Every November (for the last 3 years) Emily from Lotus Photography puts together a really useful blog of 30 awesome wedding planning tips collated from lots of lovely Dorset and Hampshire wedding suppliers who she has worked with.

​We were delighted to share some advice for this years blog regarding planning and booking in your Wedding Hair and Makeup trials - our biggest tip - book them in sooner rather than later!

There's always a new wedding day fashion flying in from across the pond!  We've had the “bridal chop” (where the bride gets her beautifully grown long locks cut into a much shorter style in between the marriage and ceremony) to Sten Do's (combined stag and hen parties) to increasingly popular First Looks!

Tradition used to be that couples spent the night before the wedding day apart and didn't get to see each other until they walked up the aisle and got to the altar.

Nowadays this isn't always the case! The first time couples (or sometimes the bride and her father) see each other is ​brought forward with a special and private moment arranged to see each other before officially tying the knot. 

This intimate moment enables couples to connect on the day emotionally before the ceremony starts and is often captured discreetly by a professional photographer or videographer so that the moment can be re-lived and reflected upon for many years to come.
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When receiving your enquiry one of the first things we'll check as a professional wedding hair and makeup team is the time that your ceremony is booked to take place to ensure that we have sufficient staff and time to get you and your wedding party ready. 

During your wedding consultation and trial run we'll double check your timings are right for you keeping in mind the duration of any travel time needed and anything else that you may wish to do on your wedding morning such as visiting a sentimental place or having that precious time for a First Look!

We'll always try our best to accommodate any last minute makeup or hair add ons or requests. 

If you decide that you'd like to include a First Look on your wedding day please tell us straight away so that we don't have any last minute surprises!  We may need to re-jig our carefully planned timelines to ensure that you have a stress free and relaxing morning that you deserve!

If it’s your first time planing a wedding or large event it can all be a bit overwhelming with so many things to organise, suppliers to research and decisions to make!

Hair and makeup may be low on your priority list especially if you don't usually wear makeup or want  a simple hair style - sometimes it's the simplest of looking hair styles that take the longest to create!

However, as your wedding day draws closer you may find it more of a necessity than a luxury to assign a professional hair stylist and makeup artist to take care of your hair, makeup and skincare woes!

If you're not happy with the service or standard received from another makeup artist or stylist you should definitely have an honest chat with them.  Perhaps they're fairly new to hair or makeup and haven't fully built up their kit yet or perhaps Aunty Anne 'used to be hairdresser' and is now offering to help out as a favour?

Either way, we try to find out all of the information beforehand and have been known to encourage the bride to go back to their initial hair and makeup artist to see if any issues can be resolved at a second trial or over the phone before proceeding with a booking with us.

With so much choice on Pinterest and Instagram it's so easy to get overwhelmed with ideas these days and we're finding it's becoming increasingly more popular for brides to have a second or even third hair or makeup trial.

With all of our quotes we advise of our second hair and makeup trial price so that you can factor this in if it's needed.

Due to a last minute cancellation we were able to help out bride Emma and her bridal party get wedding ready in Southbourne last Saturday.

As the majority of our team are career makeup artists and hair stylists we were able to slot Emma in for a last minute wedding hair and makeup appointment prior to her big day where we discussed and trialled her ideas in the comfort of The Hair and Beauty Lounge in Wallisdown, Bournemouth.
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Our survey says..... no (touch wood!)  However, we do always encourage our clients to be as honest as possible taking the mirror to look at their skin and hair in different lighting to take it all in (especially if it's their first time having their hair and makeup applied professionally) and to feed back any tweaks or changes which we always allow a little time for to do at the end. 

Our Lead Makeup Artist Olga and Head Stylist Tandee have over 20 years experience each with the rest of the team averaging 10 years experience each and are well trained to take any criticism on the chin! No holds barred here!

As professional makeup artists and hair stylists, we have been fortunate enough to visit a variety of wedding venues throughout Dorset and Hampshire. 

We're lucky enough to live so close to some of the most fantastic 4 star beachfront hotels such as The Cumberland and The Miramar Hotel in Bournemouth as well as The Sandbanks Hotel, The Haven Hotel, The Harbour Heights Hotel all in Poole as well as Studland Bay House  with breathtaking views overlooking The Purbecks, Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island, Old Harry Rocks and Studland.

It has to be when animals are involved!  When the brides pet dog is on the guest list all dressed for the occasion often with the role as a ring bearer too!

If you're still on the search looking for your perfect Wedding Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist in Bournemouth, Poole or Christchurch or even further afield then feel free to get in touch. 

Our friendly team is ready to hear your plans and be part of your day!

