Did we ever think a situation like this would arise? I certainly never imagined anything like this to happen. It's such a strange and sad time but I'm optimistic that we will come out better, stronger and more united on the other time.
My heart goes out to all those couples who had planned their wedding to be in 2020. It's such an uncertain time that we aren't even able to tell what will be happening a few days from now.
I've been a Bridal Makeup Artist for 9 years now and have some advice that I wanted to share with all those who are now transferring dates and essentially planning a second wedding and all those who are looking to get married in 2021 and 2022. I also have some advice for Makeup Artists who may be going through something similar to what I am along with my other MUA friends.
Brides & Grooms
1) Don't Panic - even though this is a horrible thing to happen when you're planning your wedding, remember you are in the same position as all other Brides and Grooms who are due to get married in the next few months.
2) Follow government advice and take decisions based on that.
3) Contact your wedding insurance to see how they can help and what they advise. (I know no one will ever get married without it now, ever).
4) Keep in contact with your venue and wedding planner (if you have one) to have Plan B/C ready just in case.
5) Please don't feel pressure from suppliers to ask you to transfer or postpone, ultimately the decision is yours and ofcourse follow government advice and that of the venue too.
6) Any changes, please let your suppliers know. I can speak for all suppliers that we have YOUR best interest and safety at heart. It's best to keep all your suppliers in the loop so that if a transfer of date occurs, it is as seamless and stress-free as possible.
7) As a supplier, we are running a business (for some of us this is our sole income that supports our families). Most of us (or the suppliers that I'm friends with) are softies at heart and will do everything we can to make your day the best for you, however during tough times like this we will have set out terms to protect our own businesses but also be as flexible as these uncertain times allow. I'm allowing the non-refundable deposit to be transferred as a gesture of good will to a new date 12 months from the cancellation date with no additional charges. This will impact my bookings for next year as I'll be unable to take on new work but I'm being as flexible as I can be.
8) If you are looking to transfer a date, set up a Doddle Poll for your suppliers with your new dates. This will save you lots of admin and chasing time.
9) Be as flexible as possible with your dates and timings, this most probably will mean you'll be able to work with all your suppliers at potentially no extra cost.
10) Aim to book your wedding on a weekday during Autumn, Winter or Early 2021, most of your suppliers will have the most availability then.
11) As much as this whole situation is out of your control, the same applies to your supplier. We are here for you, to help you, and to help manifest your dream wedding day. We are all in the same boat.
12) As we are currently social distancing and in lock down, have days where you don't talk about wedding plans to give yourselves a rest. I remember when we were planning our wedding we did this to give our minds a break and just enjoy our time together.
13) If you're getting married later this year then sit tight as things may sort themselves out before then. All your suppliers will be in touch with you. (They're probably currently busy accommodating wedding bookings which are sooner than yours).
14) Stay as calm as possible as the stress will effect your health and also your skin. Remember that at the end of this you'll still be marrying the person you love!
Makeup Artists
1) I'm not going to go over hygiene as this should be something we should be following and implementing regardless of CO-VID19. Due to the current lockdown no one should be offering trials or working on weddings. Once the government allows us to socially gather again, and we are back at work I'll be taking extra precautions such as wearing gloves due to touching my clients face. Face masks that are available in beauty supply stores (I wear these if I have a cold or a cough) do not protect us from the virus.
2) Keep in contact with your clients via email, phone - whichever method suits you most.
3) Keep a spreadsheet of clients who are looking to reschedule - it will save your diary from becoming messy (that's if you still use a paper diary like I do!). I'm logging the following -
* Client's Name
*Date of Cancellation
*Transfer Date
* Package Details
* Outstanding Balance
*Additional charges
Currently I am working with 16 Brides to transfer their dates so a spreadsheet has made it a little easier for me.
4) Issue new contracts once the new date has been issued - this is for your protection but also for your client.
5) You should already have Insurance, if you don't definitely sort this out before your next client.
6) Be flexible but make sure you aren't out of pocket as you are running a business at the end of the day
7) Try and schedule calls where possible with your clients. This will help to reassure them as it's a stressful time for everyone.
8) Keep positive we'll get through this...
I hope this has been helpful for you. Feel free to share with others who are in a similar situation. It's a difficult one, and we're all learning and making decisions depending on what's going on around us and whats best for us.
Keep Safe and Stay In
Photography by Indy Sagoo