Getting ready before ceremony

2 hours prior to start of wedding is not enough in my opinion. My hmua said it would take 30 to 45 minutes per service (for hair alone or make up alone). And then you still need time to get in your dress, take pictures. 2 hours is too tight of a timeline.

We started at 9 am for a 6 pm wedding - granted, we had some down time, but two hours is definitely not enough time to get ready and have pictures taken

I was quoted 4 hours for 5 people including myself for hair and makeup alone. If the price for arriving a few hours earlier is super expensive, you may want to see if you can get ready in a nearby hotel for hair and makeup for everyone. Then your party can get dressed in the bridal suite and you would have time for pictures.

We started at 9 am for a 4:30 pm ceremony. We went to a salon. Some of my girls did their own makeup and hair and others got it done. We got back to the venue around 2:15pm. Got dressed in 30ish minutes, took pictures, did a first look and then went back to the bridal suite at 4 in prep for the ceremony.

I would show show up with hair and makeup done to your venue. Then get dressed and have mimosas at the bridal suite. You’ll need the 2 hours to relax, get photos, get dressed, etc.

View Quoted Comment Thanks Stephanie! I did look at hotels near by and they are cheaper than paying extra to go to the venue earlier. That’s what I will do.

View Quoted Comment Look at air bnb they are usually cheaper then a hotel.

A lot depends on what you want done. If a professional is doing the whole party it'll take longer than two hours for sure.
When I was a bridesmaid my friend only did the bride's make up and it took us about two hours, which included dressing the flower girl which it took longer to dress a toddler than anything.
If you have more than three bridesmaids it will take longer.
Overall if you're worried I agree doing make up at the hotel then putting the dresses on in the suite will be a better use of time and money.

I have a similar thing with my venue, we have a bridal suite but are only allowed in 2 hours before. We are going to be doing hair/makeup at the hotel, and will then go to the venue to get dressed, touch ups, etc.

We will be getting hair & make up done (at a house) from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, then getting dressed from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm. Doing first look & pictures from 2:00 pm to 4:15 pm. Ceremony starts at 5:00 pm. This is my set schedule, as I've already worked it out with all hair & make up artists, photographer, and officiant.

Oh my… 2 hours? Most bridal parties begin getting ready hours and hours before the ceremony start time, namely to allow enough time for "getting ready" pictures and shots of you and your girls. I would definitely spend the extra money to have more time to get ready

I rented an AirBnB which I'll start at the night before, the girls will get ready there, and that will be where FH Anand I spend the wedding night. I didn't think a regular hotel room would fit me, my 6 bridesmaids and my mom getting ready. The hotel wanted $390 a night for a suite!!!

We're starting at 11 for a 3 PM wedding, but there's only two of us getting ready. If it was four, we'd probably be starting at 9, assuming everyone was getting their hair done.

We are paying extra to get in early. We have our bridal suite from 10AM-4PM for bridesmaids and me to do our hair and makeup. I'd plan on 45 minutes per service for bridesmaids, then an hour per service for you. I'd also consult with HAMU artists for their timeline. I hired 4 artists for 13 women.

Definitely not going to be enough time. We have a bridal sweet at our venue and we can get there as early as 6 and knowing me I will be there on the dot. Well maybe not actually but some people are going to start getting ready at 9/10 and I won’t start until about 2/3 so I would def need more than 2 hours. It’s a lot of pressure for them to get everything done in a short amount of time. Even though you hired a lot it will still put a rush on their work. I would for suggest paying the extra fee and getting more time. This way you aren’t going back and fourth from one place to another and working on some girls at one place and the others at the venue. Keep everyone together and have them get ready there.

I'm in the exact same situation, so I'm glad I saw your post! I only have one bridesmaid, we're doing our own makeup, and my mom is doing my hair. I think the plan is to do hair and makeup at my mom's house (which is huge, giant beautiful bathroom etc.), and spend the 2 hours in the bridal suite getting dressed, taking pictures, hanging out etc. I will bring hair and makeup stuff so we can touch up right before. Best of luck to you!

Our hair and make up took 4 hours ...we did hair and make up at the salon , and then went to our “getting ready house” to hang out and actually get dressed, and get some photos.

I have the exact same time frame and am also struggling! I want getting ready pictures and this means paying extra for the venue or asking her to travel from hotel to venue!