The weeks between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day are the most romantic stretch of the year, and for many couples it ends with a ring. If that is you: congratulations. Before the Pinterest boards multiply and the advice arrives from every direction, here is a calm order of operations for the first ninety days.
First: enjoy it
There is no deadline in the first week. Tell the people you love, take the photos, wear the ring. The planning will still be there in January, and you will make better decisions once the glow settles into excitement.
The decisions that unlock everything else
Almost every vendor will ask you the same two questions: what is the date, and where is it? Settle the season and a short list of dates, then the venue. Those two answers decide which photographers, florists and artists are still available to you.
Where hair and makeup fits
Bridal beauty is booked earlier than most brides expect, because an artist can only be in one getting-ready room on any given Saturday. Once your date and venue are confirmed, it is the right moment to reach out (here is why nine months out matters) — especially for a Saturday in late spring, summer or early fall.
Date, venue, then your artist. Everything about your morning is built on those three.
You do not need to know your look yet. A first conversation is about logistics: where you are getting ready, how many people in the party want hair or makeup, and what time you need to be dressed. The look comes later, at your trial.
A simple first-ninety-days checklist
- →Weeks 1–2: celebrate, share the news, start a single shared folder of ideas.
- →Weeks 3–6: choose a season and a short list of dates; set a working budget.
- →Weeks 6–10: tour and book the venue.
- →Right after the venue: reach out to the photographer and your hair and makeup artist.
- →Later: dress shopping, then a trial four to eight weeks before the wedding.
One thing to start now
Skin and hair reward patience. If there is anything you want to change before the wedding — your color, the length of your hair, a skincare routine — the engagement is the time to begin, not the month before.
Newly engaged with a date in mind? Tell us the date and venue and we will check it for you.
Let's Talk →Frequently Asked Questions
When should I book bridal hair and makeup for a 2027 wedding?
Once your date and venue are confirmed. Saturdays in peak months book earliest, so reaching out as soon as those two decisions are made gives you the best chance at the artist you want.
What should I decide before contacting a bridal hair and makeup artist?
Your date, your venue or getting-ready location, and a rough idea of how many people in your party want services. Everything else — the look, the timeline, the trial — comes after.
When should I schedule my bridal trial?
Most brides schedule a trial four to eight weeks before the wedding, once the dress and accessories are chosen, so the look can be planned around them.
