Justifying the cost: Understanding your makeup investment
When you’re planning a wedding, the costs can be extraordinary. As you struggle to control costs, it might seem like skipping a professional makeup investment might be a great way to save some extra money.
After all, you apply makeup every day. It doesn’t take that long, or seem that complicated. How can it cost that much for a makeup application, you might ask?
Behind the scenes of any small business, like mine, are a lot of management and operation costs. When you hire an artist for your wedding, this is where your makeup investment goes.
Where your makeup investment goes
In exchange for your makeup investment, your makeup artist should deliver. To make sure you find the right match, be prepared to shop around. Makeup is a deeply personal part of expressing who you are. You want to be sure you connect with the right artist for you.
A professional makeup application. Customized to make your unique features look fantastic in photographs and in-person, in all lighting conditions, in all weather.
Years of training and experience that help get your look right the first time
The makeup trial, where your artist gets to know you, learns about your wedding, and quickly assembles a plan to help you and your bridal party look fantastic!
Addie Roberge Photography
Use of thousands of dollars of the highest quality supplies and cosmetics for the best end result.
Access to countless relationships with wedding vendors – your artist can help you find other members of your wedding team. They’ve been working with the same people for years.
Time spent in consultation with you and other vendors to coordinate the timing, schedule, and overall plan of the wedding.
Time and gas traveling to and from the wedding site
Marketing my services and developing a killer website, so it’s easy to find each other and connect online.
Business supplies, like a computer, phone, internet, etc.
Insurance.
Business licenses.
Accountant and bookkeeper services.
Income taxes.
Finding the right makeup artist
Freebird Photography
As you navigate beautiful websites and endless online listings, call and talk to potential makeup artists. Ask lots of questions. Use the guide below to help you learn more about the pros you’re contacting and to help you find just the right one.
- How long have you been doing makeup professionally?
- Do you have a portfolio of work I can see?
- Do you have a list of references I can call?
- Will you bring your own supplies or use mine?
- Do you work on-site, or should I come to you?
- On the wedding day, will you do my makeup, or will someone from your team?
- Can we do a trial before the wedding?
- What will happen in an emergency on our wedding day?
Asking each of the potential pros these questions will give you a great baseline to compare their working styles and how they’ll fit into your plan and schedule for the wedding itself.
Know that when you invest in a makeup artist, you should get a great experience. But also know that you’re supporting small businesses. In addition, I can’t do what I love to do without your makeup investment!