Reliability As A Bridal Artist

Hair Stylists and Makeup Artists: This ones for you.

There is a HUGE issue in our industry.

RELIABILITY.

So often I hear the same complaint from others in the industry, as well as photographers. “It’s so hard to find a reliable HMUA.” They’re not wrong.

I don’t know what happened in this industry to have such a consistent issue in being reliable, but it has to stop. It is SO destructive to your business, reputation, and someone’s wedding day. Weddings are not for everyone, but they have a lot of perks for stylists who work them. They’re fun, they’re a nice change from day to day salon work, you get to be a part of someones big day, many times you get professional pictures for your portfolio, and you make great money in a small amount of time. I have worked over 100 weddings in the last year and a half. A few of them were under my business, but most I had partnered up with another company. The amount of slack I have watched people pick up for is unacceptable.

We as stylists are a big part of people’s lives. Weddings are something we frequently get to be a part of, granted not all stylists work them, they are an easy example for the issue in reliability. So let me explain how the booking process works, what the chain reaction of flaking has, and how to be a reliable HMUA.

Booking:

I honestly think sometimes the “flakey” stylists are genuinely just naive to how things work. I HOPE they genuinely just don’t realize how many repercussions come with backing out last minute rather than being selfish enough to just not care. There’s a lot I didn’t understand until I really got involved in weddings, granted I am a firm believer in professionalism and keeping your word (emergency purposes excluded obviously). So here’s a little insight into how wedding bookings work:

The time frame the initial booking takes place is never a set in stone period. I have booked weddings 2 years in advance, and i’ve booked them 2 weeks in advance (not ideal and not always possible but you get the idea). When a bride books their wedding we collect the date of the wedding, time of the ceremony, time they need to be ready by, the location, and the amount of people getting hair and makeup for a total count of services. When we have the service count we then decide what time we need to start in order to complete the services by the ready time. This is also when we decide if we need a team.

Pulling A Team Together:

MOST weddings there are at least 2 stylists, at least the ones I work. One does hair, one does makeup. Occasionally I work some alone depending on the size but a pretty standard wedding typically requires 2 people. Many times more are needed. This could be because of multiple weddings in a day, time frames, and service count. Most bridal companies have an average time per service (ex. my companies I work with typically do 30 min for hair 30 min for makeup for the party and typically 45 min each service for the bride.) So if we have to rock out 24 services can only start at 8 and they have to be done by 12 that’s roughly 8 services per stylist. The more weddings companies work, the more they get their “go-to” people to bring in as extras, many even have employees. We start learning what most people’s service times are (some are slower than the average time we use to factor in how many are needed, some are faster). Companies toss the dates at their go-tos/employees, book them, etc… A lot of the time companies use a small group of the same stylists and those stylists reputations in the wedding industry grow. You build your business, book more weddings, make more money. Sometimes, companies have to pull “outside” help in. When I do this, I always try to find other stylists who do a lot of weddings or at least have a pretty familiar understand on them. Want to know why? I know they will show up and won’t screw me over. Unfortunately, if companies are having to pull outside help, it means it’s most likely a popular date. This means the other wedding stylists are probably already booked too. Thats when we start seeing who in general is available, or who has recommendations on people who may help. I’ll tell you right now, it is much easier to find hair people than makeup people. Many companies panic when they have to pull In outside makeup artists (but that’s for a different post).

Expectations of Stylists Being Brought On:

So let’s say you are one of those stylists that works weddings here and there, or maybe you want to start working them but you’re still new to it. You’re already ahead of the game by reading this! From the moment you start connecting with other stylists and industry professionals, you are building your reputation. Like credit, it is very easy to destroy and very hard to rebuild. Destroying your rep means costing yourself growth in your business and career. People who are very involved with things like weddings, talk. A lot. We know who we can count on, we know who we can’t, and if we are unsure we ask others who may know. If you screw that up, it’s a long time coming before you’re dropping that reputation. I am very involved with the photography and bridal industry, a lot of people have asked for recommendations or cross checked people with me, I have done the same with them. Keep that in mind, it’s not hard to be professional.

