly on actual brides. Sometimes, the work they show is on models and the photos may have been retouched, says NYC makeup artist Sally Duvall. “You want your photos to look great—but you also have to greet guests in person and still look like yourself,” she explains. “Your makeup has to straddle that fence.” With the wrong makeup artist, that's tough to pull off.Bridal Beauty Must-Do #3: Spring for the Makeup ConsultationBetween the dress, the flowers, and that open bar (duh), it’s ridiculously easy for your budget to spiral out of control when you’re planning a wedding.
So you might be tempted to skip the pricey consultation and save yourself $200. But in the long run, it’s not worth it. “It’s akin to only trying on one wedding dress,” says Duvall. “It minimizes any surprises the day of—and if you ask for multiple looks, you can get a sense of what you like and don’t like.”Bridal Beauty Must-Do #4: Test Run Anything New-for-You Before Your Wedding DaySome brides are down with a full face of makeup, while others just want to look like themselves. A good way to bridge this gap is to try out false lashes. “They make a difference in pictures and make your eyes pop if you won’t be wearing much makeup on your face,” explains Matos. She recommends asking your makeup artist about individual lashes, which feel lighter on your eyes and also look more natural than full-lash sets. Take them for a test-drive first too, to make sure they feel comfortable and that you even like how they look.Bridal Beauty Must-Do #5: Be Smart When You Spray TanFor many, sun-kissed color is kind of a no-brainer before a wedding.
However, it’s best to schedule it accordingly. “If you spray tan, give yourself a good amount of time beforehand so the tan sets in and you don't reek of it,” says Kira Nasrat, makeup artist and brand ambassador for L.A.'s Violet Grey. And even if you’ve planned a destination wedding in Tulum, resist the urge to get a tiny bit of color by laying out on the beach. Tanning leads to burning leads to peeling, and if you do suffer a sunburn, there’s no going back. Just load up on sunscreen and opt for a faux glow (Nasrat is a fan of James Read's self-tanning line).Bridal Beauty Must-Do #6: Step Up Your Skin Care RoutineEvery single makeup artist we spoke with emphasized the importance of taking care of your skin in the months leading up to your wedding. "I always suggest targeting any underlying skin health issues, getting regular facials leading up to the big day, and cleaning up your diet," says Duvall. But let's be real, we get that's not just not happening for everyone, so at the very least Nasrat says to drink a ton of water in the weeks before the big day.
Blushington also offers Dr. Neal Schultz's 40-percent glycolic-acid peel at each location; it provides heavy-duty exfoliation with zero redness or downtime.Bridal Beauty Must-Do #7: Pack an Emergency Makeup KitIn a perfect world, you’d have an entire glam squad following you around and blotting the sweat off your face while between photos. But if you’re not (a.) Mariah Carey or (b.) rolling in dough, having a personal touch-up team might not happen. Almost as good: Bring a small makeup kit with you. “Stash a makeup setting spray to revive your makeup, oil-blotting papers, and the lip color you used,” suggests Matos. Might as well get the most out of your gorgeous makeup.PS: Still searching for bridal hairstyle ideas? We've got you covered.Makeup artist Kayleen Adams on how she turned her hobby into a career:If you’re looking into buying your own wedding wines, then you’ve already taken the smartest step forward by caring enough to find out more! Learn what wines work best for events like weddings and how much wine to have on hand.
Wine is a highlight to a wedding, so it’s a great idea to find one that’s right for you. Every wedding has a budget whether it’s $3,000 or $300,000. Determine how much liquid wine you’ll need and then you can figure out how much to spend per bottle. So let’s say the wedding will have 100 guests. If you divide the number of guests by 2.15 you should expect to get about 46 bottles of wine for the event. Make sure when you order to round up by the case. Just so you know, this works for all kinds of events. For 100 guests, $15/bottle wines will only cost a total of $700 ($15 x 46 bottles). If you compare this number to a typical wedding flower budget, this is very reasonable! You’ll have to ask yourself: what’s more important: good wine or pretty flowers? This is entirely up to you. Divide your guest count by 7 to 9 (7 for sparkling wine fanatics and 9 for standard). This should give you enough sparkling wine to pour everyone a half-glass of bubbles for the toast.
There will be sparkling wine for the toast but the rest of the wine is up to you! Red wine is a classic crowd favorite and will be about 50-60% of a wedding wine purchase. It’s one of the wines where if you find you have a lot left over, then you can just store it and enjoy it after the wedding. Choosing the perfect ‘crowd pleaser’ red wine is actually a lot of fun. Here’s what we recommend. Buy 5 potential wines in your budget and taste test your wedding wines with your friends. Then vote for your favorite! $10-15 Red Wine Options Check out developing wine regions such as Chile, South Africa, Argentina, Portugal, Spain and Australia for quality options in this price range. Think about alternatives to classic varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon such as Nero d’Avola, Primitivo, Petite Sirah, Touriga Nacional and Monastrell to get more bang for your buck. Learn about Awesome Value Regions for Wines Under $15 $15-20 Red Wine Options You can pretty much buy whatever variety you like in this price range.
Still, consider developing wine regions (listed above) to find better quality wines. If you’re looking for crowd pleasers keep your eyes peeled for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Malbec. $20-30 Red Wine Options High quality American wines are easy to find in this range. You can start looking into serious Reserva level Tempranillo from Rioja, Chianti, Super-Tuscans and aged wines from the southern parts of France (such as Corbieres or Côte du Rhône). These wines will all be delicious, so focus on a theme! Select wines from your favorite regions and think carefully about how the meal will match with the wine. As important as the Champagne toast is, most folks won’t drink more than a half-glass of sparkling wine. So unless your wedding attendees are all bonafide Champagne hounds, you don’t have to buy that much. You just need enough to fill glasses to half way; about 1 bottle per 8-10 people. Use your leftover budget to afford higher quality wines! Unless you’re a fiend for bold, buttery, oaked Chardonnay, it might be wise to select a lighter, zestier white wine because they tend to be easier to pair with all styles of foods and a better quality for the price.