The morning of your wedding can feel like a dream. Everything feels surreal and it’s hard to process all of the emotions and excitement on your big day - which is why it's so important to have a good wedding hair and beauty schedule in place! We spoke to Ashley of Butterfly Hair & Makeup of South London to find out her top tips for putting together a wedding day timeline...
We always encourage our brides to save their energy and enjoy the process. It’s a very long day, so to be mindful of the steps involved that will make you feel relaxed and ready.
Step 1 – Preparing a Realistic Timeframe
When preparing for your wedding day, there are a lot of important elements to consider in the morning. Each takes time on the morning of your wedding. This is based on a range of wedding styles and traditions, but they are customs we see most commonly. Some of these elements will also become photo opportunities for your photographer and videographer, so be ready to have your photo taken!
- Posting a cheeky Boomerang in your dressing gown with your bridesmaids
- The arrival of flowers
- Hair and makeup (more on that later)
- Giving gifts and receiving them from family and bridesmaids – and trying not to cry!
- Having a champagne toast
- Placing your veil or flowers in your hair
- Fastening your dress
- Putting on jewellery
- Putting on perfume
- Final hair and makeup touches
- Having a big reveal with a father or family member who will take you down the aisle
Step 2 – Think about how long you will need
We anticipate bridal hair and makeup will take around 1.5 to 2 hours in total, while the rest of the bridal party will take around the 1 hour and 15 minute mark. Of course, this timing will really depend on the style you're going for, and how many people are on the hair and makeup team.
Tip: If you decided to wear clip-in hair extensions at the last minute, be mindful that this will affect the timing. Depending on the length and style chosen this could add up to an hour on top of your existing schedule.
Some of the most common elements include:
- Skin prep: 5 minutes
- Eyeshadow: 2 to 15 minutes
- Eyeliner: 2 to 15 minutes
- Eyelash Application: 5 to 10 minutes
- Contouring: 5 to 15 minutes
- Foundation: 5 to 15 minutes
- Blusher and Bronzer: 1 to 3 minutes
- Lipsticks and other lip products: 1 to 10 minutes.
As you can see, there is so much to think about when it comes to your wedding day hair and makeup. Having a hair trial and makeup trial ahead of time can help you get a good idea of how long each element will take on the day.
Step 3 – Trust the Professionals
Bridal experts will do hair and makeup for numerous weddings all throughout the year; they see a range of groups and there is always the factor of working to personal taste. Be encouraged to communicate with your team and explain what preferences you have. If something isn’t right, just let them know and they will be happy to make adjustments.
They are there not only there to prepare your hair and makeup, but to provide support like a Fairy Godmother on the biggest day of your life. They will try to remind you of important moments to be captured, help with your dress and veil.
It’s important to remember that while you may be experiencing this for the first time, they have seen this situation play out over and over and will offer guidance and support where they can in the gentlest way possible.
Thank you to Ashley for her amazing tips!