Looking for inspiration?

Looking for inspiration?

Finding Bridal Hair and Makeup Inspiration

If you’re looking for inspiration when it comes to your wedding hair and makeup then head over to my galleries page where you can see a collection of ‘real brides’ and see exactly how they chose to style their hair and makeup looks.

Looking for inspiration

Instagram Delights: Hair and Makeup Variety

You can also find a variety of hair and make up styles over on my instagram page www.instagram.com/prettypleasebykatie

Personalizing Your Bridal Look: Tips and Suggestions

Remember there’s no right or wrong when it comes to Bridal. Everyone is different, and every single style is unique and personalised to you.  I suggest that my brides have around 3-6 images of things they like, and also that they try to figure out just what it is about it they like in particular. Maybe your keen on having your hair down, or you want a really soft make up look because you don’t usually wear any. Inspiration images can really help me understand exactly what your wedding day vision is and how we can best create that for you.

The Wedding Industry Awards Regional Finalist

Exploring Wedding Hair and Makeup Inspiration Sources

Here’s just a few of my other favourite places you might like to try when it comes to searching for wedding hair and makeup inspiration….

GuidesforBrides.co.uk

Hitched.co.uk

Bries.com

Rockmywedding.co.uk

Harpersbazaar.com

Wantthatwedding.co.uk

www.bridalguide.com

Happy searching!

Choosing your wedding hair and make up artist

Choosing your wedding hair and make up artist

Choosing your wedding hair and make up artist

When it comes to choosing your wedding hair and make up artist you want to get things right. It’s important that you find someone who you like and trust to create your bridal vision exactly how you imagine it. With lots of artists offering different things I wanted to break down what I can offer so you have a really clear understanding of what to expect if you book me as you wedding hair and make up artist.

A professional, personal service

No two weddings are the same. No two hair styles or make up looks are the same and no two brides are the same either! When you book Pretty please by Katie for your wedding hair and make up you’re not just booking a business – you’re booking a person. I love what I do and I’ve put years of hard work into making sure I get it right for you on the most important day of your life! I want to play my part in ensuring that you look amazing and that you feel it too. I might ‘just style hair and apply make up’ but what I’m actually doing is so much more than that. I’m helping transform you into a bride. It takes a lot of trust to have the confidence in someone to create exactly what you want for your wedding day and it’s a privilege to be chosen to do that for you.

Insured

Now more than ever its important for people to know that they’re safe when it comes to booking services for their wedding day. I run my business professionally and I have all the necessary insurances in place to ensure that we are both protected at all times

Experience

I’ve been a wedding hair and make up artist for 7 years now. I’ve been to well over 500 weddings in that time and I’ve learnt a lot! For you this is probably the very first time you’ve ever experienced a wedding morning, and I take my role in that really seriously! Whether it’s helping to lace your dress or even make the coffee – when you book my services you’re booking me to be there for your entire wedding morning. I do everything I can to ensure that your morning runs smoothly, and one of the biggest compliments I get is when brides tell me that it was just like having another friend with them to help them get ready.

Booking process

I have a brochure I can send you which contains all the information you need in regards to making your booking. I provide a personalised quote detailing your costs and outline all of the prices and T & C ‘s from the very start. It’s really important that you understand what you’re booking and what you’re getting for your money. My prices don’t change depending on where you get married or what style you choose. You can be confident that there are no hidden charges and I only work with one bride per day to ensure you have my undivided attention – just as it should be!

Before the big day

You’ll be invited to attend a preview session so that we can have a trial run of your complete wedding hair and make up look. It’s at this session we will discuss all the details of your day, your likes and dislikes and exactly what you can expect on the day itself. We will organise timings and I’ll talk you through exactly what will happen when it comes to your big day. 

On the wedding morning

I’ll arrive at a pre arranged time and set up ready to work. I’ll tell you when it’s your turn to have your hair and make up service and I’ll be keeping n eye on the time so you don’t have to. Its important that you relax and enjoy your wedding morning as it’s an event in itself! I’ll help with whatever I can to ensure your wedding morning runs smoothly and offer you any guidance or advice should you need it.

After the wedding day

I often find myself wishing that I could do your wedding all over again! The wedding morning goes so fast and I really do enjoy the buzz of it all. After the wedding I’ll email you to ask for some feedback and maybe even a review. These really help me when it comes to making sure I’m doing everything right, and it also helps future brides when it comes to making the decision to book my services.  If you want to take a look at some testimonials from my previous brides then you can find them here XXX – addlink to about page with testimonials

If you do have any other questions or perhaps you’re thinking you’d like to book me for your big day then please do get in touch. As I mentioned I only work with one bride per day so if you have your date booked and would like me to join you then don’t delay!

