HMUA & Paper Goods Wedding Budgeting

Ya’ll know I love my HMUAs (hair & makeup artists if you haven’t been in the planning gig long) and paper goods. Half the time you’ll find me with a host of planners, journals and pens, but that’s a story for another time. While I originally planned to include photography and videography in this article, these two highly important vendors needed to be front and center here! As soon as you’ve finished hiring your photography and videography team(s), focus on your choices for HMUAs and paper goods.

Hair and Makeup Artists: The Beauty Gurus

Take it from someone who can barely put eyeliner on herself, much less anyone else: You WANT a hair and makeup artist. Whether it’s one person or a team of people, there is basically nothing else that will make you feel like a movie star (except maybe your own paparazzi, but we’ll get to that later). This is an area where I HIGHLY recommend doing your research and choosing someone very carefully. Don’t base your decision here on price alone, because they’re literally applying chemicals to your largest organ (sorry, that was graphic). These vendors are the beauty gurus, and will make sure you look and feel like a queen (or king) on your wedding day.

What to expect: Pricing and Booking your fav vendors

Like many vendors, policies and fees vary between businesses. It’s safe to expect that most HUMAs who travel to your location will charge either a location fee, mileage or overnight accommodations depending on the distance traveled. When it comes to starting prices, it’s really going to vary based on a few things: The number of heads (the more people, the more hmuas are needed meaning more money), the services chosen (hair, makeup, bridal trial, etc), and the artists location. For the Western Washington area, the average spend on hair and makeup services is around $1200 (however, I did not ask if that was bride alone or bride and attendants) from the vendors who participated in my survey.

This is a service you’ll want to book in advance, with many of my favorite vendors booking up approximately 12 months out! If you’re choosing to wait, be sure to start checking and researching favorite HMUAs a minimum of 12 months in advance, and book no later than six months before your wedding. You’ll need this so you have time to do your bridal trial before crunch time.

Advice from the Beauty Gurus

“Do the research, go with your gut and choose someone who has a similar esthetic or style as them. If a couple doesn’t vibe well with a Vendor, it’s most likely not a good match.”

“The most important thing at the end of the day is saying “I do”. That’s literally the only thing that matters—everything else is just a bonus.”

“Communication is key”

“Book with enough time! 8+ months in advance. Get on the phone and get to know what your makeup artist will serve you on your wedding day.”

“Most of us have a minimum amount of people needed to book so instead of thinking about makeup and hair as a per person type of service think of it as a full service.”

Special thank you to Urbanista Weddings, Seattle Bride Hair, Yessie Libby and Korrine C Makeup & Esthetician.

Choosing Paper Goods

Nothing sets the tone for your wedding like your invitations. I honestly hate saying it, but have you ever received an invitation that was printed on a crummy printer using the same printer someone’s boyfriend left at their college dorm? I hope not, but it happens. When it happens, it usually means someone is showing up in a ratty hawaiian shirt and worn out high school birkenstocks. If your wedding is a wannabe highschool hippie, perfect. For those of you who prefer a more posh affair, start with the stationary.

Your invitations are the first thing your guests receive that will help them decide how fancy or laid back your wedding day will be. Choosing a thicker paper and some handmade ribbon will scream “I’m putting lots of love into this and expect the best”, hopefully giving your guests a slacks and button down vibe. Of course, if you’re planning a barn wedding, you might want something a little more rustic. This is where a stationary artist comes in handy.

Your stationary artist will help you choose the perfect invitation suite for your wedding style, and (should you choose to go all out) coordinate all those little details for your wedding day. Don’t fret over picking menu cards and place cards. Let a pro help!

What to expect: Pricing, Booking and Advice from the Pros

Stationary has the biggest range due to so many choices, but expect to pay around $3500 for a full service stationary artist. Be sure to research and ask your favorite vendors what they typically recommend, even if your budget is smaller. Don’t forget to ask about pickup or delivery, and whether or not there’s a charge for either of those things. Book your stationary artist a minimum of 8 months in advance, as they’re not typically a spur of the moment service.