Do I need a Wedding Hair & Makeup trial?

Since the pandemic brides have been more prudent about their wedding budget than ever before and the question is sometimes asked whether a makeup & hair trial run is necessary. After all. You’ve seen the work of your bridal make-up artist and hair stylist, you trust them completely, surely you can pinch pennies here?

Yes you can, but…

If you’re working on a shoe-string budget you can skip the trial. But it is one of the worst aspects of your wedding budget to cut back on; ultimately leaving things to chance. It is also at your own and significant risk. Guests are unlikely to remember the style of chairs they sat on, or the quaint cutlery but they will remember if your look was… not your best. And even with the most accomplished glam squad, things can go wrong.

3 reasons a bridal trial is absolutely necessary

1. To get your desired result

Both you and your beauty team should be able to go to your wedding day confidently after a trial. It gives your team a chance to get to know you and practice on you so that on your wedding day your look is even better than at the trial. A trial should also entail a thorough consultation with your make-up artist and hair stylist on your personal beauty preferences; what is achievable for your features and how to align your beauty look with the theme of your wedding celebration.

You may have found a stunning reference image of what you want your hair and make-up to look like but after meeting with your experts you may realize that your hair is not long enough or thick enough to achieve that specific hairstyle. Or after having had that dramatic smokey eye applied, the one that looked great on Instagram, you may discover that it did not translate to real life as you expected and you do not feel comfortable wearing such a heavy look. A trial is an opportunity to get things right. You’ll be able to see how your make-up and hair photographs as well as how long it lasts and whether you get an allergic reaction to any products used.

2. You can do your homework

Your final beauty look on your wedding day is not just the sum of your artists’ skill set and the quality of their styling products. It involves how you treat your face and hair in the run up to your wedding. At a trial, your artists will advise you on what prep work you need to do so you can get the best beauty results. This may be in-salon treatments like having your brows reshaped, removal of unsightly facial hair or changing a beauty regimen. Your team will also educate you about not having facials and other treatments done on the days shortly before the wedding as this often ends in disaster.

Keep in mind that a professional make-up artist will usually have a face chart on which they make notes about your preferences, issues, the beauty protocol you committed to as well as listing the products they used in order to be able to replicate your look on the day of your wedding. It is questionable whether an in-demand professional make-up artist will remember details like which brand and shade of foundation they used on you if they do not make such notes at your trial appointment.

3. Do you get along

You’re booking your hair and make-up team to make you look fantastic and if they can do that, this should be your ultimate criteria. But you also want to be sure that they are professionals. Will you be at ease having them with you in the final hours before your ceremony? Do they use clean styling tools, high-quality products, are they courteous and can you rely on them to be on time? How long will they take to create the look you have in mind so you are able schedule your wedding day accurately? At the trial appointment you’ll get a sense of this.

So when should I book my trial?

There are two points of view here. Some artists prefer to have the trial close to the wedding date when the bride’s hair colour and length is very similar to what it would be like on the big day. “I suggest to my clients that the trial take place no later than a month before the wedding but I typically schedule their trials three months ahead of the wedding.” The reason for this is in case the bride has a skin or other condition which will stand in the way of achieving her best beauty look. You can have the prettiest Pinterest picture on hand but if your skin or hair is not great, you may need to adjust expectations. This can be issues like acne, dry skin, pigmentation, sparse eyebrows, dandruff or extremely damaged hair.

A trial scheduled well in advance of your wedding day allows sufficient time to markedly improve or even completely resolve such a condition before the wedding. It also allows your hair stylist to source the perfect quality and colour hair extensions as more often than not a bride needs these to get her dream hairdo. And, if you find that for whatever reason you and your chosen beauty team are a mismatch, this leaves you with enough time to find suitable alternative vendors.

Give yourself your best chance at looking fantastic for your wedding and have a trial makeup done well ahead of the wedding date. Your wedding day is after all, a once in a lifetime event.

This blog was written by Makeup by Ryno. Feel free to contact him for this wedding hair & makeup packages right here.