How far in advance should I book my bridal makeup and hair trial?

We hear that question on a regular basis...and its a good ONE! The norm in 6-9 months in advance. Then we have our 3-6 month in advance bookings. Any less that 3 months you will start to run the risk of your top choice vendors not being availably for your date. However, we can usually accommodate bookings right up until days before because we are a large team!

Some details to think about when considering booking your trial:

1) Start the process by finding your top choice hair and makeup vendors and collect quotes. Get everything in writing from travel fees, gratuity, airbrush, lashes, hair extensions and any other fees you might incur by a particular vendor.

2) Do your research on your top-choice artists/stylists! A very important fact to think about it this...entry into the wedding industry has a very low barrier! Any person wether talented, talentless, experienced, inexperienced etc...can enter this industry with almost zero capital except an instagram account! NYS does not regulate makeup artists at all! Hair stylists should have a valid cosmetology license, and Aestheticians should have a valid aestheticians license! And anybody who is certified in makeup or working as a makeup artist without any certifications or NYS license should ONLY be working under a licensed artist. Food for thought...make sure they have liability insurance especially if they are traveling artists who do not have a physical location to provide your trial at. They will be traveling to your home for your trial and if you cannot validate the above take a pass!

3) Compare quotes: Are you comparing a salon to an actual wedding vendor? Go for the wedding vendor! Salons are great...for cut, color, and other in-house services that they offer...but weddings?! Not so great. Are you comparing apples to apples, or apples to oranges? Have all of the facts first! As Wedding vendors, our services and the process in which we secure your date for you will be very different from salons.

4) Choose carefully when basing decisions on cost, because more often then not hiring a "freelancer" is far less cost effective than hiring an actual business and can drain your budget fast! Remember....cheap trials still cost you money, add up, and take up your valuable time! A trial-gone-bad trial will put you right back to square one in your search for a makeup and hair vendor! The time and money spent lost on "low cost" trials and "cheap" services will almost always cost more in the end...possibly even your wedding day! If they don't show up, or cancel then the cheap pricing isn't cheap at all.

5) Always ask your top choice vendors what your timing will look like the day of. Timing can make or break the start to your wedding day! Remember...we are the first vendors of the day and will set the tone!

We hope that these tips have been helpful in choosing the right makeup and hair vendor and we hope to see you as a Love Crush bride!