Recently someone has asked me why makeup artists charge more for the bride as a face is just a face and that it is greedy to charge more for a bride. I thought this would be a great topic to discuss in a blog post.
There are many ways a makeup artist sets their rates and most things people wouldn’t even think of. The price charged has to reflect time spent with you, such as emails, texts, phone calls and anything else. A lot more time is spent communicating with a bride in the run up to their wedding it is so important that your artist has good communication with you and is available to discuss any questions or concerns and be able to make you feel at ease and in good hands.
Artists have to cover time cleaning and stocking up our kit. We also have to cover all expenses for being self employed such as insurance, advertising, website, products (a good makeup artist will only use professional brands and these are not cheap). This how we make our living we need to be able to pay for food, rent, electric etc. Also, typically, a cheaper makeup artist is likely not using professional products, may not have insurance etc. These are the kind of factors which are generally only found out once it’s too late.
As with everything in life you get what you pay for. Many non professional makeup artists don’t even provide a contract for their brides, meaning they can take a larger job if it comes along. Many times I have been messaged by brides in a panic as they have been let down last minute by an artist who decided to take more profit with a different booking than honour their earlier commitment.
A professional will travel to your hotel or house and make you feel relaxed and pampered. I travel with an extremely heavy kit and often stand for over 6 hours with out a break or sitting down. A decent makeup artist won’t mind this at all, as it’s part of the job.
This so far doesn’t explain why makeup artists charge more for the bride as opposed to the bridesmaids and mother of the bride…. so here it is:
A bride is the main attraction of the day and needs to feel extra special. Bridal makeup is a much more bespoke service. Every detail of the brides makeup is carefully discussed with the bride so everything is perfect. I offer a mini facial with the brides makeup that the bridesmaids don’t receive and all this takes more time – the price reflects this.
With the bride I am there until they walk down the isle making sure their makeup is flawless. This can mean waiting around on call while the bride gets dressed, simply being ready to jump in whenever needed.
Weddings in general do require a higher level of service that isn’t needed on other bookings. Often I have extremely early starts and need to work in challenging environments with limited space and time. I have to work alongside other artists, florists, photographers, all seeking the brides attention while I’m in the middle of applying makeup. There are countless distractions and interruptions that occur – such as good ol’ aunt Freeder who wanted to say hi while the bride is getting her makeup done. There are also lots of calls and text that need to brides attention.
With all the going on I have to make sure the bride is ready on time and looking amazing! It makes sense that makeup artists would charge more for a bride as the level of service that is expected goes beyond the norm of what is expected from other members of the wedding party.
