Boston Wedding Photographers – 7 Hot Hair & Makeup Tips for Timeless Wedding Photographs

Hair and makeup are critical to excellent photographs, but one of the most troublesome parts of the day.

Here are my suggestions based on my experience.

Courtesy of: Jim’s Photo Blog

1) Always, always have a run through of hair and makeup prior to the wedding day. You do not want any surprises.

2) Be very, very clear with your hair and makeup person what time you must be finished (discuss this with your photographer). In my experience, more people run late from hair and makeup than from all other reasons combined. Remember, running late from hair and makeup means loosing photographic and other opportunities. It means you have less time to be with your friends, less time to dance, less time to celebrate. Beautiful hair and makeup are means to an end not ends in themselves.

2A) Discuss finish time with your hair and makeup people in advance and get a commitment from them to meet it.

2B) Remind them when they begin what time they agreed to.

2C) Do not hesitate to remind them again as they go along. I had a bride once who was 45 minutes late. I asked her what happened. She said that the hair lady kept talking and every time she talked she stopped working. Enough said.

3) The bride should not be the last person to be done. We can start photography without some of the bridesmaids or mom, but we cannot start without the bride.

4) No gloss, no frost, no shine. You do not want to use gloss lipstick or any other shiny products on your face on the wedding day. Gloss or any kind of shiny makeup will reflect the flash of the photographer’s light and look like tiny mirrors on your lips. Stick with matte.

5) If you are planning any black and white photographs on your wedding day tell your professional makeup person and do not wear lipstick that is too dark. You do not want to look like Elvira in a wedding gown.

6) If you have your makeup professionally done you may feel they have put it on a little thick or heavy. They probably haven’t. Photography diminishes the look of makeup and you will look less made up in the pictures than when you look at yourself in the mirror.

7) Take the long view when you plan your appearance on your wedding day. Imagine what you will think when you look at the pictures twenty years from now. A look that’s very trendy today runs some risk of looking silly in the future. Natural and real never goes out of style!