Saving money on your wedding budget
Weddings have become a huge business in the South Asian community, but sometimes it can hurt a bride and groom’s bottom line. Vendors start increasing their prices and their competitors will follow suit because if couples are willing to pay the premium, they will keep their prices high. The Shaadi Bazaar team has some tips for brides to save some major bucks and still look gorgeous on your big day.
- We have heard some lofty price quotes for bridal makeup application- some over $1,500! Have no fear, there are definitely many ways to keep the cost down. First of all, if your ceremony and reception are a couple of hours apart- think about just hiring a makeup artist for just the wedding and then you or a friend/family member can touch it up for the reception. All brides have someone in their midst who is gifted with makeup. Most of your pictures are taken before and after the wedding – that’s when your makeup needs to be perfect. When you’re at the reception, it’s party time- you’re surrounded by friends and family. As long as your makeup has been touched up, you will look great.
- If your makeup artist also does hair styling, then make sure you negotiate an appropriate price because it is technically two services and they are taking more time to make you look beautiful.
- Always do a trial, the last thing you want to do is book someone because you’ve seen photos of their work and then when your wedding day comes, you don’t like how they do your makeup because you didn’t take the time to figure out Your bridal look. If you’re booking an artist who does hair and makeup, make sure you have them do both at the trial so you can get a full bridal look.
- Search outside the traditional ‘bridal makeup’ vendors, especially when doing trials. A great resource is the makeup expert at your favorite department store counter. Think about it- these people know makeup, do makeovers all day every day, they have tons of experience on different types of skin/face shapes and you can also pick out some colors that you like right there and see how they may look on you. Some makeup artists at department stores also book side gigs to make extra cash – so if you like your trial, ask them if they are for hire and you could even name your own price and negotiate from there!
- If you have your wedding and reception outfits before you get your makeup trial, bring a swatch or the blouse piece so your makeup artist can find complimentary colors. Also be honest about what colors you like and what you don’t. Bring pictures of wedding makeup that you like.
- False eyelashes are all the rage right now- they enhance your existing lashes and make your eyes pop in photos. But if you’ve never had false eyelashes before, you should make sure you like how you look in them. When you book your trial, ask if they can put on fake eyelashes and if you need to buy them on your own for the trial.
- A new trend is for a makeup/hair artist to style your wedding outfit/sari. This is a helpful service on your busy day, but in all of the years that women have been getting married, there hasn’t really been a need for brides to hire someone to put on their clothes, so keep that in mind if vendors are trying to sell you on that. We all know how to put on clothes- you have your mom or an aunt help you. The same thing applies for your wedding, but try not to have your mom do it because she also needs to take care of her outfit too. So find someone you trust, ask family members and friends if they know of anyone that can put on an outfit well- everyone knows someone. And let’s be honest- wedding outfits look gorgeous on a hanger and will look even better on you. You just need someone to make sure that all of the pleats are in the right place and that your dupatta looks even and is not dragging.
