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AIBU?

AIBU to fire my hair and makeup people for my wedding or am I being a bridezilla?

124 replies

ThreadWorms · 09/02/2013 19:23

I booked with a hair and makeup team a while ago now. They seemed qualified for the job and very experienced.

One of my bridesmaids and I went for the trials today. It was supposed to take two hours bit actually took them five. I am really really unhappy with the final 'look'. I have dark circles and the makeup lady hasn't covered them properly. I look like I have slept in my makeup and it has started to come off.

I showed the hairdresser pictures of how I wanted my hair and the bridesmaids. It looks nothing like I wanted. I have shown my family the photos and have seen them in person, and they have agreed it looks terrible.

If I cancel I will lose all the deposits with no guarantee I'll find anyone else to do it with less than a month until my wedding day.

I felt like a bridezilla telling them that I wasn't happy but I couldn't hide my disappointment. So do I cancel and hopefully find someone else or give them the chance to improve on the day? My biggest concern is that they massively underestimated how long it would take with only two of us there when there will be five extra people to do on the day. I feel really upset and stressed about this.

OP posts:

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MmeLindor · 09/02/2013 20:33

How can they take 5 hours to do hair and make up for 2 people? That is ridiculous.

Do you have a photo of how you wanted it, even if it is not the one that you showed them, something similar?

Is this a proper salon or a couple of women working freelance?

GettingObsessive · 09/02/2013 20:34

OP, sorry to hear it was such a disaster, no wonder you're upset.

Have a look on make up advice forum. Lots of professional make up artists on there who can either help with doing your own or to recommend someone in your area. It's not a busy time of year so I'm sure you will find someone who is free.

ThreadWorms · 09/02/2013 20:39

I've made my profile public and my pictures visible so not sure why it won't show? I've made the pic my profile one now.

This was a professional salon. It was actually only hair for two, and makeup for one. I have no idea how they took so long.

I will check out the beauty boards. Thanks for the tip.

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Lovecat · 09/02/2013 20:40

Please ask for your money back, I've looked at your pics and I can see exactly what you mean about your hair, it looks like you've just got out of the shower, not at all natural curls :(

As for laughing at you - on your behalf. Hope some of the links work out and you find someone who listens to you and does what you want.

SummerRainIsADistantMemory · 09/02/2013 20:43

Oh lord, I can see your pics and you're right, it's really not good.

And that's me trying to be polite about it, it looks like something off gypsy weddings.

Compared to that you'd be better off doing it yourself. Definitely cancel.

ThreadWorms · 09/02/2013 20:43

Thank you lovecat. I'm glad you agree with me and its not just my imagination. I sat under a dryer for an hour with curlers in to end up looking like my hair has been scrunched with wet look hair gel .

That was the finished look btw.

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ImKateandsoismywife · 09/02/2013 20:44

Bloody hell op, looking at the picture ya so nbu! Is that seriously the end result after 5 hours?! It looks like they gave up halfway through and I agree it looks wet. You need to cancel these jokers and get your money back. on your behalf!

MmeLindor · 09/02/2013 20:45

If it was a salon, then I'd go back and say exactly what you have said here.

They took 5 hours rather than the 2 they had estimated

They did not do what you wanted them to do

When you expressed your displeasure, they laughed at you

You do not trust them to do the job that you contracted them to do

Tell them that you want your money back and that you will not be having them to do your hair.

ThreadWorms · 09/02/2013 20:45

Yes, gypsy wedding hair us exactly how I would describe it! I wanted natural looking bouncy curls, not rat tails!

The front was pretty bad too. Back combed and pinned back an inch from my head so you could see underneath them.

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FrancesHouseman · 09/02/2013 20:45

I'm sorry, the hair is not good enough at all! Were these hairdressers recommended? I swear I could do better than that myself with no training whatsoever! Please ask for your money back.

ThreadWorms · 09/02/2013 20:47

I wish I could show you the beautiful hair style I actually chose.

I should laugh really, the guy kept on saying he would describe it as a classic and sophisticated do. This was when he was working in the back and I couldn't see what he was doing. Sophisticated is not how I would describe it anyway!

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ThreadWorms · 09/02/2013 20:49

I met them at a wedding fair. They had a book full of bridal hair they had done so I thought they were experienced. Looking back through it though, all the styles were very similar and not what I had in mind. All those months ago I hadn't given much thought to how I would have my hair having not even bought my dress at that point.

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Lambzig · 09/02/2013 20:51

YANBU. I dont want to be mean, but looking at your photo's your hair does not look nice, it looks greasy with product and I would imagine you have lovely long curls that should be easy to style. I think you have to walk away, not least because you dont want to be stressed on your wedding day and have that sort of negativity around you. I think they were really rude laughing at you.