With the long weekend(s) approaching a bank holiday is always a good time to catch up on some wedmin!

Your wedding day may be days, weeks or even months away.  Whatever stage you're at there's always so many decisions to make, it can get quite exhausting and decision fatigue can kick in!

To help things along we have a few tips to help you make the right decisions when researching and booking wedding suppliers.

In other words - be patient! Wedding planning is meant to be fun so try not to feel like you have to do everything in one day as this will only lead to getting overwhelmed and the dreaded decision fatigue kicking in!

Focus on researching one category of supplier at a time, whether it's a makeup artist, hair stylist or magician (we have be known to fall under the this category too!) ;-)

​It might seem productive reaching out to a variety of wedding suppliers all at once but if you're making contact with too many, you're likely to have a very flooded inbox the next day which can be a bit daunting to sift through - even for the most organised bride!

With so many companies to contact at the click of a button it's easy to get carried away filling in those contact forms or flipping across a DM.  Try to keep focussed and select your top 3 shortlisted companies first.  See how quick they are to respond and what sort of reply you receive.  

What sort of first impression do they give you? Were they friendly and helpful? Or did their response seem a little rushed or generic?

Did they answer any specific questions you had? Or did they skim over these and respond with a "one size fits all" price list?

You'll know when you find the right suppliers as they should fill you with confidence and excite you about working together, just like your husband or bride to be!

You may have your wedding hair and makeup trial coming up soon and are looking forward to seeing how you might look on your wedding day.  But.... what happens if you don't like it or if it 'goes wrong?'

Some brides decide to completely forgo a trial as they're confident that the portfolio of their Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist is real and unfiltered so have complete faith in their chosen hair stylist and makeup artist or maybe they simply don't have time to fit one in.

However, most brides do decide to book in a hair and makeup trial as they feel more comfortable having a practice run.  Just the same as you might book in a taster session with your caterer, it's to sample the goods and test out the following:
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The kit should look clean and hygienic. You want to ensure that your makeup artist (MUA) has plenty of clean makeup brushes as well as disposable ones for when using mascara and lipgloss.  Your MUA should never double dip the mascara wand into the mascara tube (no-one wants an eye infection or cold sore added to their wedding day gift list!)

Blowing directly on to makeup brushes to dust off excess is also a big no no. If a makeup brush is accidentally dropped on the floor - it is discarded, disinfected or just picked up and used? 

To save previous time it's always best to come prepared to your wedding hair and makeup trial with plenty of images of looks and styles that resonate with you (even better if emailed to your makeup artist and stylist beforehand).  Our booking form with Barnet and Boatrace includes a section for you to upload your inspiration images too.   

We always ask you to bring with you any hair accessories you're thinking of incorporating as well as your current makeup bag. This is so that we can see how the accessories will work in your hair as well as what makeup products you are used to using (and politely advise if any look past their best before date!). We don't want you to have any breakouts before your wedding day.

​If you rarely wear makeup or have your hair styled by a hairdresser or simply don't have a clue on how to describe your vibe, having images to hand that you don't like can really help us to determine what hairstyles and makeup looks to avoid!  ​

We usually aim to carry out your hair and makeup trial during the same appointment so that you can see overall how your wedding hair and makeup will look without having to spend too long in the hair and makeup chair (or without having to travel to two seperate locations).

We aim to complete your trial within 1.5 hours. This time is precious! If you're thinking of bringing a friend or relative with you please bear this in mind as sometimes your wedding party as lovely as they are can be a distraction with different opinions thrown in and you may lose the valuable time required to try out more than 1 look if desired.

However, having said that if you do require more time you can always book in a second or third trial with us (time permitting!).

You might be nervous but your trial should be light hearted and fun. Your wedding makeup artist and hair stylist should make you feel relaxed and confident that it will all come together nicely on the day. 

Once completed take a look in different lights and angles and let us know if you have any feedback or constructive criticism - we promise we can handle it!

If you've not yet been to a Dorset wedding fair before here's our our lump of ice (that's cockney rhyming slang for advice!) before giving up part of your precious weekend.

The old cliché "Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail" is so simple but such good advice when planning your wedding.  

Before deciding which wedding fairs to attend we'd suggest you make a list of wedding services that you still need to tick off your list and research which wedding suppliers are attending each wedding fair.

If you still need to find your dream Wedding Dress, or Wedding Makeup Artist and there's 2 magicians, 1 florist and 9 photographers attending - you may want to give this wedding fair a swerve! 

