GUIDE: Who Pays for Bridal Party Hair and Makeup?
A Pretty Penny: Who Pays for Bridal Party Hair and Makeup?
Nothing brings excited chatter about the wedding to a screeching halt like talking about money. At least, that is how it is for most. Budgets may be modest or lavish, but they almost always exist in some form for all weddings, and what the bride has available to spend might not be the same as what her bridal party has.
In our experience, the best way to tackle the conversation is to have a plan in mind first and avoid the awkwardness of waiting for someone else to come up with one. If there is silence about it, someone is going to fill in that gap with their own understanding, and you may not like what they put there. One of the perks about being the hired vendor is that we can say these things out loud, because we do not have to go home and live our lives with the rest of the people in the bridal party after. It is okay if they feel awkward about us, because they will likely never see us again. Let us be that buffer for you by helping you have the money conversation.
There are a few different ways to come at this. These are the most common scenarios we see, and the ones we wish we saw more of. Of course, there will always be unique situations. Someone surprises you by calling us to pay for it as a gift, or a loved family member wants to contribute to your wedding and this is just the right fit for their budget. The scenarios below are not intended to cover every possibility, but they apply to most bridal parties and can be used as a solid starting point to work through this line item on your wedding budget spreadsheet.
If you are requiring it, you are paying for it.
Bridesmaids are already spending a significant amount of money to be in your wedding. The dress. The shoes. The bachelorette. If your wedding is in Las Vegas and everyone is from somewhere else, and as a popular destination for weddings, a lot of them are, add flights, hotels, and a weekend of activities to that list. In the full context of what your people are spending to show up for you, professional hair and makeup is a relatively small line item. But small or not, if you are making it a requirement, that bill belongs to you.
If the budget does not allow for both hair and makeup, prioritize makeup.
Nobody is printing a giant canvas of the back of everyone's heads and hanging it over the fireplace mantle. Faces are what show up in photos, which means faces are what matter, which means makeup is the higher-value investment of the two. It is also the easiest thing to get wrong, and the most obvious in photos. Most women can wing their hair, but lack the technical knowledge to create a makeup look that shows up beautifully on camera and lasts all day without someone's lash hanging half off. If you have to choose, choose to pay for their makeup and let them do their own hair. Today's most popular bridal party hairstyles lean toward the simple: a sleek bun, a low pony, a silky flat iron. Most bridesmaids can manage that just fine on their own. If you are nervous about it, select two or three simple hairstyles for them to choose from to do on their own, so no one gets too ambitious and ends up with a frizzy updo that falls out before photos begin.
The smarter move when the budget is a real consideration: cover the bridesmaids' makeup, and give them the option to either do their own hair or add it on at their own expense. Everyone still looks polished, the photos still look cohesive, and no one is feeling some type of way about it. They can choose their own adventure.
Book both moms' hair and makeup. Both.
The bride's mother almost always gets included. The groom's mother is the one who sometimes gets overlooked, and that can make her feel really left out. All too often, we have to remind brides to check in with their spouse's mom to see if she wants services too. Or, we get a call after the wedding is booked and it is the mother of the groom, wanting to know if she can book an appointment for herself. If you are covering your mom's hair and makeup, cover his too. She is just as much a part of the day. She is often just as invested, and she sometimes spends the morning feeling a little on the outside of things. The boys are off doing whatever boys do before hitting the shower fifteen minutes before the photographer gets there with a 3-in-1 shampoo, face wash, and conditioner combo. Even if his mom does not necessarily ask for hair and makeup, she could be left spending the wedding morning on her own. This is an easy, generous way to bring her in. Unless you have some kind of in-law strife that existed before and will exist after the wedding day and you do not want her in your personal space getting ready with the rest of your bridal party, book her. Include her.
The officiant, if she is family or a close friend.
If the person marrying you is someone you love, someone who prepared for this, who is going to stand up in front of everyone and hold the whole ceremony together, include her. It is a kind thing to do, and she is going to be a central figure in all of your ceremony photos. At a minimum, book her makeup.
When bridesmaids want hair and makeup but you are not requiring it.
Of all the more delicate ways you want to handle something, this is it. And by delicate, we also mean very clear communication. First, do not wait for that one bridesmaid who is still undecided to book yours and your other for-sure bridesmaids. Holding up an entire reservation for one person could mean losing your appointment date and time for everyone. It is easier to add her in later than it is to find another high-caliber Las Vegas hair and makeup team to do your wedding because your date and time was booked by another bridal party while you waited to hear back from her.
Second, if they do want hair and makeup and they are paying for it themselves, keep in mind that you are the one signing the contract. That means if they change their mind or try to back out after the cancellation period has expired, you could be stuck footing their bill. Not everyone understands this. To them, it may not be a big deal because they do not realize your obligation. That puts you in a complicated situation where you either risk creating tension by telling them they have to cover their services anyway, or you quietly pay for it and feel resentful. It does not have to be that way.
The way to avoid all of that unnecessary tension is simple: have them send their payment to you before you add them to the booking. Not a promise. Not a Venmo request you send later. Payment in hand before their services get added to the booking. If they back out after that, it is their money on the line, not yours. If you feel awkward asking for their payment in advance, you will feel ten times more awkward having to collect it later after they tried to back out too late.
Who pays for gratuity?
This one is not as clear, and that is because it is often optional. The Aisle Edit is meant to be a resource for all brides, not just ours and not just in Las Vegas, so the way we approach the subject of tipping may be different than how your bridal hair and makeup vendor manages hers. Keep that in mind, since this is specific to our company.
Our stance on gratuity is this: it is never expected, always appreciated.
For bridal parties of six or more, an automatic gratuity of 18% is added to the invoice. After years of debating this, we ultimately decided to include it for ease and to reduce confusion or miscommunication. If additional gratuity is offered on the wedding day, it is accepted graciously. If there is a request to manage the automatic gratuity differently on the invoice, we are open to that conversation. The purpose of building it in is for ease and in line with standard practice.
For bridal parties of five or fewer, it depends on how the paying party wants to approach it. If the bride is paying for all services, it is not unreasonable to suggest that her bridesmaids tip their hairstylist or makeup artist in cash on the wedding day. They will usually tell them a set amount so no one has to guess or compare. The most common we see is twenty dollars per service. This is a flexible option, especially for brides who are paying for all or part of the bridal party.
Alternatively, the bride herself may want to cover gratuity too. If so, we suggest letting the bridal party know that in advance. If not, some bridesmaids may still tip while others do not, based on what they did as bridesmaids in other bridal parties. Then it gets a little awkward for us as the providers, as we are not certain what was intentional and what was because they did not know the bride had already tipped. Just tell them in advance if you have already tipped or plan to, so if they do offer a thank you to their artist, it is because they especially loved their makeup and not because the bridesmaid was not sure if she was supposed to tip or not.
The short version.
Require it, pay for it. Prioritize makeup over hair if you have to choose to stay in budget. Include both mothers. Do not forget the officiant if she is someone you love. If bridesmaids are opting in on their own, collect payment before you commit. If you plan on offering a tip, let the bridal party know. If you want them to tip their artist, tell them exactly how much per service. Everyone gets to look great, no one ends up surprised, and no one is stuck feeling anything but good about it.