Wedding Venue & Getting Ready Room Tips from Southern California Hair & Makeup Team

Photography by: for love and light

As hair stylists and makeup artists, we are on-site in some of the most beautiful locations for our clients’ weddings and events. We love exploring new cities throughout California and that our work days always feel really new and interesting. Here are two tips that might help you plan out your day, with your getting ready location in mind!

Photography: Olivia Marshall

Getting Ready Rooms
When you are touring or talking with venues, if they advertise any kind of day-of suite or getting ready room, one very important tip is to note the amount of time you’ll have access to this room. It might not be clear how long you’ll actually be needing something like this the morning of the wedding, or maybe you might assume you’ll have all-day access included. We create hair and makeup timelines for all of our client’s wedding days. It’s always custom and based on your ready-time (the time your photographer would like to arrive or start photos), and the amount of time varies based on how many services you’ll need completed. Generally speaking, the least amount of time we will schedule for a bride’s hair and makeup is (2) hours, and the most amount of time we will need for a large bridal party would be around (6) hours. Some venues only allow access to these getting ready rooms/suites one or two hours before the event, so sometimes booking a hotel room nearby or arranging another option makes the most sense!

Photography: The Hendrys

Hair and Makeup Kit Set-up
I’m telling you - we have set up our hair and makeup kits virtually everywhere… on hotel beds, teeny tiny balconies, on the beach in the back of my car, in a MOVING VAN haha! We know how to be flexible and make it work, but in an ideal world, it’s absolutely lovely to have table space and a chair, next to natural window light for each artist on-site. Some clients initially think of bathrooms as a good place to set up, as there are mirrors and a nearby sink, but we usually gravitate towards facing our clients to a window and the natural light, and we always have handheld mirrors with us. Dining rooms and kitchens are usually a great option for hair and makeup!

Photography by Erin Marton Photo