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Getting engaged can be such an exciting time, and for many, it's when your obsession with Pinterest begins. Most of my brides hire me as soon as they choose their bridal gowns, and this is essential because your gown, hair, makeup and accessories are all a part of your bridal style.

When I speak with my clients one of the things I ask them to do is send me their bridal Pinterest boards or to create a board of hairstyles and makeup looks they want for their wedding day. This helps me as your artist to better understand what you desire: as your version of "natural makeup" may not be what I interpret as "natural makeup." After years and conversations with many brides and many clients, I want to offer you some advice, so that you are pleased with your bridal look and beauty experience.

Think about the season and your venue - Be sure to keep your venue in mind when looking at photos. For example, if you are getting married outside in a botanical garden will you want all of your hair down? The answer will be different for each person, but keep things like this in mind.
Your complexion - When looking at photos of different makeup looks, look for individuals who skin tone is similar to yours. If you have very tan, olive skin, it will be difficult for you to picture yourself with certain looks if you're pulling a lot of photos of models/brides who are extremely fair.
Your day-to-day look - Consider how much makeup you wear on a daily basis and how you typically wear your hair. To go from no makeup to "smokey eye, contour, red lip," is too much for most people. This is not to say it never works, just consider your comfort zone.
Hair color and thickness - For sometime now, braids and whimsical updos, have been quite popular in the bridal world. The intricacy of braids show up best on those with blonde, light colored or highlighted hair. A braid can be incorporated into almost any style, but may have a very different feel depending on the color and length of your hair. The same is to be said for thickness. A messy, whimsical updo works best on those who don't have thick hair.

Most importantly, remember that YOU are beautiful. Your features, your hair, your eye color is what makes you beautiful. We live in a world where just about every photo we see has been edited somehow. I can't tell you how many times I've had clients ask me why they can still see their pores, when I've completed their makeup look. It's important to understand that the photos you see on Instagram are highly edited 90% of the time. It's unfortunate that even most makeup artists edit their photos so much, you are unable to really see the quality of their work. But real people have pores! . . . And there is nothing wrong or unattractive about that! My job isn't to change what you look like, my job is to enhance your beauty and to help you make YOUR statement as a bride.