October Recap : 15 Weddings in 31 Days
I realize that couples are often curious what other couples are up to or they wonder what we’re up to when we’re not doing things associated with their wedding. So I thought we should start something new around here… a monthly recap of weddings and as galleries come in we’ll spotlight weddings along the way. This recap is designed so that you can see the logistics of headcount, location, quantity of artists, timelines etc. It gives you a peak of “if this was mine”—my location, my headcount, etc. And yes you read that right, we had 15 weddings in 31 days! October is the BUSIEST wedding month of the year. Let’s get started!
Half up Hairstyle by Kim
October 3rd : Madeline H in Aldie Virginia
Marrier + 3 adults with Kim (Hair) & Gigi ( makeup)
It was a later start in the day which for it’s rarity is always appreciated when it does happen. We started at 12:30 and finished at 4:30 pm.
October 3rd: Nicole at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC
Marrier + 4 adults with Jenna (makeup) + Michelle (Hair). This wedding we had 1 individual who was receiving hair that wasn’t receiving makeup and 1 individual vice versa.
A pretty typical start time arriving at 7:45 am and finishing at 12:15 pm. On this wedding we got to work with our wedding planner friend Sophie of Events By Sophie (the couple was actually recommended by the planner to us).
October 3rd : Kelly P at Silo & Oak in Temple TX
Marrier + 5 adults with everyone receiving both hair and makeup with Ashley (hair) & Sheryl (makeup). This was an incredibly super rainy day but everyone clutched to their optimism and by the time of the ceremony it was at most a light drizzle. A relief compare to the downpour earlier!
As we could only access the venue at 11am, that was our start time and we finished at 4:15. The wrap up time was pretty busy as the photographer was gathering detail items and getting ready for other shots so in a dream world we could start earlier but that’s not always an option.
example timeline for hair and makeup for the marrier + 5 with 2 artists
October 10th : Maya L at 1840’s Plaza in Baltimore Maryland
This wedding had a different headcount for hair vs makeup. There were the marrier + 4 for hair and the marrier + 6 for makeup. Makeup (Jenna) began earlier ( 9:15am) whereas hair (Gaby) began at 10:15. Hair finished at 2:45 whereas makeup finished at 3:30. Often we aim for the finish time to be the same but in this case the last person was the Grandmother and she was not needed for photos or anything until later. So she was in the last slot and this made it to where we didn’t need to start even earlier.
October 10th: Mariah & Julia at Stone Manor Boutique Inn in Virginia.
LGBTQ+ wedding w/ 2 marrier & separate getting ready rooms example
This LGBTQ+ couple were getting ready at the same property but different rooms and did not want to see each other prior. The headcount ( 2 marriers + 9 adults & 1 child) for hair only was divided between 2 hairstylists ( Michelle & Kim). The one marrier had a minimal “lite coiffing” service whereas the other had extensions. The extensions were actual sew-in and since we only do clip in we provided the professional recommendation of Salon Sage in McLean where she say Quinn. Both artists started at 9 am and were finished by 2pm.
October 11th: Mikayla & Martine at The Willard Hotel and Grand Hyatt - both in DC.
Another amazing queer couple, also getting ready separately. Since they were not getting ready at their venue and instead hotels they did not risk seeing each other at all and chose completely different hotels. With this we had essentially 2 separate teams, 1 for each location. For Mikayla at The Williard ( a personal favorite and I say the best valet in DC), she had the marrier + 4 adults for hair and makeup and 1 child for hair. Services were with Gaby (hair) and Kirstan, starting at 8 am and finishing at 1pm. Across town, Martine was at the Grand Hyatt on H Street with Asia for hair and Jenna for makeup. Martine only received our “minimal t-zone Marrier makeup”. Additionally there were 5 other adults and a flower girl who received both hair and make up services. Services there started at 7:15 and ended at 1pm.
French twist at trial without extensions. Purchase hair extensions for fuller twist for wedding day.
October 16th : Allyson at The Churchill Hotel in DC
Yes, there are weekday weddings. It’s actually a really great option if you want to get married in a specific season (like fall) but that’s also busy season ( like October) so you don’t have to fight over vendors as much. This was a sweet small wedding of the marrier + 2 for hair and makeup with Kim (hair) & Jenna ( makeup). In cases (like this) where the headcount does not equal our minimum value per artist we can simply round up so that we can still work together. Allyson did choose to have hair extensions, (which she purchased from us) to have a fuller french twist.
