I have a confession…I hate having my hair and makeup done. Hate it! I just never feel comfortable or confident during the process and have struggled to find artists that make me look like me…with the world’s greatest filter!

Which is probably one of the reasons that I so value the services of Elwynn and Cass. Owner Katelyn is not an artist, but a concierge to the beauty world. Her vast knowledge of the craft, relationships with teams, and her ability to listen to what a client wants and pair them with the right talent is exceptional. Both my brides and I have had wonderful experiences when we turn our hair and make up needs over to Elwynn and Cass - making her the go to pro for all of my company’s beauty needs.

I invited Kaitlin to share the benefits of working with a beauty concierge and how she can help you select your hair and make up artist. Get to know Katelyn and Elwynn and Cass below.

When it comes to hair and makeup looks for your wedding day, it can be confusing to navigate the process when there is an abundance of advice out there. As a beauty concierge, I hear a lot of advice that causes undue stress for couples, most of which revolves around the timing of when to book artists, trials, etc. My job is to make the process easy and stress-free, so when you are ready to start looking for hairstylist(s) and/or makeup artist(s) for your wedding day, you can refer to this easy list of what to do (or not do).

Booking Hair + Makeup Artists

A common misconception that I have seen on many wedding based blogs, is that you can start booking hair and makeup artists 2-3 months out from your wedding date. Not to alarm anyone, but this advice is so wrong, and often is what has most of the brides / couples that come to me, stressing out. The majority of artists book out 9-12 months out from a wedding date, particularly for very popular dates (Spring and Fall). At minimum, I recommend booking your artists 6-9 months out from your wedding day, so you have time to review options of artists and not feel stressed that you cannot find anyone.

Choosing A Hair + Makeup Look

When deciding what vision you want for your hair and makeup, inspiration photos are a must. Why? As they allow an artist to be on the same page when it comes to your vision, as “natural makeup” or “glam makeup” can vary amongst people and artists. However, when it comes to photos, one of the number one things I see couples do is choose photos of people that don’t look like them or hair that doesn’t look like theirs. This is a MUST. You must look for photos of people that look similar to you, as this will allow you to envision the looks on yourself. As much as you may love Kim Kardashian's makeup look, if you don’t have her skin tone or hair color, it won’t look the same on you and could lead to disappointment at your trial and/or wedding day.

Finding Your Artists

Another important reason to have inspiration photos of people who look similar to you, is to help you find examples of work similar in an artist’s portfolio. If during your search, you don’t see at least 5 photos of hair or makeup looks that are similar to the vision you have for your wedding day look, then you should move on. Many artists have a specialty (natural, glam, etc), so if you don’t see examples of the style you are wanting in their portfolios, then they most likely won’t be able to achieve the look you want, exactly as you want it.  

Planning for your wedding can be stressful enough, and you don’t need to add to that stress when searching for hair and makeup artists. My job as a beauty concierge is to streamline the process, so you don’t have to do the search on your own. If you are wanting help with your hair and makeup search, we are happy to help, though give yourself enough time to reach out, so we can make sure to find the best options for you.

Xo,

Katelyn

Elwynn + Cass, LLC