The Most Common Wedding Hair and Makeup Questions Answered

Through out the past few years of specializing in wedding hair and makeup theres definitely some common questions I get asked by a lot of our clients. Read on to learn what others are asking about and just maybe get a few of your questions answered too!

Q. Should my lip color on my wedding day look like my natural color?

A. This is up to you! Keeping with a natural color palette with your makeup in general is always a safe bet and will give you a classic look that wont end up looking dated in your photos years down the road. That's not to say that you must play it safe. If you're feeling like being a bit more bold with your look I suggest trying either a bold lip or bold eye (this is what your trial run is for)!

Q. I can't decide if I want to wear my hair up or down on my wedding day, what should I do?

A. I totally get it, there's so many great options to choose from. This is when I suggest considering the weather and your complete image including your wedding gown. If you're getting married in late July, you may lean towards a low bun that will keep your hair in place in spite of humidity, and keep you a few degrees cooler. If your gown has a very low back, wearing a half down style can give a nice balanced look.

Q. Should I choose traditional or airbrush makeup?

A. There's a few factors to consider here and ultimately your makeup artist will discuss your specific skin and concerns along with your inspiration pics to choose the best way to proceed. Traditional makeup involves a liquid foundation and powder (like most of us are used to) while airbrush can offer a lighter finish with better resistance to perspiration.

Q. How can we make sure that my wedding hair and makeup last all day?

A. When you have your hair and makeup done professionally we use all of our special tricks and techniques to make sure that the finished results will last as long as possible for you.

Your trial run session comes in handy here because we can use this test run to determine if we need to overcompensate or adjust anything ahead of the day.

Ultimately, the weather can be unpredictable and sometimes not favorable for keeping makeup and hair in tact. If you plan on being outdoors for awhile and/or if your wedding falls between late July & mid September you may want to consider booking touch up services for that added assurance.

I hope you found this helpful!

Favorite Wedding Hair & Makeup Looks- Chosen by our Clients

As I was putting together this latest post (to show off some of the beautiful photos from 10 of our recent wedding clients) I didn't know at first what I would title it or what the focus would be.

Then as I scrolled through, I quickly noticed a few common themes across the board. In fact, our clients chose mostly similar looks!

For Makeup, an application with muted and natural colors overall and a bold lash has been the most popular, with our fall & winter brides sometimes opting for a deeper color palette.

On the hair styling side, wearing hair down or half down remains more popular than ever- with the "tucked behind the ears" look highly requested for the 5th year in a row.

I firmly believe that updos will never go out of style for the wedding day. Currently, various versions of the low bun are the top choice.

See below some of our favorite looks from our beautiful clients!

Lizzy

Fox & Ivory Photography

Stephanie

Nicole Morisco Photography

Katie

Lauren Ashley Studios

Katie

Meredith Donnelly Photography

Megan

Jasko Photography

Jill

Brian Barnhart Jr. Photography

Kimberly

Photos by Maudlin Co.

Jeannine

Maypole Studios

Annalyse

Michael and Kristin Photography

Megan

Aanna Chase Photography

Everything you Need to Know About Wedding Planning in 2023

If you're here that's probably because you're recently engaged! With my insider tips, I hope that you will find your wedding planning process enjoyable, and not too stressful.

If you know anyone who has gotten married in the past two years, you've likely heard stories about challenges they've had (even if they didn't need to postpone their scheduled date). Thankfully, couples aren't dealing with postponements at this time- however, the wedding industry is still feeling the effects of this. Since mid 2020, many couples have chosen long engagements in hopes of avoiding any Covid restrictions. This means that even though we're just kicking off the busy wedding planning season- there's a lot of dates this year (and next) that vendors already have booked.

The great news is that Chicago has so many talented wedding vendors in all of the areas, so don't stress out just yet!

What this means for you; once you are able to commit to a vendor don't wait to lock them in! There is no benefit in waiting it out. I highly recommend researching just 1-2 categories at a time and getting the necessary professionals booked before moving onto the next categories. This can prevent the overwhelm of thinking about too many things at once. Each year, I have a few potential clients who discuss all of the details with me and disappear for a few months only to be surprised that we aren't available when they reach back out. Usually, they will say that they took a break from planning because they got overwhelmed.

My next tip is simple; take recommendations from your friends and your vendors (like your wedding planner). This is the best way to really know what it is like working with specific small businesses. Also, things can run really smoothly when there is a vendor team that is familiar with each other's processes. This happens for us several times each year and we love it!

You can also ask your friends if there were any surprises they dealt with on their wedding day or any decisions they were glad to have made. You'll probably end up with some great advice you would have never thought of!

My third and final tip is to ask your vendors to summarize their process and the total cost of their services. This may go with out saying but it's helpful to know what to expect leading up to your wedding day so you don't wonder if you're being left hanging when you don't hear from a vendor for a little while.

Some areas will have a predetermined cost and others may vary depending upon multiple factors leading up to the day. Asking this question will bring to the forefront any costs that may have been missed in the fine print and also ensure that you're able to stay on budget.

Happy Wedding Planning!