FAQ’s

Makeup artists and hair stylists (known as ‘stylists’) have their own individual profiles including their own gallery to showcase their own work. Each stylist sets their own pricing, travel inclusive zones and manages their own availability via their own individual calendars which allows the system to automatically quote and book in most cases.   View their gallery to see samples of their style of work and read the stylists bio and critical booking information to learn more about them, their experience and any important booking information to ensure they are the right fit. Any special requirements or skills can be viewed in the ‘services’ section of their profile.   Click ‘Booking’ on the individual stylists profile to then input details of your wedding including the date, times, location, etc. This will show if they are available for your wedding date.   At the bottom of the screen you can add services to your enquiry to automatically bring up a quote for their services as well as the time required to complete your booking.

On the initial search page you can search by a number of different search criteria: location, price, years of experience, rating and even a particular skill that you require.   ie. cruelty free products used or airbrush makeup.

This is important information that the stylist wants to highlight to you about their services prior to going any further.   It may include any restrictions they have or any special conditions like where trials are conducted, etc.

Absolutely.   It is a strict requirement for stylists to list on the 4 Brides Marketplace that they only showcase images of their own work.   Some newer stylists may not have as many professional images and may showcase more snap shots of their work whereas others who display professional images taken by a photographer are asked to name the photographer on the image if known. This information can be seen when clicking on the image.

The travel inclusion zone is the area the stylist has indicated that they will travel with no additional travel fee – travel is included in their prices.   This is usually within approximately a 30 minute radius of their base location.   However some may expand this to provide their services inclusive of travel to a greater location.

Yes, absolutely, stylists are usually more than happy to travel outside their travel inclusion zone however a travel fee will apply.   In this case, your booking will be ‘on request’ until the stylist has inputted their travel fee and the system will automatically notify you of this.   You have the option to then confirm or reject the booking before proceeding further.

Some stylists may also be happy to travel interstate or overseas.   Please message them directly via the in-built messaging system if you wish to check on this first.   Flights, accommodation and meal allowances would then be quoted to you directly.

**Important to note:   Bookings are made using the ‘preparation location’ (where you are getting ready on the day) as the point where the stylist needs to travel to and therefore travel fees (if applicable) are calculated based on this information.   Please be as accurate as possible when making a booking (or enquiry) as to where you are getting ready on the day, even town or suburb.   If you input a general location – ie. a city like Melbourne or region like Sunshine Coast, for example, then the search screen will show by default stylists that service this area and a travel fee may not be indicated at that stage.   However when you update your preparation location to the actual location for the booking then this may pull in a travel fee if outside the stylists travel inclusion zone.   For an accurate indication of whether travel fees are applicable please be as specific as possible when inputting the preparation location on booking or making your initial enquiry.

No. We have not included the cost of stylist’s parking in the pricing for a number of reasons: 1. Many locations don’t require paid parking and so it wouldn’t be fair to incorporate this in the pricing across the board.   2. Locations where parking does cost the stylist, and therefore needs to be passed onto the bride, can vary dramatically.   3. Often brides getting ready at a hotel where they are having their wedding can organise complimentary parking with the hotel for their makeup artist and hair stylists directly and therefore avoid parking fees for their stylists.

Please communicate directly with your stylist regarding parking arrangements for your wedding day.   Any applicable parking fees are to be reimbursed to the stylist directly on the day, separate to your 4 Brides Marketplace invoice.

For bookings to automatically confirm on the site they need to meet 3 criteria (assuming the stylist has availability on the date to begin with):

1.   Be for a group of 3 or more people

2.   Have a start time from 6.00am or later

3.   Be within the stylists travel inclusion zone.

If a booking falls short in even one of these 3 points then the booking will be put ‘on request’ until confirmed by the stylist.   Stylists may definitely be interested in bookings that are outside this scope however they are put ‘on request’ and will revert to manual confirmation by the stylist.   Fees for only 1 or 2 people may be slightly higher; the stylist may input an early start fee and/or a travel fee.   This will be inputted by the stylist and the system will notify you of this.   You will then have the option to confirm or reject the booking.

