A Hair & Makeup Artist's Perspective: Mariah Nicole Hair and Makeup Artistry

I refer all of my brides to Mariah Nicole of Mariah Nicole Hair and Makeup Artistry. Not only does she do a great job to make my beautiful brides look their absolute best on their wedding day, I can sleep peacefully knowing that she is going to show up on time, stay on the Timeline, make the bride look fabulous, and keep our bride calm and happy. Cutting to the chase: she's a professional, and working with a professional is always the best way to go. Mariah took some time to answer questions for me today. Enjoy!

Q. Who are you and what makes you fabulous?

A. I am Mariah Nicole, hair and makeup artist to you and the stars! What makes me fabulous is how fabulous I make all my clients look whatever the age or skin color or occasion or event

Q. What is it like working a wedding WITHOUT a wedding coordinator?

A. I always freak out when the bride doesn't have a coordinator. I usually try to talk them into hiring someone for at least day of, and tell the bride she will see more premature greys if she doesn't!

Q. What makes a coordinator good?

A. I love it when the coordinator sends me the location and arrival information-- no really, I've actually been left out of the loop. I know a coordinator is good when she is hands-on with me about the prep time because that sets the tone and pace of the day; when she has an emergency kit; when she schedules cushion room between segments to allow for hick-ups; and especially when she and her crew wear black and Mission Impossible headsets.

Q. Do you have any funny wedding stories?

A. The oddest requests I've had as a makeup artist are:

1. Glue the bride's ears to the side of her head because she wanted an up-do but had little protruding ears

2. conceal two black-eyes for the Best Man

3. A request for me to not wear any makeup, do my hair, or look "too" pretty. (editor's note: WOW. Just wow.)

Sharon and James's wedding at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel

Sharon and James were married August 1 at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel with 170 guests in attendance. James is a sports broadcaster in Bakersfield and Sharon is a lawyer in the Los Angeles area and, over countless emails and conference calls over a six month span, we planned a lovely wedding down at the Ritz.

Sharon's colors were pale, shimmery neutral colors of sand, ice blue, silver, and cream and the flowers were lush Phalaenopsis Orchids mixed with Lisianthus, Cymbidium Orchids, Sahara Roses, Cala Lilies, Gardenias, and Ferns. The favors were a lucky penny attached to a lottery ticket with the saying "Lucky In Love" attached to the favor.

They wanted an elegant wedding with a fun party feel to the reception and James, ever the sports fan, wanted a Basketball arcade game for his buddies during the reception. Sharon had her heart set on a Photobooth and a Candy Bar, so they compromised and decided to have ALL of those things! The Basketball game and the Photobooth were set up outside of the ballroom on the terrace that overlooks the Pacific ocean, and guests were able to play and pose to the sounds of the surf crashing. When they weren't tearing up the dance floor, of course!




Even though the Ritz was completely full and busy that day, because of the great team that we had, the wedding day was smooth, stress-free, and fabulous! I had a wonderful time working with some of my favorite vendors:

Florist Alison Franchi of Le Petit Gardenia
Photographer Asgeir Bollason of Asgeir Fotografica
DJ Nahchey Storer of Dash Entertainment
Ceremony String Quartet by Newport Music Services
Officiant Pastor Tae Kim
Videography by Buckley Videography
Basketball Game for reception by Arcade Amusements, Inc
PhotoBooth by Party Booths
Lighting by Aspect Lighting

And of course, my awesome assistants that day: Krista, Erin, and Mallika. The Ritz is so spread out and maze-like that we were running the whole day to make sure everything happened correctly. As per usual, we have to "test" the Photobooth at some point!

Timeline Busters: Pre-Ceremony

The more seasoned I become, the more patterns I see emerge from what appears to be sheer chaos to the untrained eye. Today I'm going to share the top PRE-Ceremony Timeline busters and how I prevent them.

Hair & Makeup
My brides are always a bit surprised when it's time to create the Timeline and I have their hair and makeup finished a full three to four hours before the invitation time. To have them completely done and ready to dress, I budget a full hour for hair and full hour for makeup. If the makeup artist is not one that I have worked with, I'll create a fake time to have the bride done. Hair and Makeup ALWAYS takes longer than expected and I like to have the Timeline padded for that. Another thing I do is budget an entire half hour for my bride to put her dress on. It sounds crazy, but in my early assisting days I was stationed as the bridal attendant frequently and I saw first hand the chaos that is the bridal suite.

Pictures
Probably 80% of my clients do their photos before the ceremony (100% of my Jewish clients) in order to be able to enjoy the cocktail hour and have more time with their guests. Inevitably, only half of the time that is scheduled for pictures is actually used for taking picture, so I budget 1/2 hour for getting ready shots, 1 hour for "first look" and romantics, 1/2 hour for bridal party, and 1/2 hour for family. Because of moving people around and people running late, etc., of that 2.5 hours I have budgeted, we are only actually taking pictures for a little more than 1 hour. I always have my clients tell their bridal party and families to show up earlier than we need them in order to get started somewhat on time. Again though, the Timeline is padded to ensure a prompt ceremony start time.

