When should you make up the bride on the wedding day?

Beautiful makeup by my student Shai Mabilia

What order should you make up a bridal party in? This can significantly impact the bride’s schedule if you get this wrong! 

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Say there is 5 girls in the bridal party, first thing I ask is who is the party made up of:

1) How many are bridesmaids?

2) Is one of them Mother of the Bride? 

3) Is Mother of the Groom in this number?

4) Are any of this number just friends or a relative that’s not in the actual bridal party?

6) Does this include the bride (sometimes they forget to include themselves in the count on the odd occasion! - easily done, there’s a lot of details a bride has to be across 😜)

From here I can determine what the order of importance is. It’s imperative the bridal party is ready when the photographer arrives. 

✅ My strict rule is I never (ever!!) leave the bride until last - brides can feel their makeup will be freshest for photos if it’s just been applied (if you’re any good as a makeup artist, it will look just as stunning at midnight as it did when you finished it). However, if you’re held up for any reason, the last person I want to rush through is the bride. I usually do them about 3rd (if I had 5 girls to do for example). If they insist on going last (sometimes it’s nerves that makes them not want to sit down for makeup) - once I explain my reason, this fixes the problem. All of these details I work out with the bride at the end of her makeup trial; so on the day I know exactly what’s happening and so does the bride.

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👉 Never leave the bride until last, if they’re not ready when the photographer arrives, photographers can’t get the shots they’ve promised as now that time is taken up with makeup. Don’t be that makeup artist!

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Photography @jessicarosephotographyau

MAKEUP ARTIST

@makeup_by_shai 

Styling @melissamaierstyles

Hair @braids_hairstyles_by_hayleymac

Couture @helenmanuellbridal 

Headpieces and earrings @jeanettemaree 

Rings @sallyrosewhitelabel 

Flower by Melissa Maier supplied by @virginflowersbaxter

Make up Direction

@joannablairschoolofmakeup

Models 

@silhouettemanagement 

@cara.gates