Also check to be sure that your booking start time is within their scheduled scope of hours that they work (see ‘Availability’ in their profile).   When adding in the services (makeup or hair) that you require to your enquiry, the system will build out the timing block required to complete your booking based on what you have inputted, and this will not only show the total amount of time required (at the bottom near the total price), but also the start time in the calendar field.   If your booking/enquiry pushes into a time that is closed off for that stylist it may pay for you to message the stylist directly to see if they are happy to open up their schedule for you on that day.

The 4 Brides Marketplace is a double-sided marketplace, meaning that it provides a platform for both suppliers (stylists) and customers (brides) to interact, however it is also a full service system rather than just a listing site.   This means that the system provides a full service to both the stylist and the bride by way of managing the booking, follow-ups and payments entirely. The bride is able to easily log in and make changes to her booking, and the stylist is freed up of the admin side of things and can concentrate on what they love best: creating beautiful makeup and hair styles.

This can be found in more detail within the ‘Terms & Conditions’ however following is a summary.

Cancellation fees will apply if you cancel your booking based on the following timeframe:

• For bookings cancelled more than 120 days before the booking date, all payments received for services will be refunded, less third-party transaction fees (such as payment gateway, credit card or PayPal fees).
• Bookings cancelled between 31 – 120 days before the booking date will attract a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the quoted booking fee, plus third-party transaction fees.
• Bookings cancelled 30 days or less before the booking date will attract a cancellation fee equal to 100% of the quoted booking fee.

Failure to pay instalments when due may result in your booking being cancelled. If your booking is cancelled due to non-payment, cancellation fees will still apply.

Our cancellation policy and timeline still apply however we have introduced a discretionary process if your wedding is cancelled or postponed due to Australian Federal or State Government COVID restrictions/border closures put in place. This excludes international restrictions. If this is your scenario and you let us know prior to the proposed day the services were to be provided, then we will generally waive the cancellation fees listed for one date change and will instead issue a credit equal to the cancellation fee amount to your profile for use when you wish to rebook.

Ie. If you cancel/postpone your wedding in the period 31-120 days out from the wedding date which would generally incur a 50% cancellation fee, then we will cancel the booking and apply that 50% cancellation fee to a future credit for you to use towards a future booking on the site with any stylist.   Any credit must be used within 12 months or the original cancellation fee will stand and the credit will be removed from your account.

If you cancel/postpone 30 days or less from the booking date then the 100% cancellation fee will be applied to a future credit.

One date change only is allowed.   If a second or subsequent date change is required then the original general cancellation fees will apply as listed below.   We reserve the right to review, make changes to or terminate this COVID policy at any time as the pandemic and vaccination protocols change.   The COVID cancellation credit will be at the discretion of the 4 Brides Marketplace admin and will only be applied after verification of government restrictions affecting the wedding date and venue area, and confirmation that the wedding has indeed been cancelled with the venue.   A drop in numbers for the booking services does not consistute a COVID cancellation and the original cancellation fees will apply.

Cancellation fees will apply if you cancel your booking based on the following timeframe:

• For bookings cancelled more than 120 days before the booking date, all payments received for services will be refunded, less third-party transaction fees (such as payment gateway, credit card or PayPal fees).
• Bookings cancelled between 31 – 120 days before the booking date will attract a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the quoted booking fee, plus third-party transaction fees.
• Bookings cancelled 30 days or less before the booking date will attract a cancellation fee equal to 100% of the quoted booking fee.

Failure to pay instalments when due may result in your booking being cancelled. If your booking is cancelled due to non-payment, cancellation fees will still apply.

• The person who makes the booking is responsible for payment in full.
• A deposit of 25% of the total amount of the booking is due on confirmation to secure the booking.
• A further 25% of the quoted amount is payable 120 days prior to the booking date, with the balance due 30 days prior to the booking date. If payment is not received when due, your booking may be cancelled, and you will receive notice of cancellation. Cancellation fees may apply.
• Final adjustments may be made on the day for additional products or services, such as false lashes, changes to hairstyles, tattoo coverage, extra persons or additional travel fees, payable within 7 days. Invoices will list all inclusions.
• The only exception to this is if the booking is edited and additional services or products added then those additions will be paid in full at the time of adjusting the booking.

 The 4 Brides Marketplace has an in-built messaging system allowing you to contact the stylist directly for specific questions you may have on their service that you can