Every bride wants to look her very best on her wedding day, but where do you unearth those pros that can truly deliver the bridal beauty look of your Pinterest-worthy dreams?
Say hello to our fabulous new sponsor, Make Me Bridal, which launched in 2016. Created by wife and husband duo Melissa and Ralph, Make Me Bridal is the perfect solution for brides already perplexed by their wedding planning and in need of talented, reliable suppliers that will nail those winged eyeliners and tousled curls.
Put simply, a bride submits one enquiry via their nifty website and then they’re presented with a shortlist of amazing, handpicked makeup artists and hair stylists. More often than not, they’ll stumble across suppliers they’d never have found on their own, and that’s the beauty of this amazing concept.
The pair have more than 100 suppliers in their network and know what’s what when it comes to the latest beauty trends – just take a look at their inspiration board and wonderful blog, crammed with tips and a sparkling dose of inspiration from real brides!
Here, we catch up with Melissa and Ralph to chat all things beauty and why you really ought to use their services when it comes to booking what will undoubtedly be the most important pamper sesh of your life!
Simon Murray Images – Hair and Makeup by Janet White Ashby & Co
Can you tell us a little about your background, how you came to set up Make Me Bridal and the concept behind it?
Melissa says
: I am a wedding hair and makeup artist. I’ve styled over 250 brides, so I’ve learnt about many wedding-planning journeys and have really come to understand where most brides struggle when it comes to booking suppliers.It was on our honeymoon that my husband Ralph (who is a website developer) and I got chatting about running a startup together, and what he could build that would really make a difference, something that was unique and fun… We spent a year planning and tweaking our concept and in the summer of 2016 we launched Make Me Bridal.
Mike D Photography – Hair by Joanne Turner – Makeup by Sufiah Makeup
Markuza Photography – Hair and Makeup by Ieva Genovesi
What services do you offer to brides and how does Make Me Bridal work?
We are specialists in helping brides to discover amazing wedding hair and makeup artists. Whether they are local or happy to travel – brides will discover great artists that they may never have found themselves.
We only handpick the best to showcase on Make Me Bridal. We offer a reverse enquiry system too and are the only wedding directory in the UK that does this. This means that you fill in just one enquiry form with your wedding day details and search no further (no more trawling through hundreds of websites!).
Our system is clever enough to send your enquiry out to a whole bunch of our artists and we will give you a shortlist of professionals who are available and want to get you ready. You can look through their stunning profiles, read reviews, FAQs, see plenty of images of their work, view their Instagram feed, prices and even chat with the artists directly. It really is so helpful for brides who feel overwhelmed with where to start.
We also have an inspiration board made up of thousands of images of our artists’ recent work, so brides can get inspired and create their own moodboard to showcase the bridal looks they love. What’s great is that these bridal images are exciting, current and real! They are not the same images of brides that you see over and over again on the internet.
For brides who love to read and discover more, we offer a blog too that’s updated with real weddings, styled shoots, beauty tips and more.
How many hair/makeup artists do you have on the Make Me Bridal books and what areas do they cover?
We have over 100 artists based all over the UK in London, the Home Counties, Sussex, Devon, Essex, Kent, West Midlands, Norfolk, Nottingham, Lancashire, Manchester and Yorkshire. Some of our artists live down south but have family up north they would like to see and are happy to travel, so it can be easy to overlook your options!
Freya Raby Photography – Makeup by Chrys Chapman
Anisa M Photography – Hair and Makeup by Cheryl M Wright
How do you go about vetting the hair/makeup artists on your books to ensure they are suitably qualified/experienced/reliable?
We ask each artist to submit an application form and ensure they are insured, have at least two years’ wedding industry experience, lots of recent reviews, and an updated work portfolio of real brides and styled shoots. We also monitor our artists and take account of any feedback we receive from brides. We regularly turn away artists who don’t meet all our requirements.
Why would you recommend a bride hires in a professional to do their makeup rather than doing it themselves?
Even our professional makeup artists would book an artist for their wedding day! Why? Because after all that stressful planning you really deserve to sit back and be pampered on your big day.
You want to look and feel your best and you don’t want to be sweating and stressing on the wedding morning because you can’t get your winged eyeliner to match. The nerves can really take over as the morning goes on, leaving many brides with an ‘out of body’ sensation and so letting someone else, who you trust, take the reins is a really good decision!
Simon Murray Images – Hair and Makeup by Janet White Ashby & Co
What should brides-to-be look for in a hair/makeup artist, how do they know who is right for them?
They should look for someone whose portfolio reflects a similar style to the looks they are after. Read reviews and follow their social channels to see what they are up to! Have a chat over the phone with the artist to see if you vibe well, as afterall, your artist will be getting quite close to you during the trial as well as playing a big role in your wedding morning.
You also offer bridal hair/makeup trends/inspiration/tips via your bridal blog – can you tell us a little about this?
As well as being a directory, we like to showcase our artists’ work in our blog. We accept real weddings and styled shoot submissions from our pro artists, well as beauty tips and current trends.
Emilie May Photography – Hair and Makeup by Fi Farrelly
Hayley Baxter Photography – Makeup by Chrys Chapman
How has Make Me Bridal been received so far? What do brides love about it?
Brides love it! We have received so many thank you messages from brides who have been grateful that we have created such a fun, easy-to-use website with such lovely suppliers.
We have helped brides who have been let down by other artists, brides who have left things a little too last minute, and brides who really don’t have a clue what they are doing or where to start!
What makeup looks are proving popular with brides at the moment?
We get a mixture of style requests, from natural to full on glam, but we noticed that more often brides are requesting a natural ‘best self’ look.
Similarly, what hairstyles are proving popular with brides?
Laidback boho styles are a much-loved request all year round, but Hollywood waves are starting to make a comeback. Keep an eye out for ‘boho glam’ as we are seeing more brides who are combining the two styles to create a gorgeous look! Think sleek, sultry, dreamy and effortless.
Markuza Photography – Hair and Makeup by Ieva Genovesi
What would be your top bride-to-be skincare tips?
Don’t try anything new too close to the wedding. Get your skincare regime in shape about three months before the wedding to make sure you are getting the best out of your products. If you start too soon you will lose that initial impact a new product will give your skin, if you wait too long you may break out too close to the wedding. If your skin lacks glow and your lips are dry, drink plenty of water – we love ionised alkaline bottled water infused with magnesium as it is more hydrating and also anti-aging.
And what would be your top bride-to-be hair care tips?
Don’t cut your hair too short, as many styles will require some length. Don’t stress if it is damaged and going up into an up-do, as you won’t see the ends.
If you plan to have your hair down and curled – over conditioning the hair could make the curls drop out more quickly so be careful if you plan to have any deep conditioning treatments before the wedding.
Plan to have your hair prepped for the trial in the same way as you will prep it for the wedding day itself so that it behaves the same way.
How can readers get in touch with Make Me Bridal and find out more?
Email us or message us on Instagram! Follow us to see what our artists are up to.
Any other exciting news to share?
We are launching a wedding hair accessories shop soon with beautiful and affordable bridal hairpieces. Watch this space!
Emilie May Photography – Hair and Makeup by Fi Farrelly