The Investment
PHOTO - Brittany Bay Productions
I get contacted at least once a day by someone trying to get my prices down lower because they are on a budget. Hey I get it, I was a budget bride. My family isn't rich, and by no means wanted to go into great debt over a wedding. This is what I have learned from all these years doing weddings...
* You get what you pay for.
Its been said time and again, and it’s true. If you have found someone who is half my price, there is probably a reason for that. I’m not saying you can't find someone great at a lower price. They could possibly be someone just starting their career but have been doing it for a long time. Or they could be someone who just moved to the area and needs to build a clientele. But if you find someone in the Dallas area, who has been doing hair for more than 5 years, and isn't charging what I'm charging, do some research and find out why. I believe when I started doing hair, I was good, but experience has taught me so much.
*Get a Real Professional I know makeup artist, very well known makeup artist, who never went to hair school, no license to legally do hair, and have decided to add hair to their services to make a little extra money, because they can use a curling iron. So please do your research and make sure who you hire, is someone who knows about proper sanitation of tools. Someone who understands the many different types of hair textures. Someone who spent 1600+ hours learning the ins and outs of hair. Someone who understands which products will hold up during a humid, muggy day. Which product will control the unruly frizz. Which products will make the persons hair, that NEVER holds a curl, actually hold. Someone who won't fry your hair because they don't understand that certain peoples texture can’t withstand more heat than others.
*Investment
Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. I know it’s not cheap, and you are going to spend bundles of money on this one special day. Why is it that Hair and Makeup (The Way You Look) on your wedding day, gets bumped to the bottom of the budget? There are so many different things we will drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on. Your cake, your DJ, your Caterer, your Photo Booth. All of which are very important things, don't get me wrong, but they won't be in almost every picture that you look at for the rest of your life. YOU will be! If you don't love the way you look in your pictures, then you won’t love the way you look in your wedding album, and that is all you will see forever.
I’m sad to say I know from experience. I ended up having to do my own hair for my wedding, though that wasn't the plan. Sure, I'm a Hair Dresser but I wanted to be pampered. I had a trial with a Hairstylist I knew and respected at my salon and loved my hair. She texted me at 9pm, the night before my wedding while I was at my rehearsal dinner, to let me know she and her boyfriend decided to go to Vegas for the weekend, were flying out in the morning and wouldn't be able to do it. YEAH! That happened! So friends or family aren't always reliable either.
I decided to save $175 on my makeup by doing it myself. My makeup looked pretty, but it didn't last all night, I look a little washed out in some of the pictures, and it wasn't as glamorous as it would have been had I just spent that extra bit. I regret that decision so much, I see it every time I look at my album It’s the first thing I see. Trust me, in the grand scheme of things and the cost of my wedding, $175 for me was nothing.
I also let my bridesmaids do their own hair, and their own makeup. I know, I know, what was I thinking right? I don't know... another regret. There are very few regrets I have about my wedding, but these are the main ones.
*Reliability
One thing about me, and my reviews reflect this, is that I am extremely reliable. If the GPS says it will take me 45 minutes to get to a venue, I leave 2 hours prior. I can always sit in my car and read a book, go to a Starbucks and grab a drink, or get a bite to eat. You never know when there will be road construction, an accident, or your GPS malfunctions and takes you to the other side of town. My bride, on her wedding day, is my number one priority. I have been there and seen it happen too many times. The bride stressing because one of the vendors is 3 hours late because their previous wedding went over. Or a vendor is late because they are hung over from a party last night. I have seen people call because they are sick or hurt their foot. Listen, I understand we are human and we have things like this happen.
Once I was in the hospital with a ruptured cyst and in severe pain, the night before a wedding. All I could do was let them know I have to be out by 6am, I have a wedding at 8. I did not sleep that night at all and went from the hospital, straight to my house picked up my bag, brushed my teeth, changed my clothes and off I went. (During that night, I was searching for other hairdressers, incase I had to have surgery and there was no other choice, and I had a backup. But, I made it.) My point is, it’s hard do find reliable people. If you’re looking for a makeup artist who has the same mentality as me on this, I would look no further than www.krystaltaylormua.com She is amazing!
