Why does bridal makeup cost more than party makeup?

This is a question you may ask yourselves when booking your wedding makeup artist and as a professional makeup artist I would love to give you an insight as to why the costs would be higher for bridal makeup compared to party makeup ....

Party Makeup 

Party makeup bookings are so much more straight forward with just a few messages to complete the booking and minimal admin time. On the day the client will briefly describe what type of makeup look they would like and may have a picture ready for inspiration. The makeup application wont take as long.

Wedding Service 

Your wedding day is one of your most special days of your life and booking your wedding makeup with me is a complete bespoke service. Working a wedding is usually unsociable hours with very early starts in the mornings, on average most weddings are a 6.30am/7am start which means we will be up at 4.30am to get ready to travel out to your chosen wedding location, where as beauty salons and makeup counters would be closed at this time. 
Wedding days require a significant amount of planning and prep including creating a good time schedule to ensure the morning goes smoothly and makeup time slots don't clash with the hairdresser, this means makeup artists have alot more admin compared to party makeup and can spend hours every day planning and replying to messages and emails to multiple brides to ensure everything is perfect.

On the day I will make sure I don't just dash off when Ive done the last makeup infact Im always reluctant to book any other clients in after a wedding as you are my main priority for that day so I will always wait around to do touch ups as alot of the bridal party would of eaten after their makeup application . I shall always check the brides makeup just before she leaves and wait until shes in her dress and often help out with different things (I have even sewn a bridesmaid into her dress as the zip broke) giving my bridal party 110% effort and take the stresses away from your wedding morning. Having a more experienced artist who knows exactly what they are doing rather than an inexperienced artist can really make or break your wedding day. I always counter in time to set up my kit and lighting upon arrival and make sure the bridal party is ready at least 1 hour prior to the leaving time so the bride feels relaxed and at ease.

Bridal makeup artists also have to counter in travel time either side of the booking, this will also reflect the price as this could mean if instead we worked a day full of party makeups in my makeup studio then the time id travel out and back could actually be another 2/3 clients I could of fit in which would result in business loss. 

Bespoke Service 

Bridal makeup is completely tailored to each individual and having happy clients means the absolute world to me. Before the big day we will arrange a trial and I will give a full consultation where we will get to meet and go over all the finer details, starting with your daily skin care routine. I will get chance to analyse your skin type/skin tone so I can match your skin perfectly.  This will also give us time to discuss things like your wedding colour theme, dress style and what style of makeup you would like and I can determine what makeup would suit your face/eye shape and even your personality, whether you would like it more natural and classic, modern or dramatic, theres so many styles to choose from. The trial can take up to 2 hours but I wont let you leave until you are fully satisfied with your look. Having a trial can relieve a great deal of stress and uncertainty of how your makeup will look and bring your vision to life. On the day we need to give lots of extra time compared to a party makeup as there are lots of distractions going on such as opening gifts, speaking to family/friends, working alongside the hairdresser and photographer, posed pictures so the photographer can get their perfect shots, all these things mean It can take double the time in comparison to party makeup.  

Products

Wedding makeup needs to last all day especially with wedding season being predominantly in the hotter months, we need to use high quality brands such as Charlotte Tilbury which can be costly for our makeup kits. Good quality products will help ensure it photographs well and having a broad selection of products will really help suit your skins needs. Long wearing products will be needed for wedding days such as waterproof mascara and eyeliner incase of any happy tears on your big day. I have found the last couple of years alot of brides are opting for individual lashes which can also be more costly and takes alot more time compared to a strip lash for party makeup. Usually the night before a wedding I will spend around 30 mins cleaning and organising my kit and going over my notes so its all ready go in the morning. 

Admin 

The price also reflects on the time put in behind the scenes on the run up to the wedding such as messages, emails, chasing payments, any changes to the bridal party, questions after the trial, product touch up advice, product recommendations and creating and going over timings. Alot of time and effort goes in to make sure you feel content before your big day. Emails can average at around 30 messages per person for weddings. We can also spend a significant amount of time finding a second artist to help for larger bridal parties and liaising  back and forth with them with all your important details up until the wedding day. Compared to a party makeup there is a lot more information we need including fitting in the time schedule round hair, location , whether or not you are staying at the venue the night before, if not what time the venue bridal suite opens which means usually we are then travelling to 2 different locations to start early so we would have to create 2 lots of time schedules and more travel. We are communicating with multiple people such as bridesmaids and mums and ordering in any special products for our kits. Every bride I do i fill out a contact sheet with all the important details and also a trial sheet with all the product details and any important notes such as ' gets very oily skin' so I don't forget any important notes on the day. 


As a makeup artist I feel privileged to be chosen as a bridal artist and the price will also reflect the artists experience which includes years or training and hard work. I have had many brides come to me after having a trial with someone who was just charging  very little and said they cried when they left because they didn't like it and that high quality of service was missing. 
Bridal makeup artists often have to cover costs of advertising and website fees and spend alot of time uploading on social media so you can view all our most recent work. 


I love being part of such a wonderful day and being able to make people feel that extra special . For anyone who asks the question "Why does bridal makeup cost more than party makeup?' I really hope this helps you see the level of service that goes above and beyond just a party makeup. 







"Natural makeup is quicker than dramatic makeup" 

Its a huge misconception that natural makeup is quicker than dramatic makeup and you will find that any pro makeup artist will tell you its the complete opposite.
Achieving a no-makeup makeup look is actually more time consuming, it will require more light layers, blending flawlessly and the right products and techniques to achieve that look. This can also be challenging if someone does have problematic skin or not a vey good skincare routine. Knowing and understanding the products we are working with and having the ideal skin prep can really help towards creating that natural dreamy skin finish.