Real Bride: Wedding hair and make up for Natasha at Marleybrook House

Real Bride: Wedding hair and make up for Natasha at Marleybrook House

Real Bride: Wedding hair and make up for Natasha at Marleybrook House

You may recognise this bride from last months supplier spotlight feature. Natsah got married at the beautiful Marleybrook House last year and I just couldn’t resist sharing a few more of her pictures from the talented Emma Midgen Photography.

It’s clear to see just how much fun everyone had at this wedding and with a venue like Marleybrook there’s something for everyone! From vintage décor to fairground fun this venue has it all. Nestled in the beautiful Kent Countryside, Marleybrook is a hidden gem for those couples looking for a relaxed but truly impressive wedding day.

I got Natasha and her bridesmaids ready on site in the designated bridal studio. Fitted with long mirrors and a comfy seated area there’s plenty of room for the entire bridal party to sit together and chat whilst I make a start on the wedding hair and make up magic!

Natasha wore her long light brown hair up and off her neck. We wanted to go for something bridal but relaxed and by twisting each individual section I was able to create a flowing style that sat at the nape of her neck. We left some pieces free flowing around her face for an undone softness and added a cathedral length veil for a show stopping silhouette.

When it comes to make up a lot of brides tell me they want to look “like themselves …but on a really good day!’ I firmly believe that make up should be used to enhance your features not mask them and it’s important to me that when providing a wedding hair and make up service I stay true to the brides desired look. For Natasha she wanted something timeless and classic and we achieved this by enhancing her eyes and giving her a warming glow. I used airbase make up for the base, an option I offer to all of my brides as I know it photographs well and provides brides with the assurance that it really will last then the duration of the wedding day. 

When it comes to bridal lipstick it’s important to choose a shade that you not only feel comfortable wearing , but that looks how you want it to in the photographs. Natasha opted for a nude lipstick, applied generously, and with a tone that matched her natural lip colour. When choosing a nude lipstick for your wedding day it’s important that you choose something that doesn’t make your lips look smaller by blending them too closely to the colour of your skin.  If you want a few more tips when it comes to choosing your bridal lipstick then have a read of my previous wedding lipstick blog.

I’ve added a few more images of Natshas big day for you to enjoy below!

Real Bride: Wedding hair and make up for Lynn at Leeds Castle Kent

Real Bride: Wedding hair and make up for Lynn at Leeds Castle Kent

Real Bride: Wedding hair and make up for Lynn at Leeds Castle, Kent

Bride: Lynn
Venue: Leeds Castle
Photographer: Olly Knight Photography

Leeds Castle is known as ‘the loveliest castle in the world’. It is the most beautiful backdrop for your wedding and the perfect setting for your dream day. The Castle itself is grand and majestic and rich in history , having once been home to Queen Catherine of Aragon. Nowadays the Castle is now a popular tourist attraction and a much sought after wedding venue, so its easy to see why Lynn chose to hold her day here.

Lynn opted for a classic bridal look. She wanted a natural make up look and a relaxed half up half down hair style.

Her long dark hair was curled to give the effect of loose waves. I used a salt spray to prep the hair before curling and added backcombing to the crown area to give slight volume to the top of her hair. When curling it’s important to ensure that your brides curls will last the duration of her day so the right prep is essential so that she’s not left with hair looking flat come the evening.
I swept Lynn’s hair away from her face and across her ears, leaving a side part. This allowed the hair to be structured but relaxed, providing a base for the veil which we then added into the back of the hair. The fringe sections were left free and fixed with a light hold hairspray to allow movement around the front to frame her face.

Lynn’s make up was light and fresh in tone. I used airbrush make up to spray a light base for that perfect finish. Airbrush make up is a HD technique, meaning that make up applies and sits perfectly, especially important when a bride is going to be captured on film.
I used a soft peach blush, MAC Melba, to enhance Lynn’s warm skin tone and brighten her cheeks. I highlighted with a golden tone, and one of my favourite products from Illamsqua OMG. We finished with a soft and natural pink lip and black waterproof mascara.

Thank you for having me on your big day Lynn, and thank you to Olly Knight for these beautiful photos.

