San Francisco Wedding Day Makeup Artists Guide

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San Francisco Makeup Artists Guide

Looking Your Best On Your Big Day

San Francisco’s Bay Area is all about natural beauty: For such a cutting edge cosmopolitan location, it’s surprisingly intermingled with the environment, with its bay, vineyards and hilly landscape. For brides in The S.F. Bay Area wanting to look their best, this means revealing their inner glow and accenting what makes them uniquely beautiful, naturally.

A beautiful match.
Finding the San Francisco makeup artist who can bring out the best “you” for your wedding day is an important task. When we asked local wedding artists like Julie Morgan for some tips, they advised that you don’t go it alone. “In San Francisco there’s a sort of wedding professionals community. We run into each other a lot at different weddings,” so ask your other vendors for recommended makeup artists. Then talk to your friends who were married nearby and ask them if they would recommend their artist, and why.

What you should not do, however, is visit the makeup counter of a local Bay Area department store, like Nordstrom or Macy’s. Unlike some other parts of the country, in California hair and makeup professionals must be licenced. People working at makeup counters are sometimes certified by a trade school, but they are rarely licenced and therefore not really the professional that you're looking for.

Of course, nothing is as helpful as experiencing an artist’s work for yourself. Makeup trials are fun and informative, but they can get expensive. It’s possible to find free trials, but you really have to hunt for them because they can involve a lot of time and expensive products. Instead, narrow your search first, and then go for one or two trials to make your final decision. Research various recommended artists online and read past customers’ reviews. When you’re ready to find and select one, go to the OurWeddingDay.com S.F. Bay Area Local Vendor section for a regularly updated, extensive list of top San Francisco wedding makeup artists.

When you go to a trial bring along some pictures of the sort of look you want, and a friend you trust. Observe their techniques, but also see if you “click” with their personality. You will likely be nervous on your wedding day, and this is one of the last people you’ll see before you walk down that aisle -- make sure you like them!

A pretty fun time.
Mostly, though, you should try to relax, have fun, and keep your expectations reasonable: You’re not going to look the way you will on your wedding day at the end of your trial. The trial is just to give you an idea of what the artist can do. On your wedding day, with your hair done and your dress on, you’ll look just as you should. But for your trial, your artist will likely amend their technique so that the end result will look great with the casual outfit that you’re wearing. Think of it as a dress rehearsal for your artist; they’re practicing their techniques on your face, so that they will be better prepared for your wedding day.

Sign a contract as soon as you decide on your artist, which includes what makeup is needed and how long they should be available to you. Find out if they have another job booked on the same day as your wedding and make sure ample time is reserved for travel, traffic, last minute snafus, ect.

Don’t rush the process, but the earlier you make your decision the better, especially if your wedding is on the weekend. 3-9 months before your wedding is a good window to aim for, but this being San Francisco, many brides try to have their makeup artist booked 1 year in advance!

Remember to have fun with your search. This is the item on your wedding “to do” list that requires you to have mini-makeovers and look fabulous! As a bride-to-be in the Bay Area you should enjoy it, naturally!

-David Toussaint