Doing weddings at unsociable hours

[Lady Murasaki]

Hello geeks

I have a potential client that will need to be ready by 8.30am and up to 3 people need hair and makeup😳😳

I don't have an assistant and don't want the stress of hiring one.

My suggestions to the client are:

1)She hires two people, one for hair and another for makeup. This will get the job done faster and not such an early start.
3) I do it all
2) she doesn't hire me at all

As the wedding is up to an hour away it's going to mean an early start, if she goes for options 1 or 2 I don't feel given the early start for me and it being not normal working hours that I should be charging her more to come out.

If so how much should I charge extra

Her mother is rather deluded and thinks I should start a 7.30am (wtf)

I'm hoping they will go for options 1 or 3 as tbh this is sounding like very hard work already.

 

[emsyj]

I would just decide how much you would need to be paid for it to be worth your while. You're happy not to get the job, it's a pain in the arse, you don't really want to do it - so just think about what they'd need to pay for you to be willing to do the job. If they are getting ready in a hotel you could consider asking for expenses to stay there the night before too so that you don't need to travel in the morning. You also need to enlighten the mother about a realistic start time!!! I left for my wedding at 10.20am and my hair and makeup artist arrived with her assistant at 7.30am to do 4 of us.

 

[~Lady Powderpuff~]

Hello,

As a makeup artist myself I have thought in the past about doing hair too, but have realised that me trying to do the whole lot would be biting off a lot more than I can chew, with just one pair of hands, and a limited time slot with my clients.

If it sounds like too much and you are not keen it would be kinder to the client to just decline and say I'm sorry I won't be able to manage the booking, and politely suggest she may want to try somebody closer to her.

It would be doing the client a disservice if you are going to be stressed and rushing on the morning of her wedding, which is more than likely the most special day of her life. Part of our job is to be a calming presence.

Her mum probably doesn't understand that our work takes time.

Best wishes xx

 

[ktoso888]

For this early start she really needs to have separate hair and make up stylist, I doubt the girls wanting it done will want to be up really early as we know how long wedding days are. I'm qualified in both but haven't offered hair for ages as most wedding bookings are 4+ guests a case of not enough hands to go round lol!

I usually send a spreadsheet to show the breakdown of times needed and who is needed to be in make up at what time. This then explains to them someone cannot be made up in 2 mins.

I don't think you will find many people who would take on this job as a single person as if you allocated say 1hr per person for hair and make up you would need to start at 5.30am!! Call her and explain the situation and say you are willing to do one or the other, do you have any girls you can recommend to work alongside you?? I usually recommend hair stylists I have previously worked with.

The earliest I have started a wedding booking is 6.45am (it was still dark) and that was because there were 7 girls to made up for an 11am departure time I have never worked so fast in my life lol!!

 

[Lady Murasaki]

What is really putting me off is the mother, she is arranging this on her daughters behalf and doesn't seen to realise I need to discus things with her daughter or what realistic timing are

I'm getting the impression this is the wedding she wants for her daughter and it wedding her daughter wants.

She said either her or her daughter would call me today or tomorrow.

I told her I need to speak to her daughter as she is the bride.

I think I will be letting this job slide as I don't need the hassle from a mumzilla

 

[Lady Murasaki]

For this early start she really needs to have separate hair and make up stylist, I doubt the girls wanting it done will want to be up really early as we know how long wedding days are. I'm qualified in both but haven't offered hair for ages as most wedding bookings are 4+ guests a case of not enough hands to go round lol!

I usually send a spreadsheet to show the breakdown of times needed and who is needed to be in make up at what time. This then explains to them someone cannot be made up in 2 mins.

I don't think you will find many people who would take on this job as a single person as if you allocated say 1hr per person for hair and make up you would need to start at 5.30am!! Call her and explain the situation and say you are willing to do one or the other, do you have any girls you can recommend to work alongside you?? I usually recommend hair stylists I have previously worked with.

The earliest I have started a wedding booking is 6.45am (it was still dark) and that was because there were 7 girls to made up for an 11am departure time I have never worked so fast in my life lol!!

This gat I'm going to suggest that she as 2 different people on the day.

Also I already do time sheets with apt breakdowns for the day.

I don't gave another hairstylist I can recommend :-(

 

[Mobile Manicure]

First of all, who the f**k decides on a wedding time where you have to be ready by 8:30am!? Is the woman insane? It's such a long day as it is, she's going to be knackered. More fool her.

I would tell that she needs to hire a separate hair stylist, that at that rediculous hour you're unable to do both. Tell her how long each treatment takes so she can realise how much time you're going to need. Does she really want to wake up at 4:30am on her wedding day? What a nutter!

If you're really not bothered about doing it, I would ask for hotel accommodation for the night before, pick a 4* hotel and tell her it will be included on the bill. That way she might hopefully go elsewhere.

 

[lofty]

7.30 doesnt sound too bad to me especially as its for a wedding I guess most are early starts. I start very early myself but Im self employed and am looking to the future for my business and reputation. I would charge my worth for that time that way you may feel its worth it to you, Hope it works out

 

[Lady Murasaki]

7.30 doesnt sound too bad to me especially as its for a wedding I guess most are early starts. I start very early myself but Im self employed and am looking to the future for my business and reputation. I would charge my worth for that time that way you may feel its worth it to you, Hope it works out

She wants me to start at 7.30 and needs to be ready for around 8.30 am do hair and makeup for 3 people are are you serious when you said it doesn't sound too bad?

 

[lofty]

I think once you speak to the bride you'll have a better idea rather than speaking to the mother.
Or you could start earlier and yes I was serious We all have our own work ethic and that was just my opinion. Goodluck

 

[Lady Murasaki]

I have an excellent work ethic, however there is fine line between accommodating clients needs and them taking the p&ss and being wholly unrealistic.

 

[MissNx]

...

 

[emsyj]

You can't do hair and makeup for 3 people in one hour, lofty. It just isn't possible. However good your 'work ethic'. Being hard working doesn't make you able to work miracles last time I checked!

 

[~Lady Powderpuff~]

It sounds like perhaps this booking isn't for you. I would be devastated if I was the bride and the lady I had booked to make me look and feel beautiful for my special day didn't really want to do it! She will probably pick up on that, and it isn't fair to do that to somebody.

I personally don't think the request for an early start is unreasonable. It is her day and she can do what she likes. As a makeup artist I am providing a 5 star service for somebody on their special day and being flexible to my clients requests is an essential part of the business.

She has approached you to provide a service, but it is your right to say no. There will be others willing to take the job I'm sure.

Best wishes x

 

[kimi1101]

I always plan to leave my brides an hour before they are leaving the house. Gives them time to get dressed and maybe even get a little chill!

 

[AmandaGallagher]

For doing a bridal makeup and two others I would want at least 2 hours, even at that I would feel like I was leaving it tight, and I'd want a bit of time before to get setup too so I suppose I'd really want 2 1/2 hours 😱 that's just for makeup! I definitely wouldn't want to be trying to rush through them! It's sounds crazy to me that she needs to be ready at 8.30, that's a savage early start for a bride! What time is the wedding!


Amanda xx

 

[facelashbrow]

I think once you speak to the bride you'll have a better idea rather than speaking to the mother.
Or you could start earlier and yes I was serious We all have our own work ethic and that was just my opinion. Goodluck

I think you must have misread it- the OP doesnt have a problem with starting a job at 7.30am. But its impossible to do 3 peoples hair AND makeup in 1 hour....which is what she would be doing if she started at 7.30am to be ready at 8.30am. Thats 10 minutes per service!!!!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[facelashbrow]

Oh and I only do makeup...but I would do the job allocating the time that I needed and thats that. I would also add on a premium for the early hours. If she doesnt like it let her go, you dont sound fussed and good luck to her finding a decent hair and makeup artist who wont do the same.x

Sent from my GT-I9505 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[mariehouse]

i would personally speak to the bride, tell her she needs someone else to do the hair and defiantly charge extra for the time, admittedly as us artists know the demands of a wedding mean early starts however this will have to be super early to enable them to be done by 8.30 I wouldn't blame you at all if ya let this one go hun x

 

[Lady Murasaki]

It sounds like perhaps this booking isn't for you. I would be devastated if I was the bride and the lady I had booked to make me look and feel beautiful for my special day didn't really want to do it! She will probably pick up on that, and it isn't fair to do that to somebody.

I personally don't think the request for an early start is unreasonable. It is her day and she can do what she likes. As a makeup artist I am providing a 5 star service for somebody on their special day and being flexible to my clients requests is an essential part of the business.

She has approached you to provide a service, but it is your right to say no. There will be others willing to take the job I'm sure.

Best wishes x

I've been doing weddings for 14 years and I'm not happy that you think I would be so unprofessional to let my feelings about doing a job or the client upset a client on their wedding day. I am professional and act this way at all times with my clients whether I like them or not . I don't let my personal feelings get in the way of things and I certainly don't let them show.

And yes I provide a 5 star services too!

Just because it's someone's 'special day' does not mean the can be unrealistic and not pay extra.

Most people on this thread have not even answer my original question which is about should I change them extra and of so how much for an early start instead people have made assumptions on my ability to cope and wether I'm going to upset this client.

Ian going to be asking for this tread to be closed