Your uncle awkwardly dancing on the dance floor or a slight problem with a wedding cake can make for a memorable wedding day hiccup, but your hair and makeup for wedding photos are some of the most important parts of your wedding day. Wedding photos are shared with everyone and hung up in your home for the rest of your marriage. You want to make sure you look your best for your big day. Here are a few tips for gorgeous hair and the absolute best makeup for wedding photographs.
Makeup for Weddings
On your wedding day, you are going to be the center of attention so you want to have makeup that will last throughout the day and look good in every picture. If you’re planning on a wedding in a tropical destination, you’ll need a plan for getting your beach wedding hair and makeup looking just right.
Lips
Balance is the key when it comes to your lips. Most brides prefer a natural look for wedding day makeup so dark lipstick isn’t very common because it can overpower your look. Neutral pinks and taupes are more common, and add a lovely, natural glow. However, it’s your day to shine and if you love bold lips then go for it! Red is a classic lip color, or you can opt for something edgier if that’s the look you prefer. Whichever color you choose, make sure your lipstick is long-lasting and won’t bleed if the weather is warm. Do a test run with the color you like to make sure it’s good to go for the wedding day.
Blush
It doesn’t matter if you’re doing makeup yourself or having it done for you, blush is a must-have when taking pictures. Chances are you are going to be wearing a white dress. Between the white dress, the sunlight, or even the lighting of the venue, you can quickly look washed out in all of your pictures. Blush fixes that problem.
When you are applying blush for your big day, consider using multiple layers of different colors. Start with a bronze powder and work up to a bright pop of color on the apples of your cheeks. This will help your face have more color and contour in your pictures.
Even if you are trying to go with a more natural look, a few choice colors of blush can enhance your natural beauty without going over the top.
Highlighter
Highlighter is a powerful tool that can make your skin glow and accent the areas of your face where you want the camera to focus. When it comes to using a highlighter, a little goes a long way. Using a dot on the inside corners of your eyes, the tip of your nose, the tops of your cheekbones, and just above the lips and chin can give you a radiant look without much work.
Eyeliner
Eyeliner can be a place to try out a new technique. In addition to winged black liner along your upper lash-line, consider using a skin-colored one along the waterline of your eyes. By using a smooth light-colored eyeliner, you can give the illusion of bigger eyes.
Lashes
Your lashes are the crowning glory of your eyes, so curl all of your lashes. If you forget or skip over some of the outer lashes, your eyes can look droopy. You want nice, beautiful, open eyes in all of your pictures, and something as simple as curling your lashes can add an important pop to your look. Make sure to use a long-lasting, waterproof mascara as well.
If you want to take it a step further, consider false lashes. If you are going to go down that route, make sure to try the lashes out at least a month before your big day. You want to make sure that they are comfortable and are exactly what you want. Your wedding day should not be the day that you decide to try out something new or experimental, because if things go wrong, you don’t want to have it showing in every picture.
Hair for Weddings
The right makeup on your wedding day can make a big difference, but without your hair done right, it can all be for nothing. Here are a few things to consider when deciding how to best do your hair for your wedding.
Color
Do not dye your hair right before the wedding. Coloring your hair is sometimes a multi-step process that requires several visits to the salon to get the color just right. Plus, you want to leave plenty of time to make corrections to your hair if the color doesn’t come out as planned. It’s just not worth the risk to color your hair last minute unless it’s part of your regular routine.
If you want to change or update your hair color for your wedding, make sure to do it at least a week to a month before, if not more. This will give you the time to become comfortable with your hair, and for your hair color to normalize and not be as strong as the day you get it dyed.
Cut
Just like the last-minute dye job, a last-minute cut is where wedding day nightmares are made. Not only can a new style or cut take time to get used to, newly cut hair can have difficulty holding a style, and often needs a little time to look less blunt and freshly cut.
If you are choosing to go with a new cut, make sure that you get it at least six weeks before the big day. We recommend that rather than going with a new cut for your wedding, go with a minor trim to clean up any dead ends and clean up the overall look of your hair.
Hair Care
On the day of your wedding, do not wash your hair. Experts agree that for the best results, you should wash your hair the day before the wedding with a restorative hair treatment that can add shine, volume, and life to your hair.
If you are in no rush and are a few months out from your wedding day, consider starting to use vitamin supplements to help your hair growth. Biotin vitamins can encourage healthy hair growth to help you have long, luxurious, shiny hair.
Destination Weddings
Having a destination wedding can complicate the best plans for hair and makeup. Heat and humidity can ruin a cute idea that would work in a cold or dry climate. To make sure that you don’t fall into any traps for your destination wedding, keep in mind the following tips.
Professional Help
It’s wonderful that your maid of honor offered to help you with your hair and makeup, but they might only have experience getting ready for high school prom and nights out on the town with their girlfriends. This is your wedding day, and you deserve better. Hire a professional hairstylist and makeup artist.
Thankfully, most beach wedding resorts have a spa on-site with professionals who know the weather and conditions perfectly and can help you with your hair and makeup for the ceremony and make you look your best in photos.
When you are dealing with a destination wedding, having professionals by your side that are experienced and trained in making brides look amazing with climate and weather in mind are invaluable. Make sure you set aside enough time for the professional stylist to do your hair and makeup. If they say it will take at least an hour to do the style you are looking for, you need to give them at least an hour to pamper and prepare you. Rushing a makeup artist or a stylist means that you will not get the results that you want or paid for.
Beach Wedding Makeup
For beach wedding makeup, light layers are key. Cakey layers of makeup run the risk of smearing or smudging with the amount of moisture that is in the air, as well as on your skin. By using light, airy layers, you let your skin breathe, which reduces the amount of moisture on your skin.
Remember that beach weather is hot and you will likely get sweaty. To keep your beach wedding makeup looking great you’ll want to make sure you wait to hop under the hot sun until you need to and be sure to keep some blotting papers on hand so you don’t look shiny in your photos. Having a friend on hand who can help you with last-minute prep before the ceremony will ensure you look your best.
Skincare Protection
If your wedding is going to be on the beach or out in the sun, you want to prepare and protect your skin. Make sure to wear both moisturizer and sunscreen to avoid getting sunburnt on your big day. Some foundations include sunscreen which can help you avoid too many layers on your skin while still protecting it.
Beach Wedding Hair
Long hair slightly pulled back into loose curls may be the look of your dreams, but it might not be ideal for a beach wedding. If you have your heart set on a natural look with your hair down, consider positioning yourself so you face the wind. This way your hair won’t blow in your face during the ceremony or during pictures.
Some brides prefer a pulled back, or pinned-up look for their beach wedding hair. A pined-back hairstyle is a little more weatherproof and makes it a little easier to manage if the day is a bit windy. Pulled-back styles can still give you the elegance and style you want, without running the risk of your hair being blown into your face right before an important “I do.”
Photographs
Just as you wouldn’t trust an inexperienced stylist to do your beach wedding hair or makeup on your big day, you shouldn’t trust your pictures to just anyone. Adventure Photos employs skilled photographers that know the unique challenges of a destination wedding and what it takes to get the perfect photos of your wedding day.
Our local photographers are familiar with fantastic photo spots at the local resorts and will help photograph your wedding day professionally and comfortably. We have photographers in many beautiful destinations such as Cancun, Riviera Maya, Panama, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos.
Contact Adventure Photos to learn more about how we can help you capture memories of your special day.