October 17th: Sydney S at White Azalea Estate in Northern Alabama
This wedding was for hair only for the marrier + 7 adults. Due to the time constraints we did have an assistant (Victoria) along with the lead hairstylist (Maryna). Everyone started at 9am and finished by 12:45 pm . White Azalea Estate is one of our favorite venues in Northern Alabama, partialy because of their expansive getting ready suite.
October 17th Katie at Wild Roots in Lockhart Texas
This was another wedding with a lead (Ashley) and an assistant ( Sheryl). Numbers wise we could have easily had 2 leads but the client wanted to have Ashley as both her hair and makeup artist which pushed us logistically to need an asssitant to complete all the services in time. There was the marrier +5 for both hair and makeup. Ashley as the lead started at 8:15, while the assistant started at 10:30 and then both finished at 2:45. The marrier and her viking inspired look also chose to purchase hair extensions from The Stylist Abroad.
October 17th Alyssa at Dawn at the Chesapeake in Maryland
This wedding was technically a destination wedding because of the travel distance. As in it required lodging because it was 2+ hours away from our artists. This methodology ensures the artists are fresh when they arrive and less curve-balls in their transit to the venue. There was the marrier, 6 adults and 1 junior for makeup with Jenna and the marrier + 5 adults for hair with Michelle. Everyone was completed between 8am-2:30 pm.
2 leads + 4 assistant timeline
October 23rd : Julietta & Casey at The Osprey in Woodbridge Virginia
For this wedding our couple did not care if they saw each other in the morning so we were able to have everyone get ready all in the same location. There were 2 marriers, 12 adults and 1 junior all receiving hair and makeup services. We had 2 leads (Kim for hair and Gigi for makeup) and 4 assistants (Jenna, Kirstan, Gaby & Michelle) . Yes, it was a lot of people for services but also we had a narrow time frame to work with since we couldn’t enter the space until 10 am and everyone needed to be ready by 2:30 pm. It’s busy, slightly complicated timeline like these that reinforce my adamency for names in timelines and color coordination. Also Julietta purchase curly extensions from us which is always a fun, unique service we’re able to offer for our queens with natural curls.
October 24th : Noelle at the Barn at Smith Lake in central Alabama
A small wedding of the marrier + 3 for hair only with the stylist Aleya. Our artist started at 8 am and finished at 11:45. We stayed around until 12 noon for some photos and to balance our timeline with the mua ( not from our team) and the photographer to ensure the client received the images she has hoped for.
October 24th: Emma & Andi at the Woodley Park Guest House in Washington DC
Another LGBTQ+ couple who decided to get ready together. (If you’re keeping track it’s about a 50/50 split.) There were 2 marriers + 3 adults for hair and makeup services with Jenna (MUA) & Kim (hair). Services started at 8:15 am and finished at 1pm.
October 31st: Christina at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg Virginia
Another rather large wedding so we had a full team present. Two leads (Kirstan and Michelle ) and 2 assistants ( Kim & Jenna) for the marrier + 11 adults for both hair and makeup. Something unique about this timeline is that because the marrier wanted very soft retro glam waves and had fine hair we split her hair services. Michelle curled and set it the first 45 min and then took it down to create the wave the last 45 minutes. This does make the timeline longer but for some styles and other factors it’s necessary for longevity.
October 31st: Taylor at Citizen M in Austin Texas
Our final wedding of October! Austin is known for often having later weddings and later starts because of the heat but as seasons shift we notice earlier and earlier starts. This was no different. For the marrier + 4 we started at 7 am to be finished by 12 noon. The artists were Ashley ( hair) and Maite ( makeup). We built in even more buffer time in this timeline because the rooms are small “capsule” rooms so hair and makeup was split between 2 different rooms (same hallway on the same floor) but this allowed for everyone receiving services to move about without delaying the timeline.
WHOOOO October was VERY busy and I know you just guzzled in a whole ton of information! Other months won’t be as busy but I hope this provides a little sneak peak scope as to what we’re up to when we’re not actively interacting with you.