How I Handle Makeup for a Large Bridal Party in Maine

To me, a large party is a list of names with a time beside each one, and a first chair early enough to keep everyone calm. I build that list with you before the wedding, so nobody has to guess when it is their turn.

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How do you keep a big bridal party on time?

What makes a large party work is order, not speed. Before the wedding I know who sits in my chair and when, so the morning follows a plan instead of a line of people waiting.

The size of the group changes how early I start and how carefully I schedule. It does not change the time each person gets. I can certainly accommodate a large party myself, and I bring in a team if needed, with every chair time planned on the same timeline.

Everyone in your wedding booking gets 10 percent off my other services, so bridesmaids can plan lashes, brows or a facial alongside the wedding. A 50 percent deposit holds the date, and the balance is due two weeks before the wedding.

How do you plan the morning for a big bridal party?

I start with your photographer. I ask when they need you ready for pictures and build the whole timeline backwards from that moment. The bride is finished last, so her makeup is the freshest when the camera comes out.

A few weeks before the wedding, I ask for your final head count, everyone's name and your ready time. I also want to know about sensitive skin or anyone who wants a softer look. I send back a timeline showing who sits when, and you share it with the group. Tell me early if the number changes, because the start time changes with it.

I arrive before the first chair to set up my lighting and my kit. I bring my own lighting, so the color you see in the room is the color in your photos. Once the last person is done, I go back through the group for a final check before photos. The bride keeps a touch up kit for the rest of the day.

How early does the first chair start for a big party?

Earlier than you might expect. I plan about an hour for the bride and 30 to 45 minutes for each additional person. For a bride and nine others, that is between five and a half and a little under eight hours of chair time.

So for a large party the first chair is often early in the morning, well before the photographer arrives. I work out the exact start once I have your head count and ready time. Nobody needs to guess, because it is on the timeline.

Will the last bridesmaid get rushed?

No. The last person in my chair gets the same time as the first. Before I start on anyone, I ask what they want, whether that is a soft natural look, more glam, a lip color they love or something they never wear.

The thing that does push a morning behind is someone arriving late. It is the single most common reason a wedding morning runs over. A shared timeline does most of the work.

If your bridesmaids are torn between looks, my post on bridesmaid makeup looks helps them decide before the morning. Moms often join the list too, and my mother of the bride makeup page explains how I approach their look.

What should bridesmaids do before their chair time?

Arrive at your time with clean, moisturized skin and no makeup on. Skin that is already prepped and settled lets me start right away, and it keeps the schedule honest for everyone after you. Bring a photo of a look you like and one you do not, so the conversation in the chair is quick.

Tell me about allergies or sensitive skin before the wedding, not in the chair, so I can bring the right products. If someone wants a softer look or has never worn lashes, I would rather know that from the timeline notes than discover it at seven in the morning.

Eat something, and keep a drink with a straw nearby once your lip is on. Then give the chair some room until you are called, because a quiet room moves faster than a crowded one.

How would a large party in Poland be quoted?

I worked a wedding in Poland in late August. Here is how a bride and nine others getting ready there would be quoted. Poland is about 15 minutes each way from Lewiston, one of the shortest drives on my table.

• Bride: $300, preview included
• Each additional person: $130, for nine people
• Travel: about $50, the minimum on my travel table

The makeup lines stay the same anywhere in Maine, and only the travel line changes with distance. The Poland wedding makeup page has the local detail. For how I run every wedding morning, see my page on wedding makeup in Maine.

I take one wedding per date, so when you have a date and a town, check your date with me and I will reply within one business day with the line items for your morning.