Frequently Asked Questions

I take a 20% deposit of your total booking to save the date which is deducted from the total. I request half of the remaining balance after the trial and then the final half a couple of weeks before your wedding day.

If there is a makeup artist you love, I would highly recommend reaching out at least 10 - 14 months in advance as they get can get booked up early. There's nothing to lose just dropping them a quick email or message and go from there!

In my opinion there are three main rules when choosing your makeup artist. 1) Their style of work - go through their gallery and check their Instagram or Facebook too. If you like the style of makeup and they represent themselves well on all platforms that's a great start. 2) Communication - you really do want someone on your wedding day who cares about you and your wedding plans. It's important that they communicate well with you from the start so you can feel reassured and confident about their makeup and their persona. 3) Testimonials - I think this is so incredibly important! Reviews are written by brides who have already gone through the same process with your makeup artist and if they have great comments to make then it's likely you will too! Aside from this, go with your gut feeling! Another great tip is to ask your friends if they know anyone. You might have a colleague or a family member who has recently got married, ask them who they used and if they would recommend them.

The best timescale to do trials is around 2 - 3 months before the wedding day. At that stage you will know the finer details and will have had decided on flowers, bridesmaid’s dresses and started to get some ideas about the hair styling too and maybe have some ideas in place for what you want. You don't need all the answers, especially if you don't wear any makeup day to day or don't feel confident with it as it's my job to help you with this! 

Firstly, I always recommend bringing someone who's opinion you trust at the trail so they can help advise and reassure if there is anything you are not sure of. It's important that you also wear your everyday makeup so I can see what you are comfortable with and go from there. I want you to still look like you but at your very best, so this is very important! Initially we sit and discuss your wedding morning, we go through what's going to happen and about timings etc, so you know exactly what to expect. Any good makeup artist will take out all the stress of your wedding morning and plan it all for you, so you don't have to think about it! We will also discuss your bridal party and talk through their makeup and discuss a look you will be happy with! The trial is just as important than your big day so I like to make sure we nail it so you can feel confident and excited for the wedding morning plans. It's important that you wear your makeup for the whole day, or for as long as you can so you can see how it looks in different times of the day and how your skin felt. I prefer not to overload with products so it's great to learn if you needed anything additional to help your makeup look amazing all day. You shouldn't have to do too much maintain your makeup aside from a quick lipstick top up.

When arranging the trial, I send you a guide I have created so you have all the info you need to prep. You're welcome to bring images of your wedding dress and flower ideas and even what you bridesmaids will be wearing so we can get an overall picture of what everyone will look like. It always helps to know the style of your wedding dress as this also determines the wedding makeup and how much you can wear.

The trial is designed to create a plan for what we may do on the wedding day. My job is to get it as close to what you would like, however most people have feedback and adjustments they will like to make after having worn the makeup for the day. Not everyone comes to the trial with an exact look they want to create so it's important to be open minded. If you wear your everyday makeup to the trial, then usually it's straight forward! You shouldn't feel unsure about the makeup even though initially it can feel like you are wearing more than you wanted. You must remember that your wedding makeup will be more than your everyday makeup and it has to look great in pictures not to mention last from 11am to 12pm at night! The changes you want should be easy to do on the wedding morning however If once we have done the trial you are not entirely convinced, we can arrange a second trial. I am very approachable and easy to talk to so If you weren’t happy it's important to assure you that it's only makeup and it can be altered to suit your requirements! Whatever the concern, there is always an answer to the problem.

Trials are held at my apartment in Birmingham City Centre, I am located just next to the train station in Birmingham and I have a car park opposite my apartment so I’m super easy to get to.

It’s important that I make you aware that I have two cats (who are super friendly!) so please bear this in mind as unfortunately an alternative location for the trial won’t be possible if you have allergies!

Although I don't have set days when I do trials, it may not be possible to accommodate a weekend especially in peak season May - September when I am usually fully booked on weekends. If there are any concerns with this, please let me know in the initial conversation and we can discuss the best options

I am more than happy to do trails for anyone who wishes to have one. I find that there are many reasons why others may want their trails doing! Additional trials are charged at the current rate on my packages and prices page, and we do this on the same day as the bride’s trial. Unfortunately, because of limited availability, I won't be able to facilitate additional trial on a separate day. The service I provide is about you and working around yours and your bridal parties needs to any questions around this, please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Rest assured, your bridesmaids will be looked after! I hear all the time how makeup artists just focus on the bride and don't think too much about the Maids or Mother but for me that's not the case. I go out of my way to make sure everyone's comfort zones are considered whether they wear a lot of makeup or not. I tend to create a look that's adaptable to each person’s needs using the same colours/tones, so everyone looks polished and like a bridal "party". As there tends to be time constraints it's not always possible to do a different look on everyone but what I do make sure is that everyone’s needs are met and everyone feels comfortable and confident.

I have several hair stylists that I have worked with before and really admire and trust. They are based in different areas so definitely ask me for recommendations and I shall do my best to match you to the right stylist for you!

I make sure that all of this is discussed at the trial and over the phone so you know what to expect! The idea is that you should have nothing to plan what-so-ever and the professionals you hire will do all of this for you so all you are required to do is basically turn up and relax with your close ones and enjoy your morning! I have a page on my website that goes through the wedding trial and day so feel free to find out more https://makeupbyharper.com/bridaltrialandweddingday

I send over a schedule about 2 weeks before your wedding day with all the timings so you can feel confident that it will run smoothly. I plan 45 minutes for the bride and between 30 - 45 minutes per bridesmaid/mother of bride.

There really isn’t a right or wrong answer for this. Most brides tend to like to have their makeup done last or as close as they can do to the time of getting married and most of the time this works the best. The bride's makeup tends to be second from last in the schedule and by this time it's likely to already have had their hair done. Regarding the rest of the bridal party, it is of course impossible for everyone's hair to be done before I can start makeup so it's a matter of alternating which tends to work. For bigger bridal party’s I may ask for the hairstylists email so I can liaise with them directly to take the stress and hassle away from you having to do so!

Of course! I am completely flexible about adding more people and I totally understand that the time you book may be a year or more before the wedding date and it might be too soon to say for definite who would like their makeup doing. I also find that people often change their minds if they initially don't think it's for them especially when they see the brides makeup! Please note that in peak season (May – September and December) and weekends, I only accept package bookings so if you do reduce then the minimum package must be met and unfortunately any reductions to packages can’t be made less than 8 weeks before the wedding.

Sometimes this is doable depending on time constraints however if there is already a large bridal party to attend to then of course, they take priority. I do my upmost to make sure I can be adaptable as long as there is enough time to be able to help everyone. Please note that any additional people on the day is charged at the current price reflected on my website which may be different from the time of booking and must be paid via bank transfer on the same morning.

This is sometimes the case so it's super important this is taken into consideration when you are booking your venue (always ask about access time!) If we do need to start elsewhere to accommodate the full bridal party, there is a small charge to do this as it impacts the start time, travel and also the delay it creates part way through. Our kits do take a while to set up and pack away so this is why it's important to manage expectations with the time plan to accommodate the move. For the additional charge, please see the bridal prices page!