No Trial: Am I Crazy?

[Deleted User]

My wedding is coming up soon and I have not had my hair and makeup trial.   I  The salon where I'm getting my hair done charges $150 for a hair and makeup trial.   The more I think about it, the more I realize that's an insane amount of money for a trial.    They can do a consultation for free.   Am I crazy not to have a trial and just hope for the best on my wedding day? 

lyndausvi

I did not have a trial. I was OOT (plane ride) from the location.     

My SIL did my makeup.  The wedding day was the first time she put makeup on me.     Mine turned out great.

I didn't have a complicated hair do either.    Just half-up/half-down with some loose curls and a few hairpins thrown in.

Maggie0829

IMO?  Yes.  Well you aren't crazy, but I think it is a bad idea.  I had a trial and I made changes to both my hair and makeup that was done.  If I hadn't had the trial then my hair and makeup wouldn't have been the way I wanted on my wedding day.  And changes the day of can sometimes be difficult, especially with hair.

So unless you are cool with whatever your stylists do to you on your wedding day from whatever description or picture you give them, then a trial isn't necessary.  But if you want something specific and want to be given the chance to make changes then a trial is necessary.

Also remember that you get charged this money because you are basically making an appointment to have your hair and makeup done by the salon.  You are taking up appointment times that could be used for other clients, so yes, they are going to charge you full price for that. Consultations are different because generally you aren't having much, if any work done and the whole point is to get your business.

southernbelle0915

I never had a hair trial. I did do a make up trial the day before the wedding - that way my make up was done for the RD.

We got married in a town a few hours from our house, so it was hard enough to make it to all my appointments with vendors and plan remotely without adding in making a special trip just for hair and make up.

I had a very good, trusted referral for my hair stylist and MUA, plus inspiration photos I had emailed ahead of time. So I didn't worry about it. But I'm also the type of person who throws my hair up in a pony tail and doesn't worry about leaving the house "without a full face", so this worked for me without producing any anxiety. It may not work for others.

justsie

I think that it would be reasonable to at least go for a makeup trial, especially if you are using the artists own products and are not bringing your own because makeup wears differently on everyone. Eye shadow creases like crazy on me, and since I have hooded eyes my mascara can sometimes travel above my eye shadow. Its taken me a really long time to figure out what from the drugstore works. Same with how my skin reacts to foundation, etc. At least doing a trial would let me see that what the artist uses does not travel on my face, or wear off quickly, in addition to being able to make changes before the wedding day. 

A hair trail would depend on how different you are wanting your hair on your wedding day. Super straight hair that doesn't hold curls, but you want curly- trial. Hair that holds curl well- no trial. So on and so forth. 

lembaslover

Unless you want something super simple I would recommend a trial (and if it's super simply why not just DIY and save the money?). 

You gather a bunch of pictures you like but everyone's hair is different so when it's done on you it might not actually look like you expected it to. In my opinion if you're already dishing out the money to get it professionally done on your wedding day it doesn't make sense to not also do the trial. Otherwise you're a lot of money for a style you might not actually love on your wedding day. 

So that parts on my experience with hair, I've never actually gotten my makeup done before so I'm definitely doing a trial b/c I don't know what to expect. I figure it's similar to hair though in that everyone has different face shapes (cheek bone height, eye shape, lip shape etc...) so just because you love a picture doesn't mean it will look good on you.

MizLiz3

I just did my hair and make up trial this week and I'm so glad I did- even though it cost about $150.  The make up was great, but I was nervous because I don't wear a ton so I wanted to be sure that the MUA and I were on the same page about the natural look I wanted.

I am using my regular stylist for the hair and was incredibly disappointed with the trial.  I would never have thought that the hair would be the problem.  I have long, thick hair and wanted a "messy" French twist.  She and I have discussed this hair style at my last several appointments (is my hair a good length, is this possible, etc).  She couldn't do it.  I was there for over an hour and never got a final look that I was happy with.  I'm glad I did the trial, but at this point I have no idea what to do.

If your style is simple, curls and half up or whatever, then I wouldn't worry about a trial, but if it's more complicated then I would be sure that the stylist was capable, and that the style works for your hair.

swiftsticks

I'm going to second (third?) at least doing a makeup trial. 

