Nobody books their wedding makeup thinking about what might happen if the wedding gets cancelled. But life happens. Plans change, dates move, and sometimes circumstances beyond anyone’s control mean that a wedding can’t go ahead as planned. So I think it’s important to be transparent about how my bookings, deposits, payments and cancellations work. Sure, it’s not the most romantic part of wedding planning, I know! But it’s important to understand what you’re committing to.

How do I book you for my wedding makeup?

Most of my enquiries come through my website or Instagram, although I occasionally get messages directly via Whatsapp.

I normally try to respond within 24 hours to let you know whether I’m available for your date. If I am, we’ll talk about your wedding, where it’s happening, the timings, how many people need makeup and, importantly, the kind of look you’re hoping for. I also like to arrange a video consultation. I want to get to know you, understand your style and make sure we’re a good fit.

Your makeup artist is going to be with you during an exceptionally important and intimate moment on your wedding day. So it’s key that we get on well!

Once we’re both happy to go ahead, I’ll send you an invoice and the details for securing your date.

How much is the wedding makeup deposit, and is it refundable?

My booking deposit is €250.

Once I’ve received that payment, your wedding date is officially confirmed in my calendar.

The deposit is deducted from your final invoice. It’s not an additional charge on top of your bridal makeup. Under my booking conditions, the deposit is non-refundable if you cancel. Why? Because when I accept your booking, I’m making a commitment to you. I’ll turn away other enquiries for that date, and there’s a surprising amount of work involved before I even pick up a makeup brush.

I like to get to know my brides, understand their skin and their usual makeup, and sometimes we start talking about skincare many months before the actual wedding. The way I work, it’s never just a case of turning up on the morning and doing someone’s makeup.

Photo Credit Modern Vintage Weddings

Can I have a makeup trial before paying the deposit?

Yes, some brides prefer to have their makeup trial before committing to a booking, and I completely understand that. The difficulty is timing. Sometimes we can’t arrange a trial until several months after the initial enquiry, particularly for destination weddings. Many brides choose to secure their date first because they’ve seen my work, we’ve spoken and they feel confident we’re a good fit.

Either approach is worth discussing, but your date is only confirmed once the booking deposit has been received.

When do I pay the remaining balance?

I try to keep the payment process straightforward and spread things out where possible.

Typically, it works like this:

• At booking: €250 deposit to secure your date.
• After your bridal trial: Payment for the trial, once it’s completed.
• Travel and accommodation: If I need to book flights, trains or accommodation in advance, I’ll normally ask for those expenses upfront.
• 14 days before the wedding: The remaining balance is due, with your €250 deposit deducted.

You can pay by bank transfer, Revolut or PayPal.

If you’re booking at short notice, we can simplify things. I had a bride travelling from the Middle East not to long ago who booked only a few weeks before her wedding, and it made more sense for her to pay everything together.

What happens if my wedding is cancelled?

My booking conditions are quite straightforward.

More than 60 days before the wedding: Your €250 booking deposit remains non-refundable.

Less than 60 days before the wedding: A cancellation fee of 50% of the total booking amount applies.

Less than 30 days before the wedding: A cancellation fee of 100% of the total booking amount applies.

Travel and accommodation expenses are considered separately according to what has already been arranged and what can be recovered. If a hotel booking can be cancelled and refunded, for example, I won’t charge you for an expense that I’ve been able to recover.

And if something serious or unexpected happens, please talk to me. My booking conditions provide for both parties to try to reschedule in the case of an emergency or unavoidable circumstance, where that’s possible.

What if I need to change my wedding date or location?

I’ll always make every effort to accommodate a change, where it’s possible.

If your wedding moves from Chamonix to another location in the French Alps, Switzerland or Italy, for example, that might be perfectly manageable. If the date changes, the first question is whether I’m available. If I am, we can discuss the new arrangements. If I’m already booked, though, I can’t commit to the new date and the original cancellation conditions may apply.

Changes to the number of people having makeup are also something we can discuss, although I do have minimum booking requirements for certain busy dates.

Ideally, I like to know the exact bridal party numbers about a month before the wedding. That gives me time to prepare the right amount of kit and plan the schedule. For larger weddings or tighter timings, we need to firm that up around the time of booking to give us time to arrange a second makeup artist should that be necessary.

Why do wedding makeup artists have cancellation fees?

I think one thing people don’t always realise is that when we book a wedding, we’re often committing to that date a year or even eighteen months in advance. We build our professional and personal calendars around these commitments. There are family events we can’t attend, weekends we can’t take away, and other clients we turn down.

For one weekend this September, I received so many enquiries that I honestly think I could have booked those days eight or nine times over. But once I’ve committed to a wedding, that’s it. That date belongs to that bride.

And then there’s the investment that goes into the business itself.

Professional makeup kits are incredibly expensive, and artists invest continually in products, training and developing their skills. I’m currently doing a mentorship course, and over the years I’ve invested thousands into improving my craft making my business work better.

So while the actual makeup itself happens on the wedding morning, there’s an awful lot more that goes on behind it.

From what I’ve seen, my booking and cancellation arrangements are more or less in line with those of other professional bridal makeup artists, although every artist sets their own conditions.

What happens if you have to cancel my wedding makeup?

Touch wood, I have never had to cancel a wedding. I really hope I never do! I’m incredibly careful about which bookings I accept because I take that commitment very seriously. If something truly unavoidable happened and I was unable to make it for some reason, I would of course refund your booking deposit, and do everything I reasonably could to help find another suitable artist. I have a really good network of professional makeup artists I am in touch with, including people who would be able to travel to a destination if necessary. It’s not a situation I would ever take lightly.

I’ve actually experienced the other side of this. For one wedding in the French Alps, I’d originally been booked to look after the bridesmaids. Then, about two and a half weeks before the wedding, the bride’s hair and makeup arrangements fell through. The planner got back in touch and asked whether I could take on the bride as well. Fortunately, I could. The planner was incredibly professional throughout, and we were able to make the arrangements work. A good reminder of just how important reliability is in the wedding industry!

My advice

Choose your makeup artist carefully, make sure you understand their booking conditions, and don’t be afraid to ask questions before committing. I want every bride who books me to feel confident that she’s made the right decision.

For me, that means being clear about what we’re both committing to, communicating properly and making sure we’re a good fit from the beginning.

Planning your wedding?

I’m Laura Wilson-North, a wedding and destination makeup artist based in Chamonix, working across the French and Swiss Alps, Italy and beyond.

If you’d like to discuss your wedding plans, availability or booking arrangements, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch!