As a bride to be, you know that on your wedding day, you need to look your very best. And to achieve this, many brides start their beauty regimes about 3 months before the wedding! The crowning glory in achieving that glowing bridal beauty is finding the perfect make-up and hair artist, someone who will wave their magic palette, brush and comb and make you feel like the true beauty you are. But how do you find that perfect artist?

Searching for and finally discovering your perfect artist can easily become a stressful and daunting task. So where to begin? Here you’ll find a few hints and tips to help point you in the right direction, and get you down the aisle looking stunning – both inside and out.

Get to know stylists and artists in your area

Unless you are absolutely sure about what kind of hair and make-up you want to have for the wedding, you need to do some research. Check make-up artists and hair stylists in your area, and look at galleries of real brides on their websites – do you like their work? Do the pictures show a variety of styles? Check their testimonials as well. Someone like Sarah Meredith from Manchester is ideal for researching past wedding work.

However, if their website isn’t flowing with images, glittering testimonials and examples of their work, then perhaps move on.

Remember: The best way to judge someone’s work is to look at their work on real brides, so you can see actual hair styles that were created to last all day – not just for a photo shoot – and make-up that makes the average girl look amazing. Bear in mind that models get paid because they look fabulous on camera! By all means, if you find a look you like then make a note of it, but best examples of someone’s bridal works comes from their work on real brides.

Get in touch with your local salon

If you have a hair stylist you see regularly, and you are thinking about hiring them to work their magic, you need to enquire how experienced (and talented) they are at putting hair up and creating different styles – just because they are great at cutting and colouring, doesn’t mean they’ll be able to arrange your hair into an impressive style that has to last all day too!

If you do choose someone from a hair salon or an agency, be sure to check that the person who will do your trial will be the same one who will come to do your hair on your wedding day – otherwise there isn’t much point to the trial!

And remember!

Make sure you get on well with the person you choose – it’s as important as liking their work! You’ll be spending all morning of your big day with them, you may be nervous or anxious, and getting ready is a very important part of your day – you need to feel relaxed and at ease with the person you choose.

Above image: Linus Moran Photography