I agree with the idea of going to your favourite make-up brand counter and asking them to advise you. If you can go when they are not busy (mid week during working hours or early Sat morning) they will spend ages with you and show you how to use the make-up. If you have one local to where you are getting married, you could always do that on the morning of the wedding.

One thing to remember. When I was getting married and having a last minute panic that doing my own make-up wouldn't be good enough, DH said he didn't like it when brides had hair and make-up that made them look nothing like their usual selves and that he would prefer me to look like the person he had fallen in love with, just myself at my most polished. Am sure your future DH would feel the same.

VodkaGirl77 · 09/02/2013 20:51

You are so NBU!!! Did you say earlier that you wanted an up-do, because that doesn't look like an up-do to me? I went to my local salon for my hair trial yesterday (wedding one week today!) and came out feeling like a million dollars -that's how you should feel. Complain and ask for money paid for deposit back - they have not provided the service you have paid for.

Also, with regard to make-up I went to the Clinique counter this week - girl did my make up based on what I told her - looked fab! Very natural, which is what I wanted, and I bought most of the products she used. Have had a go at recreating the look today and had lots of compliments and I am not used to putting make-up on so it can be done!

Hope you get everything sorted before your big day, but agree that you shouldn't go ahead and use them as it will cause you stress that you don't need on your wedding day.

Bearbehind · 09/02/2013 20:51

Threadworms, that's not good. Apart from anything else, what would happen if they took 3 hours longer than expected on your wedding day.........?

I'd use that as your excuse for sacking them and getting your deposit back, it is much less subjective than not liking your hair/ make up.

Itsjustafleshwound · 09/02/2013 20:52

I would write down a list of everything you didn't like about the trial and phone them up and approach them with a view to asking them how they are going to rectify it.

If you are unhappy ask them for a refund. I think a 3yo could do better .... Sorry!

DontEvenThinkAboutIt · 09/02/2013 20:52

That hair is not good at all .

SoYo · 09/02/2013 20:53

ThreadWorms I'm in Leeds but got married in Harrogate & had a hair & make up lady from Knaresborough that I could thoroughly recommend. It was a woman called Shirley from a company called Debonnesse & she travelled to wherever you wanted on the day so might be ok for West Yorks. Was fairly expensive though but my hair was lovely & very natural & make up excellent. For a close friends wedding I went with her to a bridal make up lesson at Bobby Brown in HOF in Leeds & then we all did our own with their tips & it was great, very simple & effective!

gimmecakeandcandy · 09/02/2013 20:55

Demand money back or you will complain and out them to MN! ;)

Lambzig · 09/02/2013 20:55

Also, I am sure that I could do better with some ghds, a little experience of doing friends hair and an hour. A good hairdresser would not necessarily use curlers to get your hair to a loose curls style - presumably they put it in rollers from wet? Seems very old fashioned.

fluffypillow · 09/02/2013 20:57

YANBU. Cancel them. You will be so stressed out otherwise, and it will spoil your day.

cardamomginger · 09/02/2013 21:02

Cancel. You cannot use these people. I also thought you'd just got out of the shower. I really don't think that you can use this team, even if they are willing to give you a second free trial and you liked what they did - they have already demonstrated a completely unreasonable attitude problem, they are too slow (who the hell has 5 hours to devote to hair and make up on their wedding day!?!?!), and you will just be too anxious and tense about them cocking it up again. Demand your money back. If they get all arsey, say you have photographs of what they did and will be submitting a claim to the small claims court (even if you don't want to do this, this might make them co-operate).

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Maryz · 09/02/2013 21:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pandemoniaa · 09/02/2013 21:08

YANBU to cancel. Your hair (with the greatest respect) looks most peculiar in the picture yet I am sure it is lovely in real life. But it looks greasy AND ratty in the style they've tortured it into.

The best make-up I have ever had done was at Space NK. They managed to achieve a stunning look that somehow combined being natural but absolutely transformational at the same time. Have you got a branch near you? Only they explained, very carefully, everything they did so I could copy it.

If the people you used took 5 hours to achieve such an unsatisfactory effect then they'll never manage to do the rest of your wedding party in time either. Quite frankly, you could almost certainly do better yourself.

ThreadWorms · 09/02/2013 21:11

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm feeling much more confident about cancelling them.

I've just looked in he mirror, my makeup is awfully smudged. It's only been on a few hours. There is no way it will look good all day.

What you can't tell from the photos is that he put a bun ring in and then pinned the 'curls' to that. It was supposed to be half up half down and looks nothing like what I actually wanted/asked for. I will definitely be using the suggestions in this thread and looking for someone else.

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