As someone who has produced photo shoots for major publications, one of the things I’ve learned is how much great hair/makeup artists and photographers should cost. I’ve already written about how photographers get you to pay more,which was something I was shocked to discover. (It still amazes me to see photographers charge the same amount for one wedding as they do for a 5 day shoot!)
The quotes I’ve seen from wedding makeup artists, however, seem to be more in-line with what I’ve seen for shoots. However, while the average, magazine-worthy hair/makeup artist will charge around $500/day for several different looks, it still seems overpriced to pay a potentially less qualified wedding hair/makeup artist $300 for one look.
After going through multiple nationwide quotes from bridal hair and makeup artists, I’ve come up with an average you can expect to pay for a quality hair/makeup artist. Now, I’ve seen a WIDE range of proposed prices…with $300 being the highest quote for a bride’s hair/makeup and $150 being the lowest. While there are going to be hair or makeup artists that charge way more (or in a rare case, less), these ballpark figures are, in my opinion, what you SHOULD pay for a reputable makeup artist in a major city. Which means if you find someone with higher prices than this, you should attempt to negotiate your way down to this pricing level.
Bridal hair/makeup: $180
Bridesmaid/mother of the bride hair/makeup: $150
Hair or makeup only: $80
*Note, these prices do not include a “trial” hair/makeup run, which can cost anywhere from $50-$150. IMHO, I think $65 for hair/makeup trial is a fair price to be argued for. You can also expect to pay for their travel, which typically runs you $30 depending on location, plus the cost of valet.
Did you hire a hair/makeup artist for your wedding? If so, how much did you pay?
This is soooo helpful! A friend of mine who is also does make up and hair offered to do mine for the wedding! For free! What a gift! Until she told me a week ago that she probably won’t be able to come to my wedding!
Thank you for the quotes, I was really upset about such a costly last minute addition to my wedding!
Sam! I’m so glad you’re checking out the site! Srsly let me know if I can help you with any recc’s! I’ll Facebook you some links!
Yeah, the prices are a little bit insane I think, as I’m sure you’re finding for a lot of the stuff. It adds up FAST!
Thank you so much for all of your very VALUABLE info! Not just on make up, but invitations, etc…The costs above would be great…but I’m seeing anywhere from 350-500 in LA! And although I’m getting married in Santa Barbara (at SYR!!!!
) the prices are STILL that high.
Hi Tracy!
I’m so glad that the info is helpful!
Wow! $300-500 for hair/makeup or just makeup?! Does that include a trial or anything else? In Miami, I paid $125 for my makeup (negotiated down a bit so it fit our budget), and $100 for hair, but had to guarantee at least 3 other bridesmaids. (Bridesmaid makeup was $90, hair was $75-100 depending on style). I also paid for the hair/makeup trial, which was $50, as well as $50/hour to have the makeup artist do touchups before the wedding (we had there for the hour we were doing photos beforehand until right before the ceremony, so two hours). So basically I ended up paying $375 in the end.
On a side note, SYR looks gorgeous! I would love to see your photos after the big day!
Hello!
Just stumbled upon your website and I really love it!
Could you share who you used for your wedding hair + makeup?
I am also looking to keep to a tight budget.
Thank you
Hi!
Thanks for writing in! I used a wonderful girl named Bo who did my makeup and hired the hairstylist for me (who was also great). I highly recommend her!! http://makeupbybo.com/