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Avoid a Stressful Wedding Morning with These 3 Tips

4/3/2021

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Brides, let me paint you a picture of a stressful wedding morning scenario I see all too often....

It’s your wedding day! You & your friends take turns getting pampered with hair & makeup, laugh about inside jokes, and jam to Lizzo while you sip your mimosas. 

Finally, it’s your turn to sit in the makeup chair! While your makeup is being applied, your family members and wedding professionals slowly begin trickling into the room. Professional photos are being taken, your videographer is filming, and your florist just knocked on the door to deliver your bouquet. 

As the “happy chatter” volume rises, the music gets turned up, and suddenly, your tranquil getting-ready room feels a little bit (or a lot) more overwhelming than you expected. 

Feeling a little nervous excitement? As the room becomes busier, it's normal that many brides do. We can usually sense that, and we aim to be a calming presence that doesn’t add to the noise. 

There are a few tricks to prevent your morning from escalating to this level of overwhelm. Here are my top three:

1. Surround yourself with people who will prioritize a peaceful wedding morning for you
Most brides love the thought of getting ready with their best friends (and for good reason--it can be a lot of fun)! But if the thought of nerves mixed with a lot of high energy in the room on an emotionally-charged day already stresses you out, consider this: it's ok to be selective and keep the number in your getting ready room to a minimum.

Many of our brides choose to get ready in spacious hotel suites or opt for 2-3 adjoining rooms, so they have a little tranquil space of their own to get ready, and yet their wedding party isn't too far off. 

2. Book experienced hair & makeup professionals
Gathering 6 to 12 (or more) of the most important women in your life, each with an assigned hair & makeup appointment time, can be *just* about as hectic as it sounds. The good news is, after experiencing hundreds of wedding mornings, we also know exactly how to coordinate this portion of your morning to make it flow effortlessly into your day. (If you're an MBM bride, we have this covered!) ;)

Make sure you understand what the "hard stop" time is for hair & makeup to be complete. Important: please don't guess on this one - ask your photographer! Failing to do this is the #1 mistake I see brides make, and it very quickly causes your timeline to run behind. This can be entirely avoided just by communicating with your vendors beforehand.

3. Hire a wedding planner or coordinator
As a wedding professional, it's almost immediately clear on a wedding day when a bride has hired a wedding planner or coordinator. The bride knows that she never has to check the clock, because her schedule is being carefully managed for her. (Doesn't that sound amazing?)

If you haven't hired a coordinator or planner, I highly recommend it if you're aiming for a stress-free wedding day. At the very least, have someone be the "point of contact" for you that day so you don't become the go-to problem solver. Your only job should be to relax and soak up every amazing moment.
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With a little preparation during the wedding planning process, your wedding morning can become the peaceful experience you've always dreamt it would be (promise)! 

Sincerely,
Merideth
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3 Details to Consider Before Creating Your Wedding Morning Timeline

11/8/2020

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Almost every wedding vendor you'll meet with will have questions about your timeline.

​SO many details hinge on your wedding day schedule.

But where do you start?! How do know how much time to plan for each section of your day?

While I'm no wedding planner, after servicing 300+ weddings, I’ve seen plenty of morning wedding schedules that create unnecessary stress, and the ones that build in time for intentional relaxation.

First thing's first: I strongly recommend hiring a wedding coordinator. A great coordinator makes all the difference on your wedding day. They reduce your stress, ease your decision-making, and have the experience to finesse your budget in creative ways. They're worth every penny to ensure you and your family can relax without worrying about keeping your schedule on track.
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Here are 3 questions to ask yourself while creating your morning timeline:

1. WILL HAIR & MAKEUP TRAVEL ON-LOCATION?​
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If you're worried about a narrow getting-ready timeframe, or just want your morning to be as relaxed as possible, I strongly recommend hiring beauty pros who offer on-location services. If possible, you don't want to waste any time traveling back-and-forth to a salon.

