How Long To Plan For Hair & Makeup On Your Wedding Day

For this blog I’m bringing in my friend and expert on this topic – Coco Vee. She’s a professional hair & makeup artist and fellow wedding professional, and I absolutely adore her! I asked her a few questions about the wedding day, and ladies pay attention, because her advice is GOLD.

Based on Coco’s recommendation, this is how long you should plan for hair and makeup to take:

1. Brides
   • Hair – One hour
   • Makeup – One hour
2. Bridesmaids/Moms
   • Hair – 30 minutes per person
   • Makeup – 45 Minutes per person
   • Allow for a 15 minute buffer between each person if multiple people are getting BOTH hair and makeup done

What do you wish brides/bridesmaids knew about hair and makeup?

“Most people think it’s best to wash their hair the morning of the wedding but I actually don’t recommend that! It’ll be damp and have to be blow dried before it can be styled which takes a lot of time. If you feel like you need to, you can wash your hair the day before the wedding. I always say, the dirtier the better…just not stinky.”

What is your advice to photographers about hair & makeup?

“Have a conversation with the makeup artist beforehand and ask them if they’re okay with you taking photos while they’re working or if they’d rather wait until they’re done and get mock getting ready photos.”

What do you wish coordinators knew about hair & makeup?

“Most coordinators I’ve worked with have been great! Every once in a while I’ll work with someone who is constantly coming in and reminding me how much time we have left. That can be frustrating because I’m a wedding professional too, and I’m always doing my absolute best to stay on schedule. If I’m running late, its because someone didn’t like their hair and I have to redo it. I expect things like that will happen, and I always account for extra time for that reason.”

Thank you Coco for sharing your expertise! It’s so important to account for enough time for hair and makeup, because if getting ready runs late, it can push the whole timeline of the day back.

xo,
Kelsey