The MUA for my trial was able to record what colours she was using and took photos of the trial. The MUA for the wedding was different and she was able to see how the makeup was done and what I did and didn't like ("see this? the eye makeup from the trial is is too heavy. I like the colours but could you please make it less intense?").  Recording the makeup colours sped up the makeup on my wedding day since the MUA wasn't trying to match the correct tone of foundation or lipstick.  

If your hair sucks on your wedding day you can probably take out all the pins and have cute hair. Easy fix and it only takes a few minutes.

But if your makeup sucks on your wedding day, you need to wash and start all over. It's going to take more time.

Vivandiere8

I didn't do a hair trial because my sister from out of state was doing it, but I also trusted it would look the way I wanted it to. I did do a make up trial, and what was good was after wearing it for an evening I did ask her to tone it down just a bit for my actual wedding and was very happy with the results. You might try just the make up trial as others said because hair is a bit easier to fix quickly it you don't like. It's harder to be experimenting with different shades, and wiping off gobs of make up on the day of.

Mutchsbabe

***Tos violation, edited by mod*** please help us raise money for our wedding

charlottesmom0626

I think you should have a trial. Or be completely chill with whatever they do. 

 It's really not fair to your vendors to keep asking for changes on the day of. They also set aside a certain amount of time (1-2hrs) to do your hair and makeup for your wedding day. If you don't like it, you might not have time to make the changes.

 I loved my trials because they let me see how the makeup wore over the course of a day. 

Maybe have your trials on a day when you have plans that night? So it seems "worth it" to you.

Eta: spaces

[Deleted User]

If you are confident in the style you want and the skills of the stylist you are doing, you can probably skip the trail. A nice thing about a trail though is that it gives you an idea of how much time you need to allow for your do. Now with the make up, if it's a different brand, you may want to do that. I have used different brands over the years from Mary Kay, Avon, Maybelline, Cover Girl, etc. and never had problems with any brand. However, for some reason I was allergic to the brand the salon uses. Within 3-4 of having my makeup completed I was starting to break out. Luckily I did my trail 1 1/2 months before my wedding so I had plenty of time to clear up. But I would have been horrified if that happened to me on my wedding day because with the timing of when my makeup was done, I would have been broken out in all of my wedding photos.

FutureMrsPlasters

Oh my gosh- YES to the make up trial!! I went to have my make up done by someone recommended to me (he is an artist that works at Sephora but has his own business, apparently) and I would have spent many frantic minutes washing my face and starting over it if had been my wedding day. Talk about HEAVY make up...I did learn quite a bit though and then have talked to a couple of other make up artists and friends who are really, really into makeup and I actually think I'll be doing my own. I've been using each day as an opportunity to test out a new plan then I take a selfie so I can compare.

I think the trial is super important, no matter how many pictures you have of what you want. You never know how the look will be on you and you never know how the specific products they use will be on you.

OfftheMap27

For me a hair and makeup trial is ABSOLUTELY necessary. I already did one makeup trial, and I will probably do a second to try out a second look I'm torn between. Full disclosure: I worked for MAC for years and still work as a freelance makeup artist, so I'm quite particular, but I would never want to go in blind. 

As someone who worked at the MAC makeup counter for years, usually we got a lot of brides who were on tight budgets, as it only cost $50 (in products) to get their makeup done at the counter. That being said, because it was often budget brides, we got SO MANY coming in, either in tears, on on the verge of, because they absolutely hated their hair (read: never had a trial, went with discounted route, etc). 

Another aside, as part of our personal choice, and budget, we are spending around 10k on videography and photography combined, so in our case spending an additional $150 on a makeup trial is well worth it to make sure I feel 110% in the video and photos we are investing A LOT of money into.

In the end, in my opinion, it is so, so, SO worth the money to relieve potential stress the day of, but it's all really relative to the budget you're working in. 

[Deleted User]

I ended up getting a hair trial and finding a style I liked.  I'm more concerned about my hair because I have a headpiece and veil.  I wanted to make both stayed in my hair.  I skipped the makeup trial, but met with the makeup artist.   I'm going with a very reputable salon that is well known in my area.  They've won lots of awards and have excellent work on their site.  I have no skin issues and I'm doing a very natural look for makeup, so I'm not worried.   In the event I didn't like my makeup, I have a friend that's very talented in the makeup department I know she'd help in the event of an emergency.   

Knottie45547263

You might regret it later. I had a trial with a HMUA and absolutely disliked her approach and personality. I didn't want to stressed on my wedding day. Also, my hair looked too structured. I went with someone else - blown away by the difference. 

