Bridal Suggestions

Wedding Day Suggestions 

This is just a few things that I tell brides who are getting ready for their upcoming weddings.  We get a lot of questions from our brides during their trial run for makeup or tanning...and I thought it might be helpful to share it with everyone.

1. Don't try anything too crazy with your skin routine the month before your wedding date.  If you don't already do things like microderm, peels, waxing, or product routines...then don't start that month or your skin might get worse before it gets better.  Just stick with what you normally do and if you do want to try something new do it well before the wedding date.
2. Don't put on too much sunscreen on your face that day.  Sunscreen can contain zinc oxide which is great for protecting your skin from the harmful UV rays, but can show up in photos looking kind of white.  If you are going to be outside for long periods of time in the sun taking pictures then you should think about an umbrella.  There are several stores that make really cute umbrellas that will go with just about any color or theme.  After photos are done and you are still going to be outside, then I would recommend SPF 30 in a spray form.
3. Make-up or Hair first?  In my opinion it doesn't matter if I do your make-up before or after your hair, however if you do plan on having your bangs side swept over your forehead then you should have your make-up done first so your hair doesn't have to be pinned back.
4. Blot paper is better then powder to get rid of shine during the night.  You don't want to have to deal with a brush or possible powder spilling on your dress.
5. Stick with makeup that YOU are comfortable with...not something too different then what you normally wear.  You do need to have a touch more blush and a bit brighter lipstick (brighter lipstick will make your teeth look whiter in photos).  Get the lipstick that you plan to wear that day so that you have something to touch up with...and make sure you take the time to touch up.  Your photos will look better if you touch up your lipstick all night, and you will be happy you took the time to do it.
6. Try your spray tan before the wedding and pay attention to how it looks the next day as well as day 2 & 3.  It might be that you like the look of it on day 3 and you should book your tan three days before your wedding date.  Also look to see if there is anything that turned out less then flawless.  If there are areas that need extra care or attention...then you will know that and we wont be guessing for your actual wedding date.

• It is always better to go too light then too dark for your wedding day.  A light glow photographs so much better then a tan!  Plus you dont want to be to dark next to your fiance or your bridesmaids.  It will look fake in photos.

Wedding Networking

This is sort of a business entry, but I like to discuss my plans in hopes of getting feedback and maybe helping someone else out there working on the same sort of thing.

I have recently looked into a couple different wedding industry network groups, and found that while they are a blast...I am not very good at putting my contacts to practical use. The newest of these groups is determined to teach us (members) how to make better use of our time at these events, novel idea. If they can pull that off I will be their biggest fan.

This year during the "off" wedding season I am determined to better connect with my fellow wedding industry professionals and make practical use of those contacts. What I have learned so far... ***Contacts are useless if you don't use them, and all the twittering, blogging, website updates, and facebook announcements are doing me no good unless I have an audience (the right audience). Along with posts about current events in Seattle and on the Eastside having to do with beauty...I plan to track the success of these suggestions given to me and my opinion on them in general.

Blogging is the first suggestion that was given to me. Done!

Next is Wedding Wire and The Knot. Sounds like these are free places to announce your business and list your services for potential clients. I like the free part the best, now I will try it out and see if I can get any results.

Constant Contact will be my next goal. I plan to contact my "contacts" every so often to let them know of certain events going on in the area or just to ask how things are going for them.

Reviews, reviews online can be extremely helful to clients who are seeking your services and I plan to be much better at asking for these reviews from clients and collegues.