Why Amazing Hair and Makeup is So Important for Your Wedding Photos
By Luke Ellery

19 December 2018

Many brides fall into the trap of believing they can do their own hair or makeup on their wedding day. From a professional photography standpoint, this is never a good idea.

You need to look back on those photos knowing that you felt your absolute best. Professional hair and makeup artists know everything that needs to be done to ensure that you will be the glowing bride deserve to be (and hey, it's 2019, if the grooms want o glow too then a hair and makeup artist isn't the worst ideas for them either).

 

Professional Makeup

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Image by Kate Smith Hair & Makeup Artist

Maby brides, even after booking a professional hairstylist, are under the impression that it is a good idea to apply their own makeup on their wedding day. Unless you have experience in the MUA industry, it is valuable to consider a few scenarios before deciding not to arrange a professional makeup artist for your wedding. 

While there are many out there who apply their everyday makeup to an excellent standard, professional makeup is entirely different to what many women do on a day to day basis. Professional makeup artists are trained in contouring the face, thus accentuating your best features. They are amazing at reshaping your face using brushes for shadowing and blending, much like an artist does on canvas. They use top quality products giving you perfect coverage that will last all day. This is essential if you are to continue looking your best throughout your entire day, with your lipstick being the only makeup required for touch ups.

While all this is very important, a valuable result of having professionally applied makeup on your wedding day will be the results shown in your wedding photos. Bridal makeup is renowned for a soft dewy look, radiating a youthful looking and almost pure complexion. Perfect coverage foundation, contouring and concealing will ensure a flawless looking you, allowing your photographer to capture the best shots of you in the timeframe allocated. A professional makeup artist will know what is required to suit wedding photography.

Applying makeup yourself can result in a few hidden flaws that the camera will expose. Face shine, mismatched foundation colourings and prematurely worn makeup will show up more through the camera lens than will be viewed by the naked eye. While you can fix a number of errors with digital photography, these flaws will take a considerable amount of time for your photographer to correct, which can be costly and unnecessary.

Another point to consider is your photographer may be taking photos of you while you're getting ready. These photos are better taken if you're sitting down, relaxed and enjoying yourself while having your makeup applied, rather than if you were standing up in front of a mirror trying to apply your own makeup!

 

Professional Hair

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Image by Belles & Brides

The same goes with bridal hair. Let's be honest - it doesn't matter how fantastic you are at styling your own hair, there are areas that you just can't get to. So it goes without saying that hiring a professional hair stylist for your bridal hair is essential. There are a number of reasons why.

A professional hair stylist knows how to cope with every type of hair - fine, thick, frizzy, wavy, curly or straight. And they know what it's going to take to hold your style in place given your hair type. They have the tools and products to ensure your hair will stay in your chosen style all day long. A great stylist will also take into consideration the weather on your wedding day - giving your hair more hold if it's windy or applying certain products if it's humid or raining.

Your hair stylist will also know how to make your hairstyle look balanced, full, and flattering ensuring your hair looks great at every angle which gives freedom for your photographer to capture you at every turn. They're also experienced at attaching a veil or headpiece without the risk of it falling out or disturbing your hair.

 

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Image by Belles & Brides

Before choosing a professional makeup artist or hair stylist consider the following:

  1. View previous work or portfolio if possible.
  2. Book a trial, ideally three months before your wedding.
  3. Keep your makeup application (and hair if possible) on all day, that way you'll find out how well it lasts and how it makes you feel.
  4. Find out what brands/products your makeup artist uses.
  5. Did they make you feel relaxed and comfortable and did they listen to what you wanted?
  6. Were they punctual and reliable and did they keep to time?
  7. Consider having a professional makeup artist for your mother and the groom's mother (your photos will thank you for it).

Edited by Luke Ellery with contributions from Lydia Martin and Lydia Rachel Photography