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The average Australian wedding will set a pair of lovebirds back about $36,200. Of that, more than $2500 will be funnelled into things like accommodation, stationery, cars, and the really fun part: your bridal makeup.
Unless you do your own wedding makeup, you happen to have a friend or relative who’s particularly adept with a brush, or you forgo makeup altogether, you’re probably going to enlist the help of a professional to give that lovely face of yours a nuptial glow.
And, unless you’re a recent lottery winner or are marrying into the Packer empire, you’ve probably got a budget in the works to ensure your big day doesn’t totally annihilate your bank account.
Of course, a good makeup artist won’t come cheap, but there are several factors that can determine the final cost of your wedding makeup — and you mightn’t know about them. (Post continues after gallery.)
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“I wasn’t aware that some makeup artists charge extra to travel to your destination – even if it’s in [the same city]. One makeup artist wanted to charge an extra $200 to travel to Palm Beach in Sydney. You could probably get a taxi there for cheaper,” a former bride in The Glow‘s office says.
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“I was surprised by how quickly it all added up. My makeup artist was almost $1000 including my bridesmaids — but I didn’t factor in a hair trial, which cost an extra $100,” another added.
These tales suggest that when it comes to wedding makeup, there can be a whole lot of surprises in store — and not all of them are going to please your bank account. I asked hair and makeup artist Rose Mossman, who owns Sydney-based mobile makeup service My Addiction Makeup, about some of the factors brides-to-be need to consider while on the hunt for their bridal beauty wizard.
Price factors
You've probably figured a makeup artist's industry experience and popularity has a big influence on their prices. However, Rose says there are a number of other factors brides-to-be need to know about:
Travel to the location: "As a mobile makeup artist we are constantly driving. The costs that come into effect are petrol, car maintenance and road tolls," Rose explains. Parking costs can also contribute.
Supply of stock: "We have to have a very wide range of brands and types of makeup to suit different types of skin, including skin colour. Also, makeup expires so it's extremely important your makeup artist is constantly updating their kit to ensure that none of their products are out of date or have expired," Rose explains.
RELATED: How to get glowing skin for your wedding day.
Most makeup artists will also maintain a collection of skincare products to prep your skin before the makeup goes on, so there's another cost that can add up for them.
False lashes: "Most makeup artist will include the false lashes price in their pricing structure, but others will also charge extra for lashes," Rose explains. "This can be priced anywhere from $10-$20 per person on top."
Bridal party size: "Most makeup artists can easily do up to seven people by themselves if a big enough timeframe is given to them. If there is a restricted time frame an assistant is required for the day, that will then incur an assistant fee."
Touchups: It's one thing to get that beautiful makeup on your face, but it's quite another to make it stay put. Some brides request a makeup touchup between their wedding ceremony and the reception; in this instance, Rose says they're generally charged with a set rate to cover the makeup artist's travel costs to the reception location.
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Otherwise, it's common for brides to buy the lipstick colour they've chosen for the day so they can reapply it themselves, although some artists will provide them with a small touchup kit.
"Most makeup artists will recommend that all of the bridesmaids have their own lipstick so that they aren't sharing the same lipstick and cross contaminating," Rose adds. "Sharing a lipstick is not a safe idea and is not hygienic." (Post continues after gallery.)
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Pre-wedding costs
Surprise! Your beauty-related costs aren't necessarily confined to the day you say 'I do'.
"I had to pay to get my hair coloured before the wedding, so there's $400 gone; as well as a $40 manicure, a $50 investment in fake tan products, and a whole bunch of face products to pre-empt any pre-wedding breakouts," one of our resident brides recalls.
RELATED: 14 makeup things every bride needs on her wedding day.
Rose says there are a few pre-wedding beauty treatments makeup artists will suggest their clients undertake to prepare their skin (this also applies to hair, but that's a whole other story). Yes, as you probably guessed, these all cost money too.
Makeup trials: "These are extremely important and a must. You need to feel comfortable with your artist and trust that they are the person to suit you and the look you are after," Rose says. Be mindful that it can take numerous trials before you settle on an MUA and a look you love.
Facials: "Leading up to your wedding day, you may want to look after your skin that little bit more to ensure it has a gorgeous glow and your skin is in its best condition."
Skin care products: "Using the right skin care products for your skin in leading up to your big day is essential as well."
Ballpark costs
As you've probably figured out by now, makeup costs can change significantly from one wedding to the next — and this variance also applies to the people receiving the services on the day. Here are some bridal party ballpark figures to keep in mind:
Bride: You'll be paying anything from $90 to $200 to be all dolled up, depending on your MUA's industry experience, qualifications and what they feel their work is worth.
A bride's makeup costs more than the rest of the bridal party because she requires more attention, and usually more time. Rose says a makeup artist might spend up to an hour on the bride, and around 45-50 minutes on her mother and bridesmaids.
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Bridesmaids: $80-$150 per person
Mother of the bride: $80-$150
"If you are paying any lower than these prices for your makeup artist, they may not have much experience, they may just be starting out in the industry, or they may just use the same basic products and hope that they work on everyone, instead of having a variety of makeup to suit every individual," Rose explains.
"Also, the correspondence between the makeup artist and the bride leading up to the wedding day is generally never factored into the pricing, but the admin side of work is also a makeup artist's time and money."
Other things to know
Yes, your makeup artist will be receiving a fair chunk of your hard-earned dollars to get you wedding-ready, but there are some things you can do to make things easily for her or him.
"A lot of people underestimate the time the morning preparations actually take on the day of the wedding," Rose explains.
RELATED: Bridal hair and makeup tips from our own newlywed, Grace Jennings-Edquist.
"Time absolutely flies by. So it is extremely helpful to have all of the bridal party and everyone who requires makeup to be at the house and within the same area so that once someone is finished the next person can swap and start their preparations."
What were you surprised by in your wedding preparations? Were you happy with your wedding makeup?
You can have a squiz at Rose Mossman's work on the My Addiction Makeup website, Facebook page and Instagram account. The My Addiction Makeup mobile service covers Sydney, Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, Central Coast, Wollongong and the Southern Highlands.
