Planning weddings has always been a challenge, but with the pandemic reaching its first birthday, planning a wedding can seem even more daunting than it was pre-pandemic. Because of all of the new safety protocols that people need to follow, venues having limited seating of people inside or even outside, and people staying away from loved ones, to keep safe, many weddings that were planned for the past year have been postponed. This means that over the next few years we will see even more weddings from those that have been postponed added on top of the weddings that would have already taken place. While weddings are always a cause for celebration, it does make things a little more difficult for everyone involved.

So, during this new temporary normal, how do you go about planning your wedding so that it can still be a memorable day that you can look back on fondly? I’m sure you have a lot of questions and today we’re going to talk about how to book your wedding hair and makeup team during a pandemic.

As a professional wedding makeup and hair team who serves the Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, and Delaware including Northern Virginia, Frederick, Rockville, Baltimore, Bethesda, Potomac, McLean, Tysons, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Leesburg, Ashburn, Falls Church, Annandale, Annapolis, Rehoboth Beach and many more destinations.

We know things are different now than they were a year ago, so we want to make sure that you feel like you have all the answers you need.

When should I book my hair and makeup artists?

The best answer to this question is: as soon as possible! Because a lot of brides have had to reschedule their 2020 weddings to 2021-2022, there will be a lot of weddings happening, and a lot of vendors, including hair and make-up artists, are booking up quickly. For example, we are currently booking brides as far out as December of 2022 already!

During this pandemic, it’s important that you secure your hair and makeup team at least 1 to 1.5 years in advance to make sure that you get the team you want and aren’t scrambling to just find someone that’s available when all of your top choices are already booked for a year or two out.

So, if you’re looking to book your wedding makeup and hair with us make sure you contact us HERE as soon as possible.

What safety protocols are hair and makeup teams following?

Even though weddings are starting to resume, it’s still important for everyone that we do our best to keep everyone safe during this pandemic. The safety of you, your family, as well as our team, is always our top priority. Regardless of who you hire, it’s smart to ask what their safety protocols are to ensure that you’re keeping everyone safe.

Some recommended safety protocols for your beauty team that we ourselves implement:

● Frequent hand washing between each client

● Frequent sanitization of surfaces, products, and tools with a 70% or higher alcohol or dilution mix

● Wearing CDC mandated PPE gear such as masks, based on the most current guidelines

● Use of disposable applicators

What if I have to cancel my wedding?

If you have to cancel your wedding (for any reason) it’s likely that you won’t receive your retainer back. Consider that your beauty team has not only put time into consulting with you and possibly providing services up until this point in preparation for your wedding, but they have also had to turn down other brides for the date of your wedding.

Make sure that you go over these details in your initial consultation with your hair and makeup artists. Have a clear contract and understanding of what happens in situations like this so that neither party is surprised if something were to come up.

If your wedding isn’t canceled altogether, see if you can transfer your services and book for a date in the future rather than giving up the money that you already paid into the services. In our case we are allowing our brides to transfer their retainer to a different date should their wedding date change.

If your wedding is truly canceled, talk with your wedding makeup artist or stylist about possibly using the money you put down for a different service or special event so that you’re not out the money you paid.

What if I need to postpone or reschedule my wedding?

Luckily, most wedding makeup and hair teams are able to reschedule you for a different date without any additional cost. Of course, this will be dependent on their availability on the dates requested so ensuring that you contact your beauty team as soon as possible to make other arrangements is critical. If the wedding makeup artist or hairstylist that you booked with is already booked on the new dates you’re requesting, you may be able to switch to someone else within the company. However, keep in mind that if you booked a hair and/or makeup artist that works alone, without a team, and they are booked, you will likely have to find someone else and be out the money that you paid.

When postponing without rescheduling for a new date, you may have to pay additional costs of penalties. Make sure that you clearly read your contract and ask any questions about these types of situations before proceeding if it’s of concern to you.

As weddings start to resume, and we expect even more weddings in 2021 and 2022 to make up for those that didn’t take place in 2020, things are a little more complicated. But with the right planning and making sure that you’re booking far in advance, you can still make your wedding day the best day of your life.

If you’re planning a wedding and want to make sure that you’re in good hands, we’re here for you! You can check out our DMV WEDDING PRICING or FLORIDA WEDDING PRICING page. Contact us HERE when you’re ready to chat.