In order to get a 5:00 PM wedding started on time, this is what my bride's Timeline would look like:

11:30-12:30 PM Bride Makeup
12:30-1:30 PM Bride Hair
2:00-2:30 PM Bride dresses and "getting ready" shots are taken of her and Groom separately
2:30-3:30 PM "First Look" and Romantics of Bride & Groom
3:30-4:00 PM Bridal Party Photos
4:00-4:30 PM Family Photos
4:30 PM Bride hidden from early guest arrival
5:00 PM Invitation time (Ketubah signed at this time if Jewish wedding)
5:15 PM Processional starts down the aisle (5:30 if Jewish wedding)

All of this looks like a lot of time on paper, but as one of my brides once said "it's the longest and fastest day in the world" and the day flies by.

As crazy as this Timeline looks, it's crazier to squeeze all pictures into the cocktail hour, so I always try to gently recommend a "first look". One of my favorite wedding blogs is Photographer Jasmine Star's blog and she talks about the First Look in this post. I experienced a similar feeling at my own wedding, but Jasmine just has a way of capturing words.....oh, and pretty, pretty pictures.

A Photographer's Perspective: CallawayGable

Today I'm thrilled to share the fabulousness that is Brian and Allie Callaway of CallawayGable Photography. I've worked with Brian and Allie at awesome weddings at incredible venues such as Vibiana and Marvimon and not only are they great photographers, they keep me laughing and entertained througout the entire day. I think Brian's funny story is the best I've received so far. Enjoy!

Q. Who are you and what makes you fabulous?

A. My name is Brian Callaway and together with my wife Allison, we are CALLAWAYGABLE—a world class Los Angeles-based wedding photography team. Our 'fabulousity' comes from our unique intertwining of art, creativity and experience which ensures incomparable and everlasting imagery. How? We are the only team with high-fashion experience behind, and in front of the camera. As a former high-fashion model for over ten years, Allison capitalizes on that experience, patiently guiding the bride and groom to their best angles and moments. I am the eye. Together we focus on capturing the moment with a sense of anticipation, humor and sensitivity that is unparalleled in wedding photography. We have shot weddings in South America, Scotland, Mexico, Hawaii and beyond! Our work has appeared in Flaunt Magazine, LA Times, Southern California Bride, and in syndication through national newspapers and online media. You be the judge! Please visit our website and blog.

www.callawaygable.com/blog/

www.callawaygable.com

Q. What is it like working a wedding WITHOUT a wedding coordinator?

A. Have you ever ridden a bike without a seat? This is how a wedding seems when there is not a professional coordinator: it is frantic, exhausting and out of control. Although Allie and I are very accomplished at shooting weddings without a hired coordinator, it is less arduous for us when there is a professional. Specifically from my professional photographer's point of view, a wedding coordinator is instrumental in ensuring a wide range and amount of excellent and stress-free photography. Why? They wrangle the family members (I have never seen this work well when a family member or friend is designated) and manage the wedding / photography schedule.

In this world, you get what you pay for. If you want a stress-free day in which you can fully invest and relish in the emotion and experience of the most important day of your life, without the worry that comes with mounting the biggest production of your life – hire an accomplished coordinator. It will be the best investment you ever made, except, of course, the photography investment.

Q. What makes a coordinator good?

A. A good coordinator is a super, god-like human being because she must be an excellent multitasker, planner and organizer, communicator and leader, all the while maintaining a cool head under fire.

A great coordinator, like Amber Gustafson, does this subtly and seemingly effortlessly with panache and grace. (editor's note: I did not pay Brian to say this! Thanks, Brian!)

Q. Do you have any funny wedding stories?

A. This question had me stumped, and not for lack of funny stories. I have so many; it was difficult to decide—until a wedding at The Los Angeles Central Library last Saturday night.

Allie and I were in the bride's room at The Biltmore, just beginning our evening. I was in a squat position, taking macro (extreme close-up) shots of the rings, when all of a sudden I heard a huge fabric rip. It got very breezy very fast in an area not normally exposed to the breeze. I slowly turned around, trying to stifle the oncoming dread, and what did I see? Fifteen or so women of all ages, staring at me, in various stages of horror and shock.

I had split my pants right down the middle.

It should be noted that I carry four backups of everything in case of a catastrophic emergency: cameras, lenses, flashes, memory cards, etc. I only brought one pair of trousers. Uh-oh.

We tried to tape it shut, that wouldn’t work. We tried safety pins – same result. Keep in mind that I was still shooting while Allie was working on my rear end. Finally the wedding coordinator came to the rescue with a sewing kit. As I photographed our bride’ portraits, Allie stitched those pants, Frankenstein-style. To her credit and chagrin, her impromptu repair held throughout the evening (thank goodness it was dark!)

When I look back on happy accidents like this, I am always reminded that they seem to always happen for a reason. Our bride had been very tense, obviously nervous as is usual with 99% of brides. The second my rear end went from private to public, the place erupted, instantly relaxing the entire room, and sending our bride into hysterics. Her nervousness and tension was not to be seen again for the rest of that fabulous evening.

Labor Day

Happy (post) Labor Day! There was a quite a holiday weekend in my world as I had the weekend off after a stretch of five (awesome!) weddings in a row, and, along with pool parties, BBQ's, crafting, sleeping in, and spending time with my husband, I attending a wedding as a guest Saturday night and had the best time ever! I haven't been a guest for at least three years and I know how lame it sounds when I say I'd forgotten what it feels like to celebrate at a wedding. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I love watching my clients celebrate, but it is such a different perspective to be on the dance floor after a few glasses of champagne, than standing in a corner in a suit checking a Timeline! I closed the dancefloor down at 2:00 AM and am still sore from it. It was fantastic!

It was a great way to recharge after an intense wedding season and I'm ready for my next batch of weddings!