Hey ladies! I’m so excited about all of the weddings and brides this year! 2012 is going to be an awesome year. It may only be January but I’m already seeing an outpour of brides-to-be who are getting a big leg up on their wedding planning.

A lot of guys out there popped the question over the holidays and it’s wedding show season. That’s the perfect recipe for booked wedding vendors.

Some brides are taking the advice that it’s best to pencil in those appointments and get their wedding on vendors’ books right away—if you’ve got your wedding date and your venue down it is not too early to book with all of your other wedding vendors. In fact, the sooner the better. The last thing you’d want to hear from your favorite makeup artist is that your date is all filled up!

Hopefully today I can answer some of the questions that are on a lot of brides’ minds when it comes to booking your professional wedding makeup artist. And, as always, if you have any more questions or if you’re ready to book your date then definitely send me an email at info@ashleebivins.com

Q: I know I can email or call to book you for my wedding makeup, but I have a wedding planner who’s planning the whole wedding schedule. What do I do?

A: Let your wedding planner / coordinator get in touch with me so I can be perfectly placed in your busy day’s events!

Q: How soon before my wedding do you want to do my makeup?

A: I average 30 minutes per lady.

Example: If the ceremony is at 5:00 p.m. and if you’re doing a first glance at around 2:30 or 3:00 with your groom before the wedding for pictures (which is a totally awesome idea; you should definitely consider it!), then I would want to make sure I’m completely done with your makeup by 2:00. I want to give you plenty of stress-free time to pack up and head to the venue where you’re getting your photos shot. Let’s say if it’s a wedding party of you and 5 ladies in line for pro makeup then I’d need to start makeup by 10:30 or 11:00 a.m.

Q: Where will you apply my makeup?

A: All trials can be done at my studio. But for the actual wedding day makeup we’ll do that at your “getting ready” location.

Q: Do I need to bring anything / any makeup of my own?

A: If you like, bring along any pictures of makeup that you fancy. But if you’ve done a trial session then just bring your fresh face!

Q: How about a test or trial session? To see how my wedding makeup will look before the actual day?

A: Fantastic idea! I recommend it. That way you’ll know exactly how you’ll look on your big day—one less thing to think about! I suggest coinciding the trial makeup session with your engagement photo shoot. Or even better, for your bridal photo shoot. Then we can see what you like, love, or maybe want to change up so you’ll be 100% for your wedding day. You can even book a trial session with me any day of the week. Maybe a Friday so you can go out for a “night on the town” with the girls or something fun!

Basically if you’re engaged, if you have your wedding date set, and if you’d like for me, Ashlee Bivins, to be your pro makeup stylist, then please get a hold of me soon. Wedding planning season is in high gear so you don’t want to wait too long and find that your date is all booked up.

XO, Ash