One of the happiest days of your life is the day you get engaged. Until wedding planning starts! Everyone knows that wedding planning can take the fun out of getting married in the first place.
So many decisions to make in what can seem like such a short timeline. And some of the most important decisions can be about what you will wear and look like on your wedding day. The trends are always changing from your dress to your hair and makeup, and so are you. It’s one of the most important days of your life – you want to look classic! So, where do you start? We’re here to provide just a little guidance for choosing styles and vendors for your one and only wedding day!
Before choosing an artist, you need to choose what kind of look you’re going for. The current wedding styles are mostly taking a more-is-more approach, with incredible sparkles, jewels, and airbrushed skin. But a lot of brides have pulled from the full glam look and are now breaking into a new era of elevated natural bridal looks. See full descriptions of popular looks below that will hopefully help you get a clear idea of what you want to look like on your wedding day.
An Instagram classic, full glam became popular a few years back when boxy dark eyebrows were in style, accompanied by over-the-top makeup looks that we dubbed ‘full glam’. Elwynnandcass.com says full glam is “The in-between look of Old Hollywood Glamour style (bold lips, long lashes, contour, etc.) and the soft glam […] is what I like to call glam makeup. It’s a mix of both as you like the natural look on foundation, but then add a pop for the eyes, usually some sparkle, liner, and long lashes.”
Now full glam isn’t always what you think it is, and these days you see the Instagram eyebrow trend less and less. But many people pick this style for their wedding day for one important reason, it looks and stays perfect. Often the makeup is airbrushed on, which gives it a perfect look. If that’s not your style you can always take it down a notch with soft glam, getting the same effect on a more natural level.
You might hear the phrase soft glam and think, “these people are making things up now!”. But hand in hand with full glam, soft glam has had a rise in popularity due to its similar application process without heavy creasing or airbrushing. “The infamous “no makeup, makeup look”. There is typically some contour and highlight, but just enough to accentuate your features, and natural looking lashes, long and wispy. Eyeshadow is usually matte tones of browns and neutrals.”
This is more a trend with 2020 brides, as they prefer to use the excuse more is more when it comes to other aspects of their wedding like food or flowers. Check out concept pictures online and make sure you come up with an idea picture for your makeup artist so they can help you look perfect for your special day.
Now that you’ve (hopefully) chosen a style of makeup to rock on your wedding day, it’s time to choose an artist. This can be even more daunting than choosing which style to go with, but once you start weeding out artists for the ones that fit your style and budget, you will know what you like when you see it.
The best way to weed out shady or unprofessional artists is to start by asking your friends, family, and community for their recommendations on local artists. It’s well known that the best form of marketing is the word of mouth because no one is going around recommending things they were not 100% satisfied with. Going off of your community’s recommendations can easily bring your long list of people down to a few top contenders.
A classic of celebrities that is making its way into your friend’s posts and onto your feed is the fit check inspired, tag your team posts after weddings. You can easily check out a makeup artist’s portfolio by not only checking what they post but checking what their clients post and tag them in. It also might come hand in hand with an unexpected review.
You don’t need to know EXACTLY what you want by the time you meet with your artist, but you do want to have inspiration and ideas! According to brides.com, “Once you begin considering options for bridal beauty, gather any photos that speak to you from magazines, social media, and even screenshots of people you know. It’s okay not to know exactly what you want, but having some idea will help guide conversations with your potential artist and make your makeup trial more successful. “
With all the stress of wedding planning on your plate, hopefully, deciding your makeup style and artist can be quickly crossed off your list. Whatever style or artist you choose, nothing else matters as long as you feel beautiful on your special day.
