Little rant - hair/makeup

For reference, this is my look when we go out ......

The cost of hair and make up services differs a lot depending on where you live. (I would kill for $300 for hair and make up! My make up alone is over $400!)
That being said, it is very standard for a minimum amount of services to be required in order to have on-site HMU. The only way to avoid that would be to find an independent artist that is willing to travel for only one person (however, they typically charge a lot more for their services in order to make it worth the travel, so it likely won’t be a cheaper option), or to have services done at a salon where you would travel to them. If you are just looking for a smoother, more polished texture to your hair, I would suggest getting a Brazilian blowout! It achieve the look you were going for, and it lasts about three months (so you won’t be dropping hundreds of dollars for just one day of good hair). Here are a few before & after photos of BB on curly hair:

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Ohhhhhh, that is exactly what I wanted for my hair. Thank you for the right terminology to use when talking to these salons. And yes, I really just want to GO to a salon the day of the wedding - coming to my house is just silly. Any ideas for makeup now? LOL Again, nix the airbrush look ... pretty, I'm sure but so not me. I want a nice look that won't run/smear/go bonkers later in the evening.

View Quoted Comment Brazilian blowouts are amazing! Most people think of straight shiny hair when you say Brazilian blowout, and don’t realize you can do them on curly hair too! I am also a naturally curly blonde and I tend to get a lot of frizz in the warmer months and flyaways all year long- BB has been a game changer for me! It’s subtle (just adds smoothness and shine), but has such a huge impact on the overall look, and makes styling so much quicker and easier.
As far as make up…. A lot of it depends on your skin and the weather where you will be getting married. We are getting married in the south, so airbrush makeup is a must for me since it holds up to sweat and humidity. If you plan on getting married somewhere that is hot or humid, or you tend to sweat or have greasier skin, airbrush is probably your best bet. If you have dry skin or will be getting married in cooler months, traditional make up may work better.

View Quoted Comment I am getting married May (2023) in Sarasota, Florida. Outdoor ceremony (covered patio), pictures on the bay and then indoors for everything else. I guess the best thing then is to suck it up and do a makeup trial with the airbrushing. I just want to look as naturally normally me as possible. Thanks again for the hair tip, I am SO going to do that!

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Have you disliked airbrush makeup in the past? Or will this be your first experience with it? I have always found I look MORE natural with airbrush foundation! Traditional make up tends to look “cakey” and unnatural on me. Whereas the airbrush foundation goes on super thin and even. Airbrush make up has always photographed much better on me as well. And it really stays on! The last time I had it done was for my brothers wedding. I had makeup done 2 hours before the ceremony, then made it through the entire reception with eating, drinking, dancing and sweating, then went out to the bars with everyone afterward, Ended up falling asleep in my makeup around 3am…. and the airbrush makeup was still flawless when I woke up!

I never had airbrush makeup. I guess I assumed (and we all know how wrong that can be ) that it would look fake. Like I said, I ONLY wear makeup if I'm going out fancy. So, I guess bottom line is to bite the bullet and do a hair and makeup trial when it gets closer to 9 months out. Thanks for your input.

Take a look at Instagram for your area. There are a lot more options for hairdressers who post there, and are much more flexible. Get in touch with them to explain what you want and go from there. If you are going in to the hair salon and aren’t wearing your dress or a veil, then ask for special occasion hair/makeup. It’s still formal without the wedding tax.

View Quoted Comment This is super helpful for me as well - I also have naturally curly hair, and can never figure out how to get rid of the frizz. Straightening it helps some, but not as much as I'd like. I will have to look into this! Thank you Cece for this info!!

View Quoted Comment You’re so welcome! Us curly haired gals gotta stick together and share our secrets!

Curly girl here! I got my hair done at the salon the morning of, just me, no bridesmaids or family members. I opted to do my own makeup myself because I NEVER wear it and didn’t want to look different on my wedding day. She charged me $160 for my wedding hair. I didn’t do a trial because she is my regular hair stylist and I know how she does my hair!


It was definitely not a normal thing for me to do. The thing they normally ask you to do is come to the salon with your hair washed and curly and then the stylist will style it from there. For me, I wanted her to wash it and put product in it and for her to let the curls set and dry. def not normal. Also, Everyone was asking where my bridal party was and I was like, I just really wanted to be by myself (I’m an introvert haha)

For your hair, I would just go to a salon and not even mention its for a wedding. It will be much cheaper if you position it as a normal hair appointment, especially if youre aiming to look like your normal self, just a little more polished. For your makeup, do you have a friend of family member who is more makeup-inclined that could help you do a light makeup but just amp it up a bit for photos? If not, you could also go to a salon or a makeup counter and see if they can give you some tips and tricks to do it yourself. Depending on how far out your wedding is youll have plenty of time to practice and still feel like yourself and beautiful on your day.

View Quoted Comment I tried doing that but I needed them to open early and I also read that it’s not good to lie to your stylist. I was very disappointed because I asked what she would charge and she said $30. Then when I said it’s for a wedding she said $160. It’s ridiculous. But, her reasoning is that she is coming in early, taking extra time and care. It’s annoying but I think on your wedding day morning you wouldn’t want to be holding in a lie or if they cancel on you cuz they didn’t think it was for a wedding.