Your wedding hair and make up checklist

Your wedding hair and make up checklist

Your wedding hair and make up checklist

I see quite a lot of these checklist style articles pop up but hardly ever do they provide a realistic time line when it comes to your wedding hair and make up – so much so that I decided to create my very own wedding hair and make up checklist for you! Lots of artists, myself included can get booked up to two years in advance so don’t leave it too late. Have a read below and hopefully this will be able to give you a much more realistic time scale when it comes to preparing for your big day.

You’ve booked your venue…

Your date is confirmed, then its time to book your hair and make up artist! So many people are left disappointed when they try to book hair and make up services a few months before their big day, and so many people tell me that they never realised how important it was to secure the artist of their choice!  I get booked up to two years in advance, don’t be fooled into thinking you need to know exactly what style or look you want to go for – you don’t, and we have plenty of time to figure that out.  But it is important that you confirm and hold your date. I only book one bride per day so once it’s gone it’s gone!

12 months to go

If you don’t already, follow me on Instagram and facebook. You’ll be able to see first hand what kind of styles and looks my current brides are going for and it might even give you some ideas as to what you like or want. No two styles are exactly the same, each and every bride is unique so it’s important that you look at a variety of options before you start to think about what’s possible. Keep up to date with my social media and blog and get inspired!

If you don’t have a skin care regime then it’s time to get one! It doesn’t have to cost the earth and there are some great an inexpensive products from brands such at The Ordinary so be sure to check them out. . Something as simple as remembering to remove your make up with a cleanser each night and being sure to moisturise every day will make the world of difference.  The key to good make up is good skin.

Have a good hair cut. Get rid of all those dead ends. There’s still time for it to grow a little so don’t panic about length. There’s no point having really long hair if the last five inches is broken and damaged. A good cut will make it look and feel so much better.

6 months to go

Decide on your hair colour. If you’ve changed your hair for the wedding, or even if you’re just maintaining an existing colour , now is the time to start thinking about your colour appointment timeline. Ideally you want your colour to be fresh for the big day so I’d recommend trying to line up your appointments so your final pre wedding hair cut and colour is the week before the wedding day itself.

Stick with the skincare. Be kind to your skin. Drink water, sleep plenty – and keep removing that make up!

Book in your trial/preview session. Dates get booked up in advance. Some brides like to try and schedule this session for the same day as a dress fitting where possible, so they get to see everything ‘come together’. If you have a specific date in mind then let me know, otherwise you can give me your top three and I’ll do my best to accommodate. These sessions are first come, first served. You can book a session any day Monday – Friday, and don’t forget I offer limited evening appointments too.

3 months to go

By this point you’re thinking about your preview session which is probably happening over the next few weeks. Take a look at the preview session pack available on my site for some useful advice. Preparing for your preview session pack and start to think about what type of things you like, and just as importantly – what you don’t. This makes a great starting point for the both of us and it can make you think openly about how you want to look. Do you have any accessories that you want to incorporate? Will they be ready and available for us to try at this session for you?

1 month to go

This month you’ll receive your final invoice from me. Like most suppliers, I take payment 30 days before the wedding day itself.  At this point I’ll also want to check ( again! ) that all the details I have for the wedding morning are correct. Ill confirm timings, contact details etc.  If anything changes then be sure to let me know as soon as possible so I can update my details.

The week before the wedding

The wedding day is almost here! You’ll hear lot of things this week along the lines of ‘I cant believe its gone so quick’ and you might even feel like ‘I just cant wait for this to be over!’  but try not to get too stressed – everything always falls perfectly into place I promise!

You’ve had your last hair cut and colour by this point so be sure to keep your hair in top condition by using a heat spray when using heated tongs and straighteners etc . If you’re thinking about having your first ever facial then now is not the time.  The point of a facial is to ‘clear out’ your skin, releasing any toxins etc , and many ladies can find that it brings them out in spots as it draws all the impurities to the surface. Lots of brides make this mistake and then panic as their skin changes, save it until after the wedding – maybe treat yourself to one on honeymoon!

The night before the wedding

Wash your hair, dry it and then leave it in its natural state.  Unless we’ve agreed otherwise then this is the best condition for me to style your hair. Remove any make up and clean your face thoroughly before bed. In the morning follow your usual skin care routine to the point of moisturiser and upon arrival I will do the rest. I’ll apply any necessary primers and potions to ensure that your make up glides on perfectly. And most importantly – TRY to get a decent night sleep! ……..I’ll see you in the morning!!!