wedding day make-up in Cleveland

Wedding Day Make-Up

Things to Consider When Planning Your Wedding Make-up

All brides, when planning their wedding day, must consider how they will handle their wedding day make-up. Whether you wear make-up on a regular basis or not at all, you will need a bit of styling so that you look your absolute best for your big day. I would like to present some salient points from a photographers point of view and with the help of a couple of my favorite Cleveland make-up artists.

Great Make-Up on Your Wedding Day

The point of good make-up is to enhance your features and make your skin look it’s best. On my wedding day back in 2014, my wife had her make up done (thank you, Jason Kelly!) and she looked perfect. She rarely wears any significant amount of make-up, but on our wedding day, she understood that in order to look her best, she needed a professional to apply the necessary products. We were bringing in one the top wedding photographers in the world (Hi Jerry!) and we wanted everything to be perfect, especially for the pictures. And she looked gorgeous. My wife looked like my wife, but more. She didn’t look like she had too much make-up. It looked like just the right amount. I know that might sound a little confusing, but as her groom, she looked like she looks, but enhanced. That is what good make up does. It makes you look like you but better.

Jerry Ghionis Cleveland bride

The Job of A Fantastic Make-up Artist

And that is the job of a good make-up artist. The last thing that you would want is to have your make up done in a way that totally changes your appearance. You might say “Isn’t that the point of make-up?”. The answer to that question is, No, it’s not. Lindsay London states, “keep your make up fresh and classic looking. Wedding day looks shouldn’t be the day to try new trends and lets face it, your groom loves you just the way you are and wants to recognize you walking down the isle.” Exactly.

Preparing for your wedding day in advance is the key to success. Kaelyn Zielinski of MyFairMakeup  says, “your makeup is only as good as what is underneath…A smooth and hydrated canvas is going to be much easier to work with….It’s important to make that appointment with your dermatologist and makeup artist early in the planning process to learn about how to properly care for and maintain a healthy skin care routine.” Lindsay London says, “Prep your skin before wedding day by shaping your brows and getting a facial 7-10 before the wedding. The night before do a light exfoliation and use a moisturizer. Keep hydrated and Get plenty of beauty rest.” Great advice.

cleveland bride make-up example

Where to Find the Best Make-up Artist

One of the first wedding day logistical decisions will be to decide where you will get your make-up done. From a photographer perspective, I would say to do it on location, for sure. Preferably, where you will be putting on your wedding dress. This is the most convenient for you. On your wedding day, you can get up, sit down and get pampered. No rushing from location to location. No stress. The hair and make-up artists will come to you. Kaelyn Zielinski says that it also “allows for the schedule to run smoothly and encourages team work and cooperation between hair and makeup artist’s. On site artist’s are also able to adapt their schedules to meet yours.” Which, of course, is very important for smooth wedding day logistics and the timeline.

Lindsay London adds, “it is so much more relaxing and stress free for a Bride and her friends and family in the wedding. It’s much easier to have everyone in one place with a dedicated schedule and service that is solely focused on YOU. You don’t have to be interrupted by other guests like in a salon, worry about parking, travel, weather, salon schedules, moving your belongings, etc etc. On- location beauty experiences at your location really create an atmosphere that is calming, relaxing and meaningful before a busy day of celebrating!…Staying on schedule is important so always factor in more time than not enough- the beauty process really goes by fast! Staying on schedule is important so always factor in more time than not enough!” This is SO true. If a wedding schedule gets behind it’s because not enough time was allocated for hair and make-up. When you decide how much time you will need for styling on your wedding day, add 30 minutes. You’ll be glad for the extra padding of time.

Eye make-up by Lindsay London

Make-Up & Wedding Pictures

This is also best for your pictures and your wedding day story. Instead of spending a portion of your day in an impersonal salon, as Lindsay pointed out, you can spend it at a location that is meaningful to your day. The atmosphere, and by default, the light, can be controlled so that your pictures are as beautiful as they can be and you can be as relaxed as you can be. Generally, most knowledgable make-up artists will use natural light when applying your make-up.  They will put you in front of a window for application. This ensures that your colors are more accurate and that just the right amount is applied. Every light source has a different color temperature. In order to get the most accurate overall color temperature for your make up, use natural light or a light that is the same temperature as natural light.

On your wedding day, make sure that you pick the ideal spot within your location for hair and wedding day make-up. For a photographer, as I stated,  in front of a window in a larger room is ideal.  Kaelyn Zielikski says, “Having the room to spread out our products for an easy work flow gives the artist the environment for creativity and punctuality, plus allows for us to easily clean and sanitize in between clients.”

Another Make-Up Tip

Another tip is for the bridesmaids. While it may seem like a given, they must be reminded not to outshine the bride with their make-up. Lindsay says, “If the Bride is not wearing a bold or red lip suggest that the bridesmaids wear a natural/ neutral lip to make sure all eyes are on the bride in her formal photos that she’s invested in! Staggering bold lips in a bridal party can draw your eye to it!” Remember, all eyes should be on the bride. Also, as Kaelyn suggests, if there are any details that need taken care of, ” assign a trusted bridesmaid to handle all these distractions so you are able to have a relaxing and successful appointment.”

 Be prepared to keep your make-up fresh throughout the day. “All the ladies that are going to be in photos should have a lipstick/ gloss for touch ups, light translucent powder or blotting papers to cut shine.” says Lindsay. I would say that the number one reason for any type of retouching of photos is shine on skin. Making sure that you are prepared to combat this will not only make your pictures better, but will also make you look better when you are greeting guests.
bride getting wedding day make up

Choosing the Right Make-up Professional

Make sure to thoroughly research any professional that you intend on participating in your wedding day. That includes your make-up artists. “When choosing your team, find professionals that are  licensed by the State Board of Cosmetology to ensure your safety in sanitation and professionalism.” states Lindsay London.  The more referrals, reviews and actual professional licenses that your wedding vendor has the more you can make a confident and educated decision. Your wedding day is the most important day of your life up to that point, so getting top professionals should be paramount.

Finally, HAVE FUN! Like I said, you are queen for the day. Enjoy it by looking your best, getting a great make-up artist AND a great photographer 🙂

Be sure to check out our contributors:

MyFairMakeup – Kaelyn Zielinski

Lindsay London – Lindsay London