Choosing Your Make-Up Artist

Photo by Bailey Pianalto Photography
MUA-Alexa Armstrong

When you are planning your wedding and trying to determine where your money is best spent, it is often easy to skip a professional make-up artist and try to save some pennies by doing your own make-up.  Of course a make-up artist will tell you this is a mistake, but you know who else will?  Your photographer!

Mike and I on the best day of our lives.
I love this photo.  I look so young and skinny.

From a photographer's standpoint, it is all about a whole day approach; those before shots of getting ready.  "I want to showcase that the bride was pampered during her big day.  It is all about the progression from beginning to end."-Kara Shelley from Life Expressions Photography.

No other day will have so many hours set aside for just photos.  Your wedding photos are the best investment that you can make towards remembering the day that you said I Do.  You want those photos to be stunning and to be able to remember 20 years later how truly beautiful you looked and felt that day.

But nowadays, YouTube has made everyone a make-up artist in their own right.  Videos of contouring, glamour make-up, and smoky eyes fill up the Trending boards.  So why should you hire an MUA for your wedding when you can do your own?

Photo-Life Expressions
Make-Up- Alexa Armstrong
Venue-Mallinson Vineyard and Hall

For one, most MUA do more than just make-up.  My friend and go-to MUA, Alexa Armstrong, is one of many artists who do more than special event make-up, including spray tans, hair, nails, and waxing.  When you hire an artist, you can often get packages that you might pay more for when you go to different people for them.  Even if your artist won't have time to perform all of your beauty regimen the day of, they can create a Week Of package for you or bring in others that they work with to help out.  Your MUA is going to be your best referral for other services as well, since they work so closely with vendors in the industry.


Your wedding day is not a day to experiment on a new look, and yet you do not want to look the same on your wedding day as you did on your engagement day.  An MUA can give you that fresh look, paying special attention to your eyes or creating larger lips, without the fear of overdoing your make-up and looking like someone completely different.  Your make-up artist can make you look like you, just a more defined and beautiful you.

Photo-E-Golden Moments Photography
Make-Up-Alexa.MUA

Finally, your home make-up is not made to stand up to tears, humidity, heat, wind, or Great Grandma's kisses.  Your MUA brings with them specialized kits for all skin types that will stay throughout your day of hugs and photos.  Alexa Armstrong has a line of make-up that is naturally derived and will not cause skin irritations which is extremely important on a day when you can expect to wear it for 10-12 hours.

Photo-Life Expressions Photography
Venue-Mallinson Vineyard and Hall

There are plenty of places to cut corners, and if you know that your make-up skills are on par with the videos you have been glued to for the last 12 months, then play around with your look for months before the wedding.  If you do want an MUA, call my friend Alexa.  You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alexa17mua/