If you're chatting to a wedding supplier (maybe a Makeup Artist!) whose personality vibes with yours and you haven't yet found the right wedding photographer for you why not ask them if they have any recommendations. They'll be much more likely to have crossed paths with suitable suppliers at previous weddings they've both worked on and be more than happy to make a recommendation to you.

If large venues, lots of people, polite conversations and parking wars stress you out you may want to consider visiting a smaller more intimate wedding fair.

Large wedding exhibitions can be exhausting when you get bombarded with business cards and sales talk with suppliers for services that you may have already sorted (think 10 minutes of polite conversation per supplier could ad up if you don't want to cause offence by walking on!)

If this sounds like your worst nightmare then you may want to consider attending our small, relaxed and informal Hair and Beauty Fair with free goody bags, wine and canapés supported by a handful of carefully selected wedding suppliers on 18th February between 5pm - 7pm at The Hair and Beauty Lounge in Wallisdown. 

Grab your free ticket now via this link.  We can't wait to meet you!

Congratulations if you've just got engaged over Christmas or the New Year period, or perhaps 2023 is your year to go from Miss to Mrs!

Either way there's no doubt that you've had several conversations with family and friends over Christmas about how your wedding plans are coming together with lots of different suggestions, do's and don'ts which can understandably leave your head in a bit of a spin!

To help you alleviate any stress or feelings of being overwhelmed we're going to give you a few insights and tips to bear in mind and when choosing your Wedding Day Suppliers so that you'll be able to sit back and relax when your wedding day arrives.

If you've not yet visited Hitched.co.uk this is a fantastic website to help you plan your wedding, budget and keep everything on track.  

Not only can you search their huge database of suppliers from Wedding venues to Hair Stylists and Makeup Artists (like us!) in Dorset there's lots of handy tools and checklists as well as other brides you can chat to on their forums too - plus there's a free app you can download as well. 

We all love a bargain in the January sale, however watch out for wedding suppliers who consistently offer flash sales, heavy discounts or their prices are much lower than other companies you've shortlisted. If their Black Friday offer runs right through to January and beyond they might not be as busy as they'd like you to think or they may have hidden extra costs not initially advertised. 

Some wedding suppliers have honest reasons for lower pricing perhaps if they are new to the industry, use trainees or have particular wedding dates that they are looking to fill. 

We offer lower prices for our Junior Hair Stylists and Makeup Artists and budget friendly pricing for mid week weddings or those in low season too.  Take a look at our example pricing.

Be wary of companies that post the same status update every week stating that they have 'limited availability' and that their diary for this year is almost full - unless they have listed their limited dates of course ;) then this saves everyone valuable time in administration with messages going back and forth.

If you're interested in finding out more about how we can help you on your wedding day then please do get in touch - we'd love to hear from you.

If you've ever been a part of a brides wedding day morning, typically it's a group of women getting together in their silk robes or matching pyjamas, playing some girly ballads whilst cracking open a bottle of fizz, sharing stories and stepping into their dresses just 30 minutes before the wedding ceremony. 

A couple of years ago I was asked to do a Mother of the Grooms makeup at the grooms house where the groom and his best man and ushers were all getting ready and wow what a different experience this was!

They were suited and booted mega early, the tunes were NOT romantic, 12pm felt more like 12am with the music pumping so LOUD and the guys knocking back the Jack Daniels.

Doing up the ties was a struggle (YouTube windsor knot - just so ya know) and no-one was quite sure where the button holes (flowers) went (FYI left lapel pointing upwards, ladies on the right pointing downwards) so it was quite an amusing eye opener at how different a grooms wedding morning can be compared to a brides!

I'm sure not every grooms wedding morning is like this, however it got us thinking more about the morning from a guys perspective. 

We're more frequently being asked if we can sort out the barnet and boatrace of the groom and his ushers. So for 2023 we are excited to announce we are offering a hair grooming, styling and makeup service for the guys as well. 

Whether it's your barnet or beard that needs grooming, help disguising those under eye circles from the sleepless nights worrying about delivering that speech or perhaps some translucent powder to fend off the shine (summer weddings can be hot!) we are offering a tailored service to suit you!

All of our quotes are prepared bespoke so whether you're after couples pre-wedding pampering such as his and hers facials and massages (our friends at HB Lounge can help) or on the day pampering, just drop us a message to let us know what your requirements are and we will do our best to make the run up to your wedding morning as stress free, organised and relaxed as possible!

Check out Esther and Paul's wedding day story whose hair and makeup we did earlier this month (for Esther and her 3 bridesmaids and not Paul!) at The Connaught Hotel in Bournemouth provided by Charles Thorne Photography.

To find out more about bridal hair styling and makeup with us for your November wedding or any other month  - don't hesitate to get in touch.