WEDDING MORNING MAKEUP TIMELINE
I work backwards from your ceremony. I leave about 30 minutes of buffer before photographs, allow about an hour for the bride and 30 to 45 minutes for each additional person, and arrive around 20 minutes before the first face. The calculator below does that arithmetic and adds a travel estimate at $100 an hour from Lewiston.
By Bridgette Goulet, licensed aesthetician and makeup artist | Last reviewed September 30, 2026
YOUR MORNING
Ready by 2:30 PM
Makeup starts 12:00 PM, allowing 150 minutes of makeup for 3 people
I arrive 11:40 AM
I leave Lewiston about 10:58 AM
Travel to Portland is about $140 for the round trip, at $100 per hour, confirmed at booking.
What assumptions does the timeline use?
- 60 minutes of makeup for the bride.
- 45 minutes for each additional person having makeup.
- 30 minutes of buffer before photographs begin.
- An extra hour reserved when photographs happen before the ceremony.
- The artist arrives about 20 minutes before the first face to set up and light.
- Drive time from Lewiston taken from the town pages, and travel priced at $100 per hour of round trip drive time.
These are planning figures, not a contract. Photographs, transport and the number of people all move a morning around, so the final schedule is agreed with you at the bridal preview.
How do I build your wedding morning schedule?
I start with the time you need to walk out the door, not the time I arrive. From there I count backward: the bride finishes last, with a little breathing room before photos, and everyone else fits in ahead of her. Then I add setup time at the start and a short buffer in the middle, because mornings rarely run exactly to plan.
Once the order is set, I send it to you so you can share it with your photographer and anyone else working that morning.
What slows a morning down
The most common delay is someone arriving after their turn in the chair. After that it is getting into the dress, which takes longer than most people expect, and photos of the getting ready moments that pull people away mid schedule. None of this is a problem if it is planned for, so tell me early if the photographer wants detail shots or a first look before the ceremony.
Setting up the getting ready room
I need a table about the size of a desk, a chair at normal height, an outlet close by and, if you can, a spot near a window. Natural light is the most honest light for makeup, and I bring my own lighting for rooms that are dim. Keep the table clear of food and drinks so products stay clean.
Before I arrive
Everyone should come to the chair with clean, moisturized skin and no makeup. Eat breakfast and drink water.
Your touch up kit
Before I leave I hand the bride a small touch up kit and show her how to use it. A quick blot and a fresh coat of lipstick before the reception is usually all it takes.
What can the calculator not account for?
The numbers are a useful first sketch, but a room can change the order. If the person wearing the dress needs to step away for photographs, or if someone must leave early, tell me when I confirm the final schedule with you. I can put that person in the chair earlier without moving the ready time for everybody else. Send the plan to your photographer too, so a detail photo does not take someone out of the room at the moment their makeup is due.
A drive estimate is not an arrival promise. For coastal traffic, winter roads or a ferry crossing, I look at the actual getting ready address before I settle the start with you. Make space for a clear table and an outlet before I arrive so setup does not use the first appointment slot. Once the final headcount and ready time are known, I send the order for the morning. Use the calculator to begin the conversation, then let me adjust it for your day.
TIMELINE QUESTIONS
Allow about an hour for the bride and 30 to 45 minutes for each additional person. The calculator on this page uses 60 minutes for the bride and 45 minutes for everyone else, which is the safer end.
About 30 minutes between the last face being finished and the first photograph. It absorbs a dress that needs help or a delayed car without touching the ceremony time.
Normally about 20 minutes before the first face, so my kit and lighting are set up before anyone sits down. On long drives I may suggest travelling the night before.
A table about the size of a desk, a chair at normal height, an outlet nearby and, if possible, a spot near a window. I bring my own lighting for dim rooms.
Come to the chair with clean, moisturized skin and no makeup, eat breakfast, and arrive a little before your time in the schedule.
Tell me who needs to leave early or be in the first photos. I can adjust the chair order around that time.
Yes. Share the order once you and I agree on it so portraits and getting ready photos do not take someone away during their turn.
CHECK MY DATE
Tell me the date and where you are getting ready and I will come back to you within one business day. For studio appointments such as lashes, brows or a facial, use online booking.