Wedding Morning, Hour by Hour

Wedding beauty is judged on one morning, but almost none of the work happens then. The morning is where a plan either holds or doesn't. Here is what the plan consists of.

The trial is the appointment that matters

A Wedding Hair Trial runs $150/hr, booked for a one-hour minimum and a two-hour maximum, and a Bridal Makeup Trial is the same. It is not a rehearsal for its own sake. It is where three things get decided: whether the look suits your hair as it actually behaves, whether it survives the hours you need it to, and how long it takes to execute — which is what lets us schedule the morning backwards from your ceremony time.

Bring the things that change the answer: a photo of the dress neckline, your veil or headpiece if there is one, and an honest description of the day's timeline. A look built for a 4PM ceremony and a look built for a 4PM ceremony followed by a 10PM reception on the sand are not the same look.

What the day itself costs

Bride's Wedding Day Hair & Updo is $125 with a Senior stylist and $150 with a Master or Director. Bride's Wedding Day Makeup is $150. For the people standing next to you, Wedding Party Hair & Updos run $125–$150 and Wedding Party Makeup Application is $150 each.

Every one of those is a starting price. Length, density and the complexity of the look move the number, which is what the trial establishes before anyone commits.

Timing, working backwards

Six to eight weeks out is when to book, and earlier in high season — Miami Beach's wedding calendar is busiest when the weather is best, which is exactly when everyone else is booking too.

Color belongs two to three weeks before the date, never the week of. Going meaningfully lighter can take two appointments to do responsibly, and balayage from $240 wants time to settle into something that photographs as intentional rather than fresh. Smoothing and keratin from $275 want the same runway.

A cut looks better on day five than day one. One to two weeks ahead is right.

The venue changes the plan

Wind, humidity and whether you are outdoors are not details — they are the brief. An oceanfront terrace asks something different of a look than a ballroom does, and a garden ceremony in August asks something different again. We keep a page for the venues we work most, with what each one asks of a look and how the morning runs there:

• The Betsy Hotel, Villa Casa Casuarina and The National on Ocean Drive
• The Setai, 1 Hotel, W South Beach and Loews on Collins
• Faena, The EDITION and Fontainebleau in Mid-Beach
• The Standard on Belle Isle and the Botanical Garden by the Convention Center

If your venue is not on that list we still work it — the pages exist for the ones we are asked about most.

Why one roof helps

Hair, makeup, nails, facials and waxing all happen in the same building, which on a wedding morning is a scheduling fact rather than a marketing one. One schedule, one address, free parking, and no one driving between appointments on a morning that has no slack in it.

Tell us your date and your ceremony time and we will work backwards from it. Text (305) 604-0550 — the consultation is free, and the trial is where the real decisions get made.