Crazy bridal makeup prices!

I would like to add that the makeup was absolutely fine and looked flawless on the photos.

Yeah it's insane.

I didn't ask for wedding makeup when I booked my makeup artist.

I make a booking to take place at my house for myself and 3 other people for makeup+lashes and didn't mention it was my wedding day. Nobody asked so I kept quiet.

I didn't hide that it was my wedding, the dresses were hung up in the room, there was wedding talk going on, bridesmaid gifts passed around, but I just didn't specifically ask for bridal makeup at the time of booking.

I suspect if I asked for a wedding package or specifically asked for wedding makeup the price as would have shot up despite receiving the exact same amount of time and makeup. The price list had a separate section for wedding related things that didn't have prices on.

Then it isn’t “the same job” is it

Was it as popular then? I literally never met anyone who had their make up done by someone else until the last few years. I wonder whether I just have a sheltered existence or you were unusual. That’s a genuine query

It wasn't unusual at all in the 90s. My friendship group all married in the 90s, and we all had our makeup done by a professional for our weddings. Sometimes bridesmaids as well. I don't think it was new then, and (as far as I knew) it was a very normal thing to do, as was getting your hair done for the wedding.

No, not a typo. I market almost exclusively towards the wedding market (wedding fairs, bridal magazines etc), so yes, I do add an extra 'marketing' cost to the price of a wedding cake, that I don't add to other cakes. Other cakes come purely from word of mouth, Facebook etc.

@ShirleyPhallus but it’s the same thing. MUAs have different levels of training and expertise as well.

If people are prepared to pay it then MUAs will charge it.
I've booked someone who does lot of editorial and beauty campaigns, so a very accomplished artist. She's doing hair and make up, plus a trial for just over £200.
Seems a fair price for a several hours of skilled work.

You get solicitors in London charging extortionate fees to do do the same job as others charging less but nobody questions that.

<eyeroll>

they don’t do the same job, you’re paying for the expertise and years of training. Or if they are, then you’re paying the London premium.

My marketing costs (both in money and time) for weddings are high, my marketing for birthday cakes is practically non-existent

I don’t understand this at all, don’t you include all your marketing costs underneath one overall business cost rather than splitting it out and adding a “marketing” cost to a wedding cake? Or is this a typo?

Was it as popular then? I literally never met anyone who had their make up done by someone else until the last few years. I wonder whether I just have a sheltered existence or you were unusual. That’s a genuine query.

These threads drive me crazy.

I work in the wedding industry (cake designer) I cannot stand it when people say 'mention wedding and £££ is added', and think they are being ripped off.

I do charge more for wedding cakes than non-wedding. Because it costs me more. Far more. Especially in time, and marketing. My marketing costs (both in money and time) for weddings are high, my marketing for birthday cakes is practically non-existent. I deliver wedding cakes (can take up to 3 hours), birthday cakes are collection only.

Admin for a wedding cake is generally far greater. Brides (even the easy going ones) DO take up more time in consultations, phone calls, emails etc. And the non easy going ones are very difficult to deal with, and how do I know which you are going to be before I start? I can hardly add on a PITA charge afterwards, so my 'average' time has to be factored in to all wedding cakes.

The customer doesn't see all the additional effort that goes into wedding services, so I can understand why they think money has been added for no reason. But that simply isn't the case in most cases.

A self trained makeup artist would charge £40 around here with lashes. If you want to book someone like Bryony Blake or Lisa Eldridge you’d be looking at thousands and then there’s everything in between that. It’s all about skill, qualification, experience and reputation like in most professions. You get solicitors in London charging extortionate fees to do do the same job as others charging less but nobody questions that.

Well its not a scam as they are very clear on what you are receiving for the cost and they deliver that. They are not luring you in and duping you.

If you think its too expensive, then that is personal preference and there are other options/suppliers to choose from.

As others have said everything shoots up as soon as you mention wedding or bridal. Dresses, venues, transport, food etc. Its all open to personal preference.

Whats value to you, is waste to another person.

Wedding flowers can cost more than regular flowers

You're quite right, though the key word there is can. If a bride wants the very best/complicated arrangements then obviously that has to be paid for, but that hardly applies to some of the arrangements in favour now, or when identical work is charged at an extra ££££ purely because the word wedding is attached

FWIW I don't actually blame suppliers for charging whatever they can get away with, but what beats me is why folk are prepared to pay some of the sillier prices

Not quite right - deposits were to be returned, less any amounts covering work already done, which would include admin.

@coffeecupsandfairylights I was talking about the quotes I’m currently looking at for my own wedding. A buffet line.
Again, I have been to plenty of weddings where things weren’t ‘perfect’. Most of the companies are still in business. They haven’t gone viral on social media and people aren’t stupid - they’re not going to avoid a company based on a couple of bad reviews.

With a recession coming up I’d be surprised if the wedding industry survives - but there’ll always be people who will spend silly money on getting married so…

FYI deposits should have been returned as it was lockdown and no service was provided. Read the following on the government website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-to-investigate-concerns-about-cancellation-policies-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-consumer-contracts-cancellation-and-refunds

The local asian muas, do the makeup and leave. No mua stays the whole day with the bride. Plus most of them will be come late, which causes huge stress for the bride. Their typical day will start at 4/5am and finish by 6pm, they will have back to back bookings. And they are always in a rush too which is not fair. Oh and don’t get me started on the refreshments that the bride must to provide 🤣. My friend was coerced into giving permission to a mua to post pic on social media because the mua said she will make more of an effort if she can post the pic.

They can only really do one wedding a day (most of the time) and I can imagine that many makeup artists don't have a full diary Monday-Thursday. I don't think it is unfair, if I was day rate in my job £500 would be very reasonable.

It also is not just the amount of time spent on the wedding day. It's the time spent on communications, travel time, time to clean and pack up their kit and clean and unpack it, time to maintain social media/website and also the cost of the products,NI, Tax, pension contribution etc etc

If someone does not want to pay that, they should either find someone cheaper (there are lots of makeup artists who are) or do their own makeup. Not discourage someone who is clearly stating what their time is worth.

Most places add on £££ for a wedding.
You can get a good deal if you shop around or don't go to a specific wedding provider.
I used my normal local salon for my updo bridal hair and it was £30. I had a qualified MUA who charged £20 for my trial and then £30 on the day, including her travelling to my venue.
Not everyone wants to rip off brides. I didn't have any bridesmaids etc though because it was a covid restricted wedding so that probably helped.

It's not new. I was doing it in the late 80s/early 90s

God there's so much poor understanding of wedding services in this thread I could cry!

As for the pp moaning about 'CFs' keeping deposits? I kept deposits because I had produced work FOC up front and that deposit secured my service on the basis of that trial. Damned right I should keep that!

Add the word "wedding" onto anything and the price shoots up through the roof. We were quoted £800 for our wedding cake and it wouldn't have even been big enough to feed all our guests a piece. I wouldn't have minded if it was intricate sugar work, but it was literally three small tiers iced and edible paper butterflies stuck on. I worked out that even with the most luxurious ingredients, that would have come to circa £50 and the rest was her time and some to cover electricity for the baking. Turned out she wasn't even hygiene registered or insured either. Needless to say it was a no from us.

What's wrong with doing your own make up?
I've never understood paying someone else to do it.
My daughter in law paid a fortune for her face to be made up for her wedding and she looked like a clown, which on seeing the wedding photographs, she said herself.

I must move in very different circles!