Pro Tip: Make sure both your hair and makeup pros can travel on-location, so each professional has the ability to rotate clients (i.e. after Bridesmaid 1 is finished with makeup, she'll get her hair done, and the process repeats for each person). 
I cannot overstate how much time this saves on your wedding day.

APPOINTMENT TIMES VS. THE "CLIENT ROTATION" METHOD
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The "client rotation" method takes place at nearly every wedding I service, and for good reason -- it ensures that no one is waiting around for their pre-set "appointment time" and keeps things moving at a smooth and steady pace.

​For my organized / Type-A brides...try to resist the urge to assign specific appointment times to each person in your wedding party. Speaking from experience, this type of structure is very unforgiving, rarely works the way you think it will, and actually ends up causing delays.

Ask your beauty team how much time they'll need (per person per service), and you can work out your getting-ready start & end times from there. You'll still have the perfect amount of time to get ready, but without the stress!
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2. HOW LARGE IS YOUR WEDDING PARTY?
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It's no surprise that the more people you have in your wedding party, the more time you'll need to set aside to get ready.

DETERMINE YOUR  "HARD STOP" TIME FOR SERVICES 
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Once your beauty pros have your final head count, it's essential to let them know when your "hard stop" time is for all beauty services. If you're not sure, ask your photographer! It's crucial that this time is communicated to your beauty team so your schedule doesn't run behind.

One note to consider: if your ceremony is at noon, and you have a 8-person bridal party, get ready for an early morning start-time. Bonus: you'll just be sitting the whole time, so very little effort is involved! ;)
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3. WILL YOU TRAVEL BETWEEN LOCATIONS?
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Consider the location(s) where your wedding day events will take place (getting ready space, morning portrait locations, ceremony, etc). If everything takes place in one central location, you'll generally have more timing flexibility than if transportation is required between multiple areas.

ALWAYS ADD CUSHION TIME

If several locations are involved, make sure your timeline allows some cushion for the unpredictability of traffic, and the unspoken “chaos factor” involved when moving large numbers of people (aka, your wedding party and guests) from place to place.

Happy people tend to move just a little bit slower (and wedding parties are some of the happiest people around)! It's beautifully joyful chaos, but can be a source of stress if not planned correctly.
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xo,
​Merideth

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How to Prepare for Your Bridal Preview

6/18/2020

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Congratulations!

​
​We are so thrilled and honored you've chosen Makeup by Merideth to be a part of your special day! This post will help you prepare for your bridal preview leading up to the big day.

Here are a few tips to prepare for our appointment together:

1. Gather Inspiration


​There's an overwhelming amount of inspiration to find online for your bridal look. Here's the best place to start: gathering your favorite looks on Instagram or Pinterest (bonus points if it's from our MBM portfolio)! Even if you can’t find the exact makeup style you're envisioning, a collection of pictures that you're gravitating towards will give your artist a ‘feel’ of the look you’re going for. Feel free to screenshot any of our latest work from Instagram, or take a look at our wedding makeup inspiration boards here.

2. Communicate Your Look Like a Pro


While your artist will ask you a series of questions during your appointment to nail down your vision, we recommend asking yourself a few questions to get a true understanding of what you want:
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- How much makeup do you wear on a daily basis?
You may wear minimal makeup, a full face of makeup, or none at all. There's no "wrong" answer, but making your artist aware of your "comfortability level" with makeup will ensure that you absolutely love your look. Even if you are willing to "take it up a notch" on your wedding day, communicating how much makeup you're comfortable wearing on a daily basis will give your artist an educated starting point.

- Do you have skin concerns?
Whether you have acne-prone skin, oily skin, dry skin, or texture concerns, let us know and we will use a combination of customized products and professional techniques to make sure your skin looks great and your makeup lasts all night.

- What time of day are you getting married? Is your venue space light and airy, or dark and dimly-lit? 
As a general rule, you can get away with deeper, more defining shades in candlelight and during evening ceremonies, whereas bright, daytime weddings often pair well with more natural and subdued makeup.

- What style is your wedding dress?
Is it modern or romantic? Understated or structured? Is there detail around the neckline? You may want to show off your décolletage, highlight your collarbones, or have us airbrush away any body blemishes that may be exposed. Sharing these details will help us guide you toward your dream look. 

