Make Up Timeline

I’m getting married in October and right now we are scheduled for start hair and makeup at 10:00am and finished at 2:00pm (2 hair & makeup, 1 hair, 2 flower girls hair & me) for our 6:00pm ceremony.

Right now, my hair and makeup are set to be done by 1:30pm, for a 3:45 ceremony, leaving at least 30 minutes for travel, even though the venue is closer than that (more like 10 minutes!) I've tried to build in extra time over and above what is needed - my hairdresser said she'd like 2 hours for my hair, and my makeup artist said makeup should take 1.5, so I've worked around that, with me being the person done in the middle/towards the end, just in case.

I would ask your hair and makeup people what they think, and work back from the time you'd like your ceremony to start (or end - we looked up the sunset to make sure we had time for photos after the ceremony whilst it was still light).

I've has a "first look" photos before the ceremony, so my make up was done more than 1h before going to the shoot.

For our minimony, my makeup was done about 3-4 hours before the wedding. For our upcoming reception it'll be done much earlier probably as she has to do my bridesmaids as well

Woah!! All these answers make me feel like I need a new plan!


My ceremony is at 4 and I told them it needs to be done by 3:00-3:30. I’m not planning on doing any pictures beforehand and I’m gettin ready at the ceremony location.
Why is everyone getting ready so early? My logic is that I don’t want to create a lot of opportunities for my hair and makeup to get messed up before the ceremony.

I would suggest being done at 2:30 or 3:00 at the latest, as it is always best to leave some wiggle room. You will still need to use the restroom, put on perfume, put on shapewear, put on your dress, shoes, jewelry, etc. and get your bouquet. These things all take time! It is much better to have an extra 20-30min to kill hanging out in the bridal suite than for things to take longer than expected and be completely rushed and late!

PS If you are rushing to get these things done (forgot to add putting on veil!), the more likely you will be to mess up hair and makeup!

I would finish at least an hour before your ceremony. People tend to get ready early if they’re doing any first looks or taking pictures before the ceremony. Your photographer can help you figure out a timeline if that’s not set in stone.

I would go second to last in your group if you want getting-ready photos. And I second taking more time for bathroom and relaxing. You don't want to get sweaty and feel rushed.