*I give you what you want, not what I want
I can't tell you how many times people come to me after another trial explaining that they asked for this picture and it turned out nothing like it, (see review at the bottom from a bride that went to 3 different places before she found me). That said, it’s possible your hair has a different length, layers, texture, thickness than what you’re wanting. I do everything in my power to make it look EXACTLY how you want it. Have you ever been to the nail salon and not liked your nails, but you didn't want to say anything because you’re too nice? I know I do. Yet, I wouldn't want anyone to leave with their hair not exactly like they wanted. I never want anyone to feel that way leaving my chair. So I stress this to everyone, "You will not hurt my feelings! Be brutally honest." I’m there that day to make you and your bridesmaids look AND feel amazing, not my ego. I can take constructive criticism.
*The Experience
I know this one isn't a deal breaker, but this is YOUR big day. Don't you want to be pampered and not stressed about one more thing? Feel like a movie star getting your hair and makeup done by people who are there to make you look and feel amazing? That’s what I am here for! I create a fun and stress free environment for you and your girls. Half the time I leave the wedding party, I feel like I made new friends and am sad to leave.
Here is a review taken from www.theknot.com:
“I just feel like there isn't ENOUGH HOURS in the day or ENOUGH WORDS that I could say that could measure up to how A M A Z I N G Brooke Himes is. I am a make up artist myself, so trying to find an artist to create my hair & make up like I envisioned was the worst & most stressful process ever. I went through 3 horrible hair & make up trials that I found through the knot (due to great reviews from everyone else) and finally discovered that I would not find a person who could do my make up better than myself.
Now, searching for someone to do my hair was incredibly hard. I didn't know exactly what I wanted but I knew some of these ladies who did my hair, did not look qualified to do bridal hair at all. I finally found Brooke on the knot, had a great conversation with her on the phone and decided to do a trial. The day I met her I could already tell she was different - she has such a outgoing and inviting personality, she makes you feel like you've known her forever and makes you feel SO COMFORTABLE. For a bride, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. I can tell you that all the previous trials I had, it was obvious that they were there to make money or didn't really care to know you. Sad truth is that you're just another client/person to them. Brooke never, not once, made me feel this way. I booked Brooke the first trial I had because she had extraordinary talent that I did not find in ANY of the other hair trials I had and I could tell she really cared for me as a person and what I wanted. I ended up doing another trial with her because I still wanted to try all sorts of different hair styles. The second trial I had, she didn't even charge me which is so rare. ALL hair vendors will charge you because they will tell you that you are 'on their time' and give you tons of reasons why you need to pay them again. But Brooke wanted to give me exactly what I was envisioning in my head.
My Mother-in-Law who was scared to death about someone styling her hair because she was convinced that no one could do her hair like she hoped, was blown away by Brooke. To say her work is incredible is an understatement. Every hair style she did on me was jaw dropping but I personally wanted to try so many different hair styles I saw on Pinterest and Brooke was all in, every. single time. I literally thought I was annoying her but her personality never changed... she was always the same - super sweet and funny person that I first met. Even TWO DAYS before my wedding, I decided to do another trial and I finally saw what I envisioned for the day of my wedding!! I knew that Brooke was the only person that could create it and it was perfect. The day of the wedding, she was calm and worked amazingly fast. Even my bridesmaids were in awe of her work.
Like I said, I can't rave about her enough. If I could just tell all the brides to stop your searching and just book Brooke, I would. Brooke is not only is a great person, she will be honest with you, care about what you think and how you feel, will be extremely patient with you, will do anything to make you happy because you are her priority, and on top of all of that, she is qualified to do everything she does. I can not thank her enough for being a part of my day. The fact that I found her was a blessing. I will never recommend any one else. Thank you so much Brooke!!!!”
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