Should I Schedule Bridal Portraits with My Hair & Makeup Trial?
What is Bridal Portrait Hair & Makeup? A bridal portrait is a private photo session between the bride and wedding photographer to allow the bride to show off their wedding day look. The gown is fitted and ready to be worn, and the look is typically paired with a complete bridal hair and makeup look. A floral bouquet is ideal for optimal pictures. Brides often schedule this session before the wedding day to have portraits printed and ready to share. The location for professional photos can vary based on personal preference- brides opt for their venue or have an alternate location with breathtaking views. The portrait session does not always happen before the wedding day. It can take place before the ceremony, during cocktail hour, or after the wedding day to help cut costs on photography, venue, floral, and hair/makeup. The bridal portrait appointments are scheduled based on preference and efficiency for everyone involved.
What is a hair/makeup trial? A hair & makeup trial is an interactive ‘preview’ appointment scheduled on a specific date before the wedding day. The beauty session will allow a bride to try out their wedding day vision with the hairstylist and makeup artist(s) booked for their wedding day. The appointment will allow the bride to see which hairstyle works best, how much makeup to wear, and trial + error everything throughout the day. Feedback is welcome after the trial. The observation will provide a stylist with more knowledge on what adjustments are needed on the wedding day. A hair and makeup trial typically takes longer than the wedding day hair and makeup session. Find out in more detail what you can expect from your wedding day trial HERE.
How long will the trial last? During a trial with BA we allot 90 mins for makeup and 90 mins for hair. This will allow our stylist to chat with you about your look, prepare one hair/makeup style, and make tweaks. If you’re hoping to try two separate looks- chat with your team prior to the trial to see if this is an option.
Often times a hairstyle will require different prep (product/teasing/inserts/extensions), styling (hot iron size), and technique. If there are subtle tweaks our team can show a quick alternate option to give you an idea. If you would like to try a completely different look this would be considered a separate trial. We offer the option to extend the trial time if a) the stylist has time to extend the appt the same day and b) the look does not require completely different prep. If the stylist gives the ok on the two options mentioned you can extend your trial by increments of 30 minutes starting at $50. If the style requires a completely different prep we require a second trial to be scheduled on a separate date. Our admin team can quote the cost for the additional trial.
Beautiful hair and makeup is an investment & it’s crucial to have a general idea of the style you are going for before the trial. This means bridal homework does not stop with booking your fav hair & makeup vendor. We put together wedding hair and wedding makeup look books to help our brides prepare ahead of time. If you are torn between 2-3 looks chat with the BA admin team leading up to the trial. Pre-trial recommendations are key to a successful preview. Most BA brides (60%) pre-purchase clip-in extensions to create the look they envision. Extensions not only add volume & length but they hold curl extremely well. Extensions are highly recommended for brides that prefer to wear their hair down or half up as it will ensure longevity through all elements of wedding day. You can find a link to our favorite clip-in extension brands, HERE . At the time of a trial our stylist(s) are meeting you for the 1st time. Our goal is to collect all info in advance to prepare as our team gets familiar with your style and vision. Be sure to express any likes/dislikes during the trial to give the stylist the opportunity to make corrections to your liking. This may be outside of the comfort zone for many people to express dislikes but it can save you the cost of a 2nd trial in the future. Our stylists are pros and we welcome feedback! We tell our brides, “Our stylist(s) can 100 percent create the look but it’s about whether they have a clear idea of the look you are going for and the proper foundation!”
Do I need a separate hair & makeup appointment for a photo sessions such as bridal portraits or engagement photos?
At Beauty Asylum we can schedule a hair and makeup trial in conjunction with bridal portraits for a set fee as long as it works within the stylist’s scheduling parameters. The fee is in place for several reasons, but it is not a guarantee BA will able to coordinate the specific date/time request with the same stylist(s) scheduled for wedding day. Based on personal schedules this has proven to be very difficult to sync. If we cannot coordinate the bridal portrait date with the assigned wedding day stylist- the bridal portrait session would then be required to be booked as a separate service. We would search availability with a separate lead stylist within our team to accommodate the specific date/time request. It is possible to schedule your bridal portrait hair and makeup in conjunction with your trial but it’s not preferred or recommended. Here’s why:
Our team has rotating schedules. We prefer to align the best lead stylist w/ the overall look you’re going for vs availability for a specific date.
It can become difficult to coordinate w/ a stylist, photographer, venue, & a brides personal work schedule. Often times a photog will plan around the best time of day for daylight (which totally makes sense!). This can be tough bc a stylist reserves a set time for trials or their availability is based on days of work before. For ex: Fri-Sun are filled w/weddings. During the week we have weddings, trials, personal commitments (children), & we sneak in ✌🏼 off days bc we work through the weekend. We also try to limit the back and forth with multiple dates to avoid confusion.
A wedding day trial should not be on a time crunch! We want to ensure you love your look. Take this opportunity to discuss likes/dislikes. We send info blogs & inspo but at times it can be difficult to prepare for the unpredictable if we have not met. For ex: if you have hair past your butt (!!) & dont mention this ahead of time. 😬 We slot 90 min for a hair trial- this might double bc of the amt of hair. Time restrictions effect a trial & the entire day so we recommend skipping on the appt immediately after.
When we schedule a trial we block off this time of day. Bridal portraits or engagement photos get rescheduled for multiple reasons (i.e inclement weather). When we reschedule, this leaves a gap in our day that could go to a bride wanting to trial without portraits in mind.
If you prefer to schedule hair/makeup for bridal portraits we recommend doing this after your trial or set time aside on wedding day to snap a few. By scheduling in conjunction w/ your trial our team would have an additional fee for all the above reasonsDoes this apply to engagement photos as well? Engagement photos are more relaxed and natural when it comes to hair and makeup. During the bridal trial we implement a formal look for hair and makeup. We only offer the option to schedule a separate session for hair and makeup with engagement photos. These sessions typically are scheduled further out than our standard 3-4 month trials. We would book the session based on availability for pictures!