When we are seeking out people to bring in some of the things we look for are: responsible, professional, knowledge on the service (ESP makeup artists), good attitude, preparedness, etc… I would say experience but many times I am very open to bringing on new stylists or aspiring artists, so if you’re new, don’t think you are just SOL. Some stylists like to have newer people on their team. It’s a risk for us because of the problems i’m currently writing about, so some don’t feel comfortable bringing in newer stylists. Remember, we are bring you in under our company. Yes, you are a reflection of yourself, but you are also a reflection of our business for that event.

You know what’s at risk, so how do you avoid the negatives and build the right reputation? First and foremost, check and double check your schedule before agreeing to work a wedding. Make sure you can find a sitter if you have children and set it up upon agreeing. Consider the weather and where you live, I say this because I live off country back roads. If it snows, my roads may not be accessible to leave even if its fine in the city. If I am asked to work a winter wedding, I always have the stylist find a back up. This is so they are covered if I wasn’t able to leave, or I just decline the wedding.

Get Organized

So you’ve considered those factors and decide to agree to work the wedding. Awesome! You now have an obligation. This is not a service that can simply be rescheduled, this is someone’s wedding. One of the biggest days of their life. Mark it down in your work and personal calendar so you don’t accidentally double book yourself or plan a trip. When I partner with a company, I know they are the ones doing the “back and forth” with the bride. The details I get and mark in my calendar are:

-Start time, Time they have to be done, number of services and what services, location, time I need to leave to get arrive on time, the bride’s name and her phone number.

When I was first beginning I had a saved list of supplies to bring. One for hair, one for makeup, and sometimes variations of this list. This just ensured I would not forget anything. I would also check earlier in the week that I had all my supplies and tried to constantly keep inventory so I knew I always had what I needed. Ill write a post later on being a bridal stylist and building a kit and stuff, but let’s get back to discussing this issue.

Consequences To Flaking

Okay so now you see what goes into booking a wedding (actually that’s barely breaking the service but you get the idea), how we determine how many stylists are needed, how we divide the schedule, etc…. It’s A LOT. When you agree, we should absolutely not have to doubt your ability to keep your end of the deal. I have, unfortunately, dealt with my fair share of flakes, or helping people cover the weddings that were flaked on. It has happen less and less as I have learned how to take precautions, but unfortunately it still happens. So say our stylist flakes. 2 Days, the night before, whatever. Unless it is an emergency situation, you should be able to give at LEAST 2 weeks notice. This allows the company enough time to find a replacement. Last minute back outs are by far my biggest pet peeve. If you are in this industry, you are managing clients and a schedule. You know better.

When you flake:

-You have now created a label for yourself: unreliable. I promise you, that bridge is burned with that company, and probably others, especially if that company works with other ones frequently. You now have cost the company’s lead extra work and stress to cover you. Not a good way to build your career.

-You are risking that company’s reputation. Very early on in my career, I worked a wedding for a company. The night before at 10 pm the other stylist backed out. Long story short, we were unable to find someone to help. The bride’s maid of honor had to step in to help, the company was unable to fulfill their end, and they got a pretty negative backlash for it. On top of that, that poor brides day was less than perfect. I can’t even imagine how devastated she was. I obviously got her finished, did as many as I could, but ultimately many had to do some of their own services. The stylist who backed out ruined herself, someone’s company, and someone’s wedding day. Building a bridal company is incredibly hard. It is exhausting. It is a lot of hours that go unnoticed, and it is easily destroyed.

-You could ruin someone’s wedding day. Read the above story, this is someones wedding. This isn’t something that just gets rescheduled. That party is counting on those services to be completed, when you agree, you are being counted on by them.

There is a downward spiral of consequences that come when someone fails to follow through and be responsible. Being prepared, crosschecking when scheduling, finding a sitter in advance, making lists, having the details, etc… are great things to utilize when booking a wedding. Hopefully, this gives a little more insight and understanding. Weddings are a phenomenal thing to be a part of, they are a great opportunity to build your brand, clientele, and connect with other industry professionals. They are also a lot of responsibility, relying on others, and an easy way to get the wrong reputation. Be responsible. Be professional. Be reliable.