- What shades and tones do you prefer on your eyes?
Warm tones, cool tones, browns, purples, or grays? If you're unsure what suits you best, that's perfectly ok too! We're happy to recommend a color palette that best compliments your eye color and skin tone.

- What editing style does your photographer have?
This is so often overlooked by makeup artists, but here's why it's critical to consider during your bridal preview:

​If your photographer has a "light and airy" editing style, that will drastically effect how washed-out you could end up looking in your photos without using the proper makeup tones and shading techniques.

Similarly, if your photographer has a "dark and moody" style, we like to use a lighter touch than normal so your makeup doesn't appear too heavy in photos. And if your photographer has a "true-to-life" style, what you see in person is typically very similar to how it will photograph. 

We understand the delicate balance between making sure you look your best in pictures, while ALSO looking beautiful in person, so you can feel confident about looking great in both settings!

3. How to Arrive to Your Appointment


SKINCARE:

We suggest arriving to your appointment with clean skin, free of residual face & eye makeup. Each appointment begins with ultra-pampering luxury skin prep, gentle facial exfoliation, and lip moisturizing. If you're able to schedule a HydraFacial (our personal favorite) beforehand at your local spa, even better! This will allow your makeup to lay on the skin flawlessly.

​CLOTHING:

Wear something that makes you feel beautiful! A pretty off-the-shoulder top or your favorite white dress will enhance your experience and, believe it or not, can affect your choices throughout your consultation. This is a special experience during your planning process, so enjoy it! Tip: wearing white, cream, or the color of your wedding dress to your appointment will give you a sense of how your makeup will coordinate next to your dress.


We hope this helped you feel more comfortable prepping for your bridal preview. We can't wait to meet you & work together to create your dream wedding look! 
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See you soon!

-Merideth
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COVID-19 Update + Our Procedures

4/14/2020

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**Updated as of 2/2022**

Our priorities here at MBM go so much further than enhancing your beauty. That is to keep you, our client, healthy and safe.

As things slowly ease back into normalcy, it's important for you to know that your safety will continue to be prioritized. While we have always abided by health department sanitation standards, we are, however, being more mindful than ever before.

Here are the safety measures you can expect from us:
  • Our entire team is fully vaccinated and boosted.
  • We wear face masks for the entirety your appointment.
  • We disinfect all surfaces before setting up our makeup stations.
  • We wash our hands for 30 seconds before services begin.
  • We use new, clean brushes that have been disinfected and washed with soap and water for every client. 
  • We use a full set of clean brushes for each client that is designated only for them. We do not use brush cleaning spray between clients. (Note: Brush cleaning spray is only meant to remove product texture; it does not properly clean or sanitize.)
  • We use new, disposable mascara wands for each application, and we never double-dip. 
  • We disinfect and wipe down our entire kit, product by product, before we pack our kit and after completing a job. 
  • We regularly clean surface objects with a disposable disinfectant, as well as objects that are frequently used, such as phones, keyboards, door handles, tables, counter tops, and cabinets.
  • After every client, whether in the studio or at your location, we clean our working surface and wipe down our makeup chair.

In addition to these everyday steps, the MBM team is dedicated to staying home should we exhibit any signs of illness, no matter how mild. Likewise, if you have an upcoming appointment with us or are not feeling your best, and/or if you're thinking about postponing your event, please contact us as soon as possible and we’ll be happy to rebook your appointment at no extra charge.

We know this situation is constantly evolving, and we will remain flexible for you. We will continue to closely monitor this developing situation and keep you posted on our company updates according to state and federal guidelines.

For information about COVID-19, please visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here.

Thank you for your continued trust in us. I look forward to helping you look and feel your absolute best. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at any time. 


​Stay well,

Merideth

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AbOUT MBM

Cleveland | Makeup by Merideth specializes in luxury makeup services for weddings, special events and engagements all across Cleveland, Ohio and the surrounding areas. 

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