The Unspoken Culprit of Wedding Delays: Hair and Makeup
Documenting the getting dressed part of your day is important in telling the story through wedding photography. It's not about photographing hair and makeup..... it's about the bride getting dressed and the anticipation of the day's events.
What Happens at Getting Ready?
Photo and video arrive at the getting ready location and introduce themselves to family members and wedding crew.
HAIR AND MAKEUP SHOULD BE COMPLETED BEFORE PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY ARRIVE.
As I look around I take mental notes where the best light is and find out where the bride's dress, rings, flowers, accessories, heirlooms and paper details are so I can get them ready to be photographed.
If the beauty team is still there when I arrive, they will likely be spread out everywhere in the best light. Therefore, we need them to be gone before we can start photography.
This tends to be the time of day when the most emotional photos are taken......
It’s your wedding day – a moment you’ve likely envisioned down to the last petal on the floral arrangements. However, there’s a notorious schedule-slipper that tends to elude the tight grasp of even the most meticulously planned timelines: the hair and makeup session. Many brides find themselves running behind, not because they didn’t plan well, but because the beauty process on the big day is a complex operation, often underestimated in its capacity to consume time.
Why Does Hair and Makeup Often Delay the Wedding Ceremony?
Underestimation of Time: Professionals often suggest allotting a certain amount of time for hair and makeup, yet reality can tell a different story. Various factors such as intricate hairstyles, the number of makeup trials needed, and unforeseen retouches can extend this duration significantly.
- Multiple People, One Artist: In many cases, the bride, along with her bridesmaids, may rely on the same stylist. Scheduling can get tricky, and with each addition, the timeline expands.
- Perfection Pressure: It’s a day of high emotions and expectations. The pressure to look perfect can lead to second-guessing, additional changes, and, inevitably, more time.
- Communication Gaps: Often, the envisioned look and the actual outcome may not align on the first go, requiring adjustments that can spiral into significant delays.
- Facing these truths, let’s pivot to solutions. Specifically, how can you craft an efficient photography schedule that accommodates the beautification process and still keeps everything running like clockwork?
Efficient Photography Schedule for a Blissfully Timely Wedding Day
To ensure that hair and makeup don’t derail your special day, here’s a focused plan to keep the timeline intact while capturing all those beautiful moments:
- Early Start: Begin the hair and makeup process earlier than you think you should. Adding an extra buffer of 30 minutes to an hour can save you from unexpected delays. If you don't want a early morning start.... then you'll need a larger beauty team or you'll need to have a later start time for the ceremony.
- Timeline Discussions: Have a detailed talk with your hair and makeup artist to establish a realistic timeline. Ensure they understand the importance of sticking to the schedule which also includes being available and ready when they arrive.
- HAIR AND MAKEUP needs to be completed and gone before PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY ARRIVE.
- Pre-Wedding Trials: Conduct hair and makeup trials before the wedding day to decide exactly what you want. This will minimize time spent on adjustments on the big day.
- Clear Communication: Create a schedule for who gets styled when....... the BRIDE should never be last. Everyone involved should know their time slots and stick to them.
- Backup Plans: Have a secondary quick-fix kit and a backup stylist if possible. If things go awry, you won’t be left in the lurch.
- First Look Photos: Consider scheduling “first look” photos before the ceremony. This not only captures a beautifully intimate moment but also allows you to tick major photo ops off your list early.
- Prioritize Photos by Importance: Discuss with your photographer which photos are must-haves and schedule those first. If any time is lost, you won’t miss out on the most important shots.
- Keep the Dressing Room Clutter-Free: Ensure that the space where you’re getting ready is organized. A clutter-free room speeds up the process and keeps stress levels down. If getting ready in a hotel, ask your wedding party to offer up their room for you to get dressed in so you're not stressed if beauty timelines fail.
- Inform and Enforce: Make sure your bridal party understands the importance of the schedule. A little enforcement goes a long way in keeping everyone on track.
- Buffer Time Before Departure: Finally, insert a 30-minute buffer before you need to step into the limo. Use this time for final touch-ups, calming your nerves, and ensuring everything looks perfect.
By following these steps, you can enjoy a day where beauty prep doesn’t turn into a race against the clock but remains an enjoyable part of your unforgettable wedding experience. Remember, a well-planned timeline is the secret ingredient to a stress-free, joyful wedding day.
Detail Photos
Allow 30 minutes
Photography will usually start with the dress and locate the perfect light and backdrop for this image. Sometimes, depending on locations, we may ask to take your dress to an epic scene or beautiful light then if time allows we'll photograph all the other details.
- the dress
- the ring
- the paper details
- the shoes
- the accessories
Getting Ready Photos
Allow 60 minutes
DECLUTTERING HELPS.....
The room where you plan on getting dressed should be clutter free and neat. The bed should be made and all of your belongings should be put away in a closet or another room. If I need to tidy a room before I begin shooting that will take away from documenting what is happening with your friends and family. Yes, I can get creative and shoot around a mess, but that will limit the angles I shoot if I'm trying not to have suitcases and makeup in your getting ready photos.
book a suite in your getting ready hotel and keep the bedroom neat and tidy and the living room cluttered with all your things........
Whatever type of morning you're having we will be there to document it and everyone with you.
Photography Ideas
Plan on doing fun things with your wedding party on the morning of your wedding such as giving them a gift, opening mini bottles of individual champagne or providing them with matching robes. These are all great photography opportunities to capture with your wedding day crew.
- the entourage of numerous bridesmaids with matching robes, champagne toasts and jumping on bed photos
- the bride and her mom & sister having a quiet morning and a relaxed getting ready
- the bride and groom getting dressed together
Tried and True Moments
- getting dressed with your mom or best friends
- putting on all your accessories and shoes
- mom and you moments
- portrait
- reading a letter or note to each other
- parent first look
........your wedding crew need to be ready before you get dressed so they look fabulous when they are photographed helping you.
Remember we are not responsible for any items or personal fashion choices your wedding crew displays. Please remember to remind them about removing hair ties from wrists, cell phones in pocket( this is a big one for the boys), excessive jewellery, or sunglasses on head ( boy issue here as well )to name a few.
We will do our best to catch any of these and more when we can, but it's always best if you get in front of this sooner rather than an added expense to remove items from photos later.
Portrait
Allow 5 minutes
We ask for 5 minutes alone with the bride to photograph a beautiful portrait. Many photographers no longer produce these timeless images and I think they are one of the most important of your day. We photograph this image immediately after you are finished getting ready when your makeup and hair is perfect. We also ask for this time to be alone with the bride and photographer only. This allows the bride to have 5 minutes to breathe and collect her thoughts before heading out to the first look or ceremony.
The Other Crew Location
Travelling to two different locations for getting ready photos can eat up a lot of your wedding day timeline. You may only be 10 minutes drive apart, but remember we will need to pack up our gear, drive to new location and hope for no traffic or road issues, unpack our gear and get ready to photograph and all of this takes more time than you think.
I highly recommend that you choose a hotel and get ready in separate rooms, or an Airbnb with two floors where you can stay separated. Yes, if you added on a second photographer for your day then getting ready in two locations will work just fine. But, I still prefer to photograph both of you myself and it's easier if you're in the same location.
Tried and True Moments
- photographing your fiances details when I arrive
- documenting the goings on with your fiance and their wedding crew
- fiance getting dressed with parents or best person
- accessorizing is always great for photos.....boutonnieres placed by parent or tie help from parent
- attendant gifts
- reading a letter or not to each other
- parent first look
- fiances portrait