How to best prepare for your preview session

This is a question I get asked a lot by brides –

How can I best prepare for my wedding hair and make up preview session? What should I bring? What should I do?! I’ve created this simple checklist to help you when it comes to feeling prepared for your wedding hair and make up preview session with me…

Collect pictures of things you like. This is by far the most important thing to remember. It’s so much easier than us attempting ( often with crazy hand gestures! ) to describe the ‘up a bit and a bit down and a few curls, but not too many curls, and sort of undone’ look! With pictures I can clearly see what you mean and fully understand the look that you are trying to achieve.
Collect pictures of things you don’t like. This is really important too. If you can show me the way you DON’T like the hair pulled back from the afce, or the way you DON’T want your curls to sit it makes my job a whole lot easier! Again, it’s about me understanding exactly what you want and being able to get that right for you.
Be open minded. Maybe you’re filled with horror when you see me reach for the pink eyeshadow or talk about adding a purple tone to your eyeliner. A lot of us stick to what we know when it comes to make up but colour, when used correctly, really can help to open your eyes up, define your lash line and lift your cheekbones – trust me!
Tell me if you want something in particular. Maybe you can’t live without your eyeliner, or maybe you only ever wear one certain lipstick shade. That’s not a problem. When it comes to make up its so important that you feel like yourself as you get ready for your wedding day. If there’s something that you know you want, or a particular product you want me to use then just let me know.
Arrive with clean hair. Greasy hair will never look as good as clean hair when it comes to styling. Ideally, wash your hair the night before our appointment and leave it in its natural state. This is important for me to see when figuring out what products will work best for your hair type. Hair that has been straightened will be even harder to create and hold a curl so embrace the natural!
Remove your make up. I know this is really hard for some people and trust me when I say I don’t like leaving the house without my make up on either! But it’s really important for me to see your skin in all it’s natural glory. I want to know if you have any areas you want covered, and I want to see any redness so I can be sure to select the perfect products to give you a flawless base and bridal glow.
Tell me if you’re unsure. Maybe I’ve just spend the last hour applying your make up for you to look in the mirror and know immediately that you simply don’t like the colour lipstick I’ve used…tell me. I want to get this right for you, I want you to look beautiful and know it! If I can make any adjustments then just tell me, and If I haven’t got it quite right the first time we can keep trying until we get it perfect for you!
YOU know YOU. You know yourself better than I ever will. If you know that your hair is dry at the ends or won’t hold a curl then tell me. The more information I get from you the more informed I can be when it comes to making choices of exactly what I want to use. Different products will give me different results on different hair types. Anything you can tell me to help me get all the facts when it comes to your hair or your skin is really helpful and gives me a much better idea of how I can give you exactly the look you want.

If you need any further information when it comes to preparing for your preview session then please do get in touch. I suggest you book this session around 6 – 8 weeks before your wedding day so if you have a particular time or date in mind then be sure to contact me to request it so I can do my best to accommodate you!

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Supplier Spotlight – Photographer Emma Midgen

I am always so excited when my Brides send me their professional pictures. As a wedding hair and make up artist I only ever get to see the very start of the day so getting to look through the wedding pictures of the entire day is really special! I love to see how everything I hear you all speaking about in the morning unfolds!

Last year I worked alongside photographer Emma Midgen at Marleybrook House for the beautiful wedding of Natasha and Danny. The photos were beautiful so I thought I’d take the chance to catch up with Emma and find out a bit more about her and her business…

We worked together at Marleybrook house last year for Natasha’s big day. What kind of day was it?

It was soo nice to work with you, Tasha looked absolutely stunning.

This wedding was amazing and loved being involved from the very beginning. Both Tasha and Danny were a real pleasure to work with and their day was full of fun, laughter, and incredible detail.

-When did you first discover your love for wedding photography?

I have been obsessed with photography since I was about 10 years old and used when I used to take my red super snaps compact camera everywhere I went!

-What’s you’re favorite part of the wedding day?

I love the build up to a wedding and so really enjoy bridal prep and seeing everything come together with the dress, flowers, hair and make up. I also love after dinner photos with a couple, when they are much more relaxed.

-With a venue like Marleybrook, I expect there are so many photo opportunities….

Marleybrook is one of my favorite venues. It’s a beautiful place, with great staff and is absolutely jammed packed full of fun and unique things to do!

-What kind of brides do you tend to attract?

I think I tend to attract fairly chilled out couples. I’m a fairly relaxed person and so maybe that helps? I am very lucky to have such beautiful weddings and couples to photograph.

– Are the couples nervous when you take them out for their first shots as husband and wife?

If you ask them before the wedding they are much more nervous about the thought of it! I think most couples, even after an engagement shoot, realise it’s not that bad and is actually fun. I also think that on the day you are so distracted with everything going on that you can easily forget about the camera.