TheCheeseWench

I know that is a lot of money to spend on a random day, but $150 can be replaced, whereas wedding photos are forever. Cough up the cash and do what the PP said. Schedule it on a day you can enjoy it.

I'm Thanking my lucky stars that my stylist for my job is also a BFF and a bridesmaid. She does my hair and makeup every week so I know whatever she chooses to do that day will be perfect. Chica knows my face better than I do.

Knottie1435566010

missjewels02

I cant afford a makeup trial either. Every place I've looked adds an extra 150 for the trial. I'm the main one who needs one since i'm normally an all natural kind of girl. I just figured if I didn't like it worse come to worse I could just go all natural. Although, i'm not expecting any problems. Mainly because I spent a $50 extra for another makeup artist. That way If I don't like the first girl. I can just try the second one. Crazy though that's its cheaper to have a second makeup artist then get a makeup trial.

Knottie1435566010

Whilst it may not be a great idea a NOT get a trial, thats crazy money to pay for something that you're only going to wipe off again!

jackson123115

Being the daughter of a stylist, I would just like to justify the price. Yes, you are spending the money, but they are also spending the time out of their work day to practice what you would like done for your wedding day. It does take up a good bit of time. This also gives you a little bit of play room if you decide what you thought you would like isn't really something you like at all. It happens all the time. 

But if the money is hard to come by and the style is somewhat simple, you could have a friend attempt the hair style. Even if it isn't EXACTLY how it will be on the wedding day, you will get a picture of it and see if it is truly the style you want.

loveislouder

Maggie0829 said:

IMO?  Yes.  Well you aren't crazy, but I think it is a bad idea.  I had a trial and I made changes to both my hair and makeup that was done.  If I hadn't had the trial then my hair and makeup wouldn't have been the way I wanted on my wedding day.  And changes the day of can sometimes be difficult, especially with hair.

So unless you are cool with whatever your stylists do to you on your wedding day from whatever description or picture you give them, then a trial isn't necessary.  But if you want something specific and want to be given the chance to make changes then a trial is necessary.

Also remember that you get charged this money because you are basically making an appointment to have your hair and makeup done by the salon.  You are taking up appointment times that could be used for other clients, so yes, they are going to charge you full price for that. Consultations are different because generally you aren't having much, if any work done and the whole point is to get your business.

QFT

When I was getting my hair and make up trial I asked my girls if they wanted one too, told them the prices and everything. My sister complained because she felt the trial should be cheaper, and I had to explain to her like... why would it be cheaper? They're putting in the same amount of work and effort so same price.

primafaba15

I completely understand balking at paying that much for a trial -- not because it's unreasonable, but because damn it feels like a lot of money! I just had my trial a couple of weeks ago, also $150, and it killed me to do it. 

But, I'd echo the recommendations to do a trial if there is any way you can pull it off.  I brought in lots of pictures, but in the end there were several things I wanted to change (my eyes were wayyy too dark, and she didn't extend my eyebrows enough) that would have been hard to fix or that I might not have immediately noticed on the day. Also, for touch-up purposes, you will need to actually own whatever lipstick/gloss/etc. they use, and since I am horrible at buying lipstick for myself it was so helpful to just have my artist order it for me (also I am makeup illiterate and it never occurred to me I'd need my own tube). 

Plus, I got to see that my skin handled her make-up OK. And I got to see how my hair would actually hold up throughout the evening even in heat and humidity and moving around. 

If it helps you feel better about getting done up for no reason, maybe come up with some purpose for it. I have a friend who did a trial the morning of her engagement photo shoot; for us, it was exactly 1 month out, so my fiancee and I went out for a nice dinner to celebrate so at least I had an occasion to be all done up. 

[Deleted User]

Update:

I just wanted to add that it's not that I believe I shouldn't pay for a trial.  I completely agree that the stylist needs to earn money.  I was more concerned from a financial standpoint that I needed to shell out more money and this wedding stuff was getting expensive. I wanted to save where I could.

My wedding was this past weekend.  As a mentioned before, I did the hair trial and it worked out great.  Did not have a trial for my makeup, but everything work out perfectly. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my makeup.  The makeup artist knew exactly what I wanted and was a very well qualified professional.    She applied the makeup beautifully the first time and it lasted ALL night (I got airbrush, which I highly recommend).

It all worked out and I'm glad I skipped the makeup trial.  It was worth saving the time and money.