wedding hair and makeup timeline: how long you actually need

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the fastest way to push your whole wedding day behind is a hair and makeup timeline that is too tight. everyone assumes one artist can do five people in an hour and a half, and then it is 2 pm, you are not dressed, and the light is changing. it is one of the most common reasons a timeline slips, and it is completely avoidable.

step 1: add up the real minutes

list everyone who is getting hair and makeup done: you, your bridesmaids, your mom, anyone else. then ask your artist how long each person takes, for hair and for makeup. use their numbers, not a guess. artists vary a lot, and hair that is styled up takes longer than hair that is just curled.

add the minutes up. if one artist is doing everyone back to back, that total is how long the whole morning of glam takes. if you have two artists working at once, you can split it, but check that they can really work in parallel.

step 2: work backwards, not forwards

most couples start from when the artist arrives and count forward. start from the end instead.

• when does your first look or ceremony start
• when do photos begin before that (plan 30 to 45 minutes for getting-ready details and dressing)
• when does everyone need to be fully dressed, which is your real deadline
• when does the last person need to be done so they can get dressed
• take your total minutes and add a 30 minute buffer, and that is when glam starts
• add 15 minutes for setup, and that is when the artist arrives

the free worksheet walks you through this with blanks to fill in.

a quick example

say photos start at 1:00 pm. everyone should be fully dressed by 12:30, and the last person finishes hair and makeup by 12:00. five people at 45 minutes each is 225 minutes, so glam would start at 8:15. take off a 30 minute buffer and it starts at 7:45, with the artist arriving at 7:30. your numbers will be different, and that is the whole point of working backwards.

why the buffer matters

everything runs a little long. someone changes her mind about her hair, a zipper sticks, someone needs a snack. a 30 minute cushion means those things are a non-event instead of a timeline problem.

put yourself in the middle

if you can, do not be first and do not be last. if you are first, you are done early and then sitting around. if you are last, you are rushing through your own getting-ready photos while everyone waits on you. somewhere in the middle, you get a calm morning and better photos.

keep one person in the chair at all times. while one person is getting glam, everyone else can get dressed, eat something, or have their getting-ready photos taken.

tell everyone the plan

send each person their start time. ask them to arrive with clean, dry hair and a clean face unless your artist says otherwise. and give your artist your timeline so they know when you need to be done and where you will be. if you would like help building the rest of your timeline so it leaves room for the moments you want photographed, that is something we do with every couple.

questions we get a lot

how long does wedding hair and makeup take?

it depends on the person and the artist, so ask your artist for their time per person and add it up. then add a 30 minute buffer.

should i go first or last?

somewhere in the middle. first means you are done early and waiting, last means you are rushing through your own getting-ready photos.

when should my artist arrive?

work backwards from when everyone needs to be fully dressed, subtract the total glam minutes and a 30 minute buffer, and add 15 minutes for setup.

what should my bridesmaids bring?

clean, dry hair and a clean face unless your artist says otherwise, plus any outfit pieces they need to put on afterward.