Choosing Your Hair and Makeup Team
Image: Abby Julieann Photography
When planning your wedding or event, one of the most important decisions you'll make is who to hire for hair and makeup. With so many independent hair and makeup artists around your choices can be overwhelming. Here are our top reasons why we feel choosing a hair and makeup team over multiple independent artists can save a lot of headaches.
1. Experience
When you work with an established company you can rest assured that you are getting artists who have Experience working weddings and aren’t just hobby artists. You want to make sure that you are working with a company that specializes in weddings. Everyday styling and wedding styling are very different. Many stylists and makeup artists who work in a salon do not have much opportunity to do special events or wedding looks. When you choose a company that specializes in weddings you can be sure that your artists will have the experience you are looking for.
2. Reliability
When you book a company, you can be confident that your hair and makeup will be done on time and to your satisfaction. This is because companies have a team of artists who work together, which means that they can more easily accommodate any changes to your schedule. Additionally, companies have a backup plan in case of an artist's illness or other unforeseen event. They also have a reputation to uphold. It is scary how often we get last minute calls because someone’s artist has backed out. If you went with an independent solo artist, you may be in the lurch. A company with a long-standing reputation is less likely to need to cancel due to sickness or emergencies as they have the team and the connections to be able to come up with alternate plans.
3. Convenience
When you book a company, you only make one contact for all your hair and makeup needs. There’s only one contract to sign and one person to pay. This can save you time and hassle, especially if you're planning a large event. Having everything in one spot alleviates stress and worry.
Signs you are working with a professional/reputable company:
They have a professional website with contact information clearly identified.
They have a professional email address, not just a Gmail or other generic email.
They use contracts and their terms are clearly outlined.
They have upfront pricing and fees.
They have a clear cancellation policy.
They have positive online reviews.
They get back to you promptly and do not leave you waiting for days or weeks to receive a contract or proposal.
They have an easy payment system.
They have awards and/or have been published in the media.
Whether you decide to book a company or independent artists, remember to book your services well in advance, especially for popular events, like weddings. There are only so many weekends in a year and most brides are looking to book their events during the wedding season.
About Alea Beauty
Alea Beauty is a luxury hair, makeup, and airbrush spray tanning service that specializes in styling for weddings, lifestyle, and special events. We believe in an authentic, effortless, and inclusive approach to beauty, and our talented team of professional hair and makeup artists strive to continuously create custom looks that best complement our clients’ natural beauty.
About The Founder
Carla Welechuk Kowski has been in the beauty industry for over 20 years, working as a beauty educator for Chanel, a celebrity personal travel artist, a corporate and personal stylist for Microsoft, and the senior lead artist and general manager for Salon Maison in Seattle, Washington, and in Orange County, California. She’s also served in various other scopes of the wedding industry, including as a wedding and event designer in the early 2000s. In 2018, Carla founded Alea Beauty LLC to offer a more personal and specialized beauty service. Since establishing new roots in Ohio, Alea Beauty has expanded to three more locations across the U.S., in California, Arizona and Massachusetts. She added Glow by Alea Beauty, a spray tanning service, in 2021. In 2022 Carla launched Kowski Creative LLC, a creative coaching and women's entrepreneur mentorship program to help empower fellow business owners and future Creative-preneurs.