Couple photos are also a great time for them being able to unwind together too.

-How would you describe your style?

I like to think I capture a bit of everything to build a story. I love natural images and lots of detail. I also think it’s important to celebrate the key moments and capture some valuable family groups (although not so many that it takes up too much time!)

Where can people find you

All links are below

Emma Migden Photography

07886258202

www.emmamidgenphotography.com

Head over to Emma’s blog at to see more pictures from Natasha and Danny’s wedding day and don’t forget – if you’d like to book my services for your big day please do get in touch!

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Using hair extensions for your wedding hair style

As a wedding hair and make up artist one of the most commonly asked questions from my brides is to whether I can help them with hair extensions for their wedding day.

There’s a variety of reasons that a bride might want to add hair to her wedding hair style. Sometimes it’s because the style has a lot of volume and the bride wants it to look large and full. Other times it might be a more personal reason such as hair loss or alopecia.

Regardless of why you wear added hair on your wedding day there are some reassurances that I can give you when it comes to using extensions:

I can personally source high quality hair for you. A lot of the time when people think of hair extensions they think of shiny looking and plastic feeling straw hair. I only use 100% human, high quality hair. This is so important when it comes to being able to style and blend any additional hair in with your own.
I can personally colour match your hair. Hair colour is certainly not one size fits all. I can match to the correct tone and colour of your hair to ensure that we can get the perfect match.
I can disguise the clips. One of the biggest worries for a bride is that people will be able to tell she’s wearing extensions. This is absolutely not the case. I can fit the extensions within your style so that no one will ever know that’s its not your very own hair.
They won’t fall out on the dance floor! Another concern I quite often here is whether the hair might come lose or fall out throughout the course of the day. I will ensure that all hair is fitted properly and securely so that your style will last you all day and all night ( no matter how wild the dancing gets! )
They’re easy to remove. My preferred method of hair extensions when it comes to wedding hair styling is clip in. This means that you can easily remove the additional hair yourself without any damage to your own hair. The hair is then yours to keep so you can continue to wear it as often as you like! I’m even able to offer styling hints and tips should you wish to create your own style using the hair again after the wedding day!

If you’re considering wearing hair extensions for your wedding hair style then please don’t feel concerned or anxious. If you wanted to give me a call so we can talk it through then by all means please do and I’ll do my very best to help!

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LGBTQ supplier

As my ( almost! ) 6 year old daughter would tell you ‘’Love is love’’, and I couldn’t put it any better myself! During lockdown I’ve been doing what I can to ensure that I stay learning and educating myself about all sorts of topics – not just those directly related to hair services or make up. It’s important for me to stay productive and have something to focus on and work towards.

A couple of weeks back I found the LGTBQ awareness course by the Wedding Business School.

It’s a really interesting short course designed to educate those within the wedding industry in regard to inclusivity. It’s made up of short videos and light reading and I found it really informative. If you’re in the wedding industry, or even if you’re just interested to know more and educate yourself then be sure to head over and take a look. It really gets you thinking.

‘’Inclusivity and diversity does not begin and end with a course. It is an on-going effort to continue building your knowledge and staying up to date with current affairs.’’

Here’s what the course creators had to say….

‘’This course was created out of a need for change in the wedding industry. A lack of LGBTQ inclusivity within the industry that results in excluding LGBTQ couples still exists. Sometimes it isn’t even a matter of intentional exclusivity, it can be a lack of not knowing how to be inclusive. Or knowing the right thing to say or language to use to ensure that it is appropriate. ‘’

I’ve always been LGBTQ friendly… and now I have the badge to prove it! My business is centered around making people feel good about themselves regardless of any other aspect, whatever that may be. I really believe that if you can make someone happy and feel good that’s a superpower in itself! I love that my job allows me to give people that feeling and I’m really proud that I’m able to do that. And just as my ( very nearly ) 6 year old will tell you ‘’Love is love’’, and it’s as simple as that!

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A return to work

The last few months have been strange to say the least, what would normally be a busy wedding season for me, looks a little different! Most of my 2020 brides have made the decision to reschedule their wedding dates so whilst I’m enjoying a quieter summer season now – next year is looking pretty busy already!

For those of you that have booked with me and moved your date then I wanted to take an opportunity to thank you. Not only for supporting my business and booking me but also for your patience while I rearranged everything and got myself organized! I’m honestly really excited to join you at your wedding day and it will be so worth the wait!

The government recently announced that hair dressers can return to work as of July 4^th. As yet, we have no official guidance as to when beauty and make up will be allowed to return. This means that while I could offer hair only, I’m unable to offer to make up services at this time. As soon as anything changes and I can resume wedding hair and make up preview sessions and trials I will be in touch with everyone to let them know and book them in! I have really missed meeting with my brides, hearing about their wedding plans and getting excited with you all! I’ve missed creating beautiful hair styles and I’ve really really missed creating your wedding make up looks, helping to transform you from your everyday self into the most beautiful brides!

