Why Are Bridal Beauty Services So Expensive?: A brief introduction

I have recently been connecting with other bridal pros to talk shop and discuss some of the most common questions and inquiries we get, and it inspired me to write this FAQ/FYI series as a follow up to my previous post in conjunction with photographer Casey Fatchett.

Perhaps the top question people ask (directly or indirectly) is “Why are Bridal Beauty services so expensive?”

There are a number of factors that contribute to the cost of wedding day Beauty services, including but not limited to the following:

1) Luxury: On-site Beauty services are considered a luxury service; my team and I will be packing up and transporting multiple cases of equipment and supplies directly to you in the comfort of your bridal suite, hotel, or home on demand at the hour you specify.  An experienced team of pre-screened & dedicated professionals who know and understand your needs will be coming to you, allowing you to relax and enjoy your special day without the added stress of traveling to and from service locations.

2) Experience & Professionalism:  What made you want to contact me for services?  I’m sure factors like positive reviews on Yelp and on my website, the look of my website, and the quality of my images brought you here in the first place.  If you’ve read the About Me section, you probably know that I am an Aveda Institute trained licensed cosmetologist who underwent a rigorous 1,000 hours of training in all aspects of hair and skin care and graduated with a certificate for Ethics and Professionalism.  As a trained professional in the beauty field my expertise is extensive and growing all the time with professional development, and I bring this ever growing body of knowledge to each consultation.  All of that training and experience make my billable time as a professional more valuable, the same way it does in any other profession.

Graduation Day

3) Time:  Aside from providing services on the day of, I will be providing skincare advice, taking your emails and calls to answer questions, offering referrals for other vendors if asked, and helping set a timeline for your day of services among other things.  Your schedule becomes mine; if you have an early start in the morning, I have an even earlier start!  All of the time spent reviewing your Pinterest boards, discussing styling options, providing skin care suggestions, going over scheduling, coordinating with bridesmaids, etc. is time “on the clock”.

4) Service: If you are having a theme wedding and need a special type of hairstyling, I can provide it.  If you have a large party that requires a second or even a third artist, I am happy to accommodate you –but remember that I have to compensate them fairly for their expertise and training, travel, and labor as well.  Large parties are more work to service and each event is different.  (So please, don’t ask for a bulk discount.) We are wholly dedicating our time to making this event a dream come true for you.  As opposed to going to a salon or makeup counter where the main business is not bridal, you have reliable dedicated one on one customer service to help ease you through the process of coordinating a hectic day.  A salon or makeup counter will not answer your frantic email at 11pm…or the follow up one at 8am.

LI Wedding Bride & BMs

6) Beauty is my full time job: Beauty is my passion and also how I pay my bills. From sun up to sun down, I am making people look and feel good, researching (and developing!) products, providing customer service, and practicing/honing my craft.  Makeup and hair are a lot of fun, but it is also an intensely demanding job.  I run the business end of things like paperwork and marketing as well as performing a wide spectrum of beauty services, and obviously I’m good at it because I’m not starving.  Please value it because it’s not easy.

7) Products & Tools: All of my products and tools are professional grade and kept in proper sanitary conditions in accordance with industry standards.  This means not only constant acquisition of new products for testing and to replace ones that are depleted, but also maintaining stock of proper sanitation materials and disposables such as cotton rounds, Q tips, makeup sponges, mascara wands, and false lashes, as well as hair pins to match every shade of hair.  I am required to have makeup for every skin type and shade in addition to different styling products and thermal tools appropriate for every hair type & texture.  It adds up very quickly!

pic courtesy of http://reclom.net/wedding-gowns/celebrity-wedding-gowns.aspx
pic courtesy of http://reclom.net/wedding-gowns/celebrity-wedding-gowns.aspx

In the end, realize that while it seems that the price point of beauty services is automatically higher when it comes to a wedding, the stakes are also higher. Dedicated Bridal Beauty Artists like myself work hard to provide you with a once in a lifetime experience and shoulder important behind the scenes responsibilities to help your special day be memorable and happy.  I  hope this helps answer some questions on what goes in to pricing Bridal Beauty services.  Please feel free to suggest future topics or ask specific questions!
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Why is Bridal Beauty So Expensive? by Eden Di Bianco is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.