How Many Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Does Your Bridal Party Really Need?

With over a decade of experience as a wedding makeup artist, I have mastered the ability to get an entire bridal party in and out of the chair efficiently. While I know three hours is more than enough time for me to get six bridesmaids wedding-ready on my own, I also know that larger parties require more time and/or more hands. A hairstylist will have his or her own time requirements and a maximum number of women they're able to work with during any given amount of time. That's why it's so important to be clear with your beauty pros about your timeline and the number of women who will be having their hair and makeup done ahead of the wedding. Depending on the size of your group, how early you want to wake up, and what time you need to be ready, you may need multiple professionals to get your group ready.

Although the hairstylists and makeup artists you hire will be able to provide you with the best information about their services and timing, you may be able to make an educated guess yourself. Here, three questions to ask yourself to help determine how many beauty pros you'll need on the big day.

What's your ideal start time?

If your bridal party is large and you only want to hire one hairstylist and one makeup artist, you may need to start getting ready at the very beginning of the day. Just make sure everyone will be alright with the early wake up call. Already know you and your group will want to sleep in a little? Then it's worth looking into bringing in two or more of each professional, which will cut the getting-ready time down significantly. Before you create a schedule, make sure to discuss timing and the number of pros with the artists you're hiring-your makeup artist may feel comfortable working with eight women if she has six hours, but your hairstylist might not. If that's the case, you may need to start hair earlier than makeup or bring in an additional stylist.

How long do you need everyone's hair and makeup to last?

Generally speaking, most makeup artists and hairstylists will provide services that will last for about 12 hours. If you know your hair tends to fall or find that makeup usually fades faster on your face, you make want to have these services happen closer to the event. In this instance, you'll likely need more than just one makeup artist and one hairstylist, especially if your group is bigger. Bringing in three of each beauty pro means you can likely cut your getting-ready time down to about two hours (at least for a group of about eight women). Of course, you'll want to confirm this timeframe with the pros you hire.

How much are you looking to spend?

Budget is one of the biggest factors to consider when determining how many hairstylists and makeup artists you want to bring in on the big day. For larger bridal parties, you'll typically find that pros will charge you less money per person, as it's to their financial benefits to be in one place all day. If they need to travel to one location to provide services for two or three women, the price per person is on the higher end. That means that if you're hiring two or three makeup artists or hairstylists for just a few hours each, chances are you will be paying each stylist more than you would pay for just one to stay for a longer period of time. If your time and the pace of the day is more important to you, and you're willing to pay a little bit more for extra artists, then bring in additional professionals could be a good idea.