This post is a little different from my previous blogs... I'm a little bit ranting and a little bit informing! And kind of long winded! I hope this is helpful when getting your makeup trial and booking your wedding makeup!!

Every now and then I have a bride come in for a trial and she leaves and I know she wasn't 100% happy. I do what I can at the trial to change things or talk about what we can change but sometimes I feel like I just can't please her. A lot of times after a trial I'll get feedback from the bride to be about changing something- usually something small like different lip color or darker/lighter eye shadow or something like that. Every so often I get a bride that wants to change their look completely bc they saw photos of a different look they like and so I take note and change it for the wedding day. As far as I know I've never had a bride unhappy on the wedding day. Like I said at the trials it's sometimes not exactly wedding day perfect but that's why we do a trial- to figure out what works and what doesn't! I'm not a mind reader... I wish!! Haha but seriously it's sometimes hard for me to figure out exactly what you are wanting so just communicate with me and I'll work with you the best I can! I want EVERYONE to be happy and I know I can't please everyone but my goal is to have happy clients!

Story time:

I had a bride that came in for her trial run the day of her engagement photos (I'm okay with this and have ladies do it often but it is a makeup trial for your wedding and not necessarily makeup for your photo shoot- it still shows up well and will look good but we are doing this bc you are trying out the makeup for your wedding!) and at the trial she booked her wedding and said she liked it and was happy with the makeup. She got a few photos back from the shoot a couple days later then calls me and cancelled bc she didn't like her makeup in the photos. I told her she could come back for another trial (on me!!! Which I never do but I knew she was super unhappy and was canceling her wedding with me so I was trying to make it right) and she didn't want to and cancelled. So I looked up her photographer and saw one of her photos. She was right her makeup didn't show up in the picture. The problem wasn't the makeup though, it was the lighting. She had golden blonde hair in person but in the photo had white blonde hair and her whole body looked pale (not just her face). I know why she didn't like it but it wasn't bc of how I did her makeup- it was the photographer. So this happened last year and it still bothers me a bit. Of course I wanted her to be happy and I wanted to fix it but she didn't give me the chance. And after seeing the photo I realized it wasn't even something I did so that made me feel a bit better but I know she blames me and not the photographer which sucks (for me). I work with photographers ALL THE TIME!!! Just this past weekend I had four photo shoots with four different photographers so I'm aware of lighting and editing and just photography in general. I use photo makeup- makeup that's meant to be photographer and filmed- not everyday makeup and certainly not mineral makeup.

So my point here is to work with me on what you want for your makeup. Be as descriptive with colors and products as you can. Come prepared with photos and ideas bc if you don't then I'll just do what I think is best and that might not be exactly what you want. I would never make anyone look bad by any means but I might not get it right. And sometimes even if you come with all that I might not get it right. I might think you mean one thing when you meant another- this happens and it's okay! Or you might think there's a look that you like a lot and want but I do it and you decide it's not for you- this happens too and it's okay!! I can change or fix anything if you let me! So just communicate with me and give me a chance to make it right.

Last year alone I was a part of 70 weddings. So I know for the most part my clients were happy so that makes me happy! And the referrals I get from happy brides are always the best!! Anyway my whole point is just work with me bc I will do whatever I can to make you feel beautiful on your wedding day!!

Side note: also please be willing to work with me on timing for your wedding day. This is my fifth year doing makeup professionally and I've already been a part of over 200 weddings as well as being in several weddings and I had my own wedding almost four years ago. So I know a thing or two about wedding days and how this works. I know how much time I need to do makeup depending on how many ladies and I know if I'll need to hire a second makeup artist or bring an assistant as well. I do usually do at least two weddings every Saturday bc I do my best to get everyone in and I schedule my day allowing plenty of time for each wedding and making sure I have the help that I need! Most of the time the bride and I are on the same page but sometimes this is like pulling teeth! The questions I always ask when booking a wedding: what time is your ceremony, what time do you need to be ready by, how many people are getting makeup, and where are you getting ready? From that I can accurately assess how long I'll need for your wedding and if I can get you booked!

Last note: I am primary a one woman show. I do have my mom who is my best assistant and two other makeup artists that currently work with me. But as far as contacting me and booking stuff it's just me! I try my best to get back to everyone right away and try not to miss anything but I'm human and I'm super busy so if you don't hear back from me in a day or two please reach out again bc I might not have gotten the message or it got lost in the shuffle of my texts, emails, facebook messages, etc. Also every now and then I get sick.... This doesn't mean I'm flakey if I need to reschedule something it means I'm sick and I don't want you to get sick. I'm not someone who's sick every other week or grandma dies every month. And I usually work through being sick if it's just allergies like I had to this past week- it sucked a lot but I had a full week of tans, makeup trials, weddings, and photo shoots so I had to push through! I rarely ever reschedule anything so if I have to it's serious! Literally the day after I was in a car wreck (my car was totaled and I went to the hospital) I was doing wedding makeup bc I wouldn't just not show up for someone. I keep my word and I do what I can to uphold my end for every job I ever book.

In closing I just want everyone to be happy and I do my best to accommodate everyone!!

Why hire a makeup artist and how to pick a good one:

Why would you do your own makeup for your wedding... Would you do your own hair, your own nails, make your own wedding dress? If the answer is yes then maybe you should do your own makeup but realistically you're not doing these things yourself so why would you do your own makeup!? It's crazy to me that sometimes I show up to do wedding makeup for only a couple people but yet all 10 are getting their hair done... Really!? As a bridesmaid I get not having the funds for everything and this is part of why I think the bride should try to provide hair and makeup as a gift or at least pay for part of it to help out on costs! (Blog about bridesmaid gifts coming soon for more on that and if you think that paying for hair and/or makeup is too much then at least let your bridesmaids know the costs up front for dress, hair, makeup, etc then they have time to save up the money) But anyway you spend so much money on your wedding that why wouldn't you spend an extra $75-$100 on makeup? In the grand scheme of things it's not that much when the national average for a wedding is over $20,000. I know I didn't pay that much for my wedding! I've been to $5000 weddings and $100,000 weddings and they are all great... But I don't remember a lot from the weddings except for the photos I see after which mostly include the bride in her dress with her hair and makeup done... Think about it! Do you really remember all the little details or do you remember the bride and groom!? This day is about the beginning of a marriage not how 'pinteresty' you can get! This is a special day for the bride and groom and you should feel special which includes things like maybe a spa day with a massage, getting a mani/pedi, spray tanning, and of course day of hair and makeup! I'm the kind of person that would do my own hair and definitely have my makeup done bc really you could pull your hair back in a cute bun and have your makeup on and look dressed up and fancy but you won't if you have a crazy updo and minimal makeup... Food for thought friends!

When hiring a makeup artist for anything, especially your wedding, you should hire someone that works as a makeup artist full time not someone who does it for a hobby. Professional makeup will make a difference in your photos. And the skill level of the makeup artist will differ depending on their experience. Book a makeup artist that has a resume, is reputable, and is constantly working as a makeup artist and not one that does marketing or is a teacher during the week and plays with makeup on Saturdays! Not that some of these ladies (and men) aren't good at makeup... But think about it... Would you rather have an experienced makeup artist who knows about sanitation and much more or someone who doesn't clean their makeup brushes or use disposable mascara wands!? I mean do you want to get Ebola? Haha but in all seriousness you need someone who is educated and experienced at what they do to get the results you want especially on such an important and special day.... What you have left besides memories from your wedding is photos... You will hang these photos in your house, your parents will hang them in theirs, and you'll post them on every social media site your on so don't you want to look good (and not get a stye on your eye)!?!? I hope so!! So when looking for a makeup artist make sure you research your artist and find someone who knows what they are doing. If you can't find much about them they might not be a good fit. For instance if you're looking for me you can find my Website, Facebook page, Instagram account, Linked in account, my storefront on The Knot, IMDB (international movie database) as well as being featured on several wedding blogs, photographer websites, and film sites. And that's just my online presence. Out in life I'm in networking groups,participate , participate in 2-5 bridal shows a year and have been published in multiple publications as either a makeup artist, writer, or even an interview or two! So anyway just do your research and hire a reputable makeup artist for your wedding/event and not your best friends cousin who dabbles in makeup!

Facebook:

www.Facebook.com/makeupandtanningbycassie

Instagram:

@MakeupbyCassieLynn

A couple of the wedding blogs:

http://www.thelovelyfind.com/gold-citrus-wedding-inspiration/

http://greenweddingshoes.com/organic-wedding-inspiration-set-along-a-river/

The Knot:

http://www.theknot.com/Vendors/Makeup-and-Tanning-by-Cassie/Profile/HBF/040/518000/profile