Based on the guidelines given things are going to look a little different. I don’t have the same job I had four months ago and will be taking extra care to ensure that I can keep both myself, and my clients safe. This might look something like this:

I’ll be wearing a visor –

This is a government requirement. I will be wearing a plastic visor covering my face. I may also be wearing a mask, please bring your own mask to the appointment.

I may wear gloves –

Most of you are more than familiar with me wearing gloves for hair colour but should I need to then I may wear gloves for other services now too.

Sanitise –

I will sanitise my hands often, and I may ask you to do the same upon arrival and upon leaving our appointment. You will also notice that there will be regular cleaning of surfaces, products, and tools. This is mandatory for every service and every client so please do not be concerned if you see me cleaning more regularly than usual.

Cancellation –

Please let me know if you feel unwell at all before your appointment. I will be happy to reschedule your session at no additional cost. If you have a temperature please do not attend your appointment.

Timing –

It’s even more important than ever I keep to the timings of my appointment so that I have enough time to clean and sanitise correctly between clients. Please take note of your appointment time and arrive on time. If you are coming to my studio then please wait in the car until your allocated start time and I will come out to collect you as there are no waiting facilities.

Drinks –

Usually I would offer you a drink however I am unable to do this at present. Please feel free to bring your own bottle of water with you.

Group bookings –

At the moment I am only able to offer one appointment at a time, to one person at a time. I know that often Brides love to come with other members of the bridal party but currently, in order to adhere to safety guidelines this is not possible. I am however more than happy to take videos/photos etc for you to send to everyone and they are more than welcome to join in virtually should they wish!

If you have any questions or you’d like to chat about how these new rules affect you then please do give me a call. I’m still taking booking for 2021 weddings so make sure you get in early if you have a specific date in mind – the diary is filling fast!

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Choosing your bridal prep venue

As a bride, your wedding venue is one of the most important choices for your big day. There are so many things to consider – location, style, indoors or outdoors. As a wedding hair and make up artist I get to see some of the most beautiful wedding venues in Kent , everything from historic castles to quirky beachside homes.

Whilst many brides might fall in love with a venue to have their wedding day at , a lot of brides struggle when it comes to choosing where to get ready. Here are some important factors to consider when looking for your bridal prep venue and some things that you might not have even thought about…..

At your venue

By far the easiest and most simple of all the options is to get ready at your venue. A lot of venues have a private space for the bridal party to get ready and some can even offer you the option to stay with them the night before hand. Cooling Castle Barn offers you an entire large and spacious room , exclusive for you and your bridal party on the morning of the wedding. It means that you have the perfect backdrop for those all important bridal prep shots and enough space for everyone to relax and enjoy the morning with you. They even provide breakfast and are always on hand should you need anything.

Another great thing to consider about getting ready at your venue is that you don’t have to travel. There’s no need to allow any additional time for getting from one place to the next and no risk of getting stuck in traffic. Goodnestone Park offer their couples exclusive use of their fabulous venue and grounds meaning that not only can you stay on site, but your guests can too.

Local hotel or accommodation

Some brides choose to stay at a hotel the night before their big day. Hotels such as Hempstead House mean that you can include spa options for a real relaxing treat the night before the big day. This is an ideal option if you want a chilled out evening with your bridesmaids and a bit of a pamper!

One of my favorite ‘hotel’ type options is the fabulous Green Farm House, this boutique B & B is filled with the most welcoming, warm, and attentive staff. Its also home to some of the coolest looking chickens too! Nothing is too much trouble and the grounds and garden are perfect for your pre-ceremony photo opportunities.

Air B & B

I have been to some of the most beautiful hidden gems across Kent in the form of Air B & B rentals. Private hire means that often you can rent a house for an entire weekend. A great way to get the family together and perfect if you want to settle somewhere for more than just one night.

At home

If you’re a traditional at heart then maybe you want to leave from your parent’s house on your wedding morning, or even your own home. There’s certainly something special about being at the place where you grew up or the home that you love on the morning of your wedding day. For lots of brides being in their own surroundings help to relieve any stress and makes everything a little less overwhelming. Just remember to organise yourself with some breakfast so you’re fully prepared!

When it comes to your wedding hair and make up I can set up pretty much anywhere but the more space the better, and the more comfortable you’ll be. If you’re in a hotel then make sure you ask for a larger or family room so there’s plenty of space. If you’re getting ready for me to arrive at home then it’s ideal for me to be able to sit near a window so I have lots of natural light.

If you’re getting married in Kent and want some advice on finding the perfect venue to get ready at then let me know and I can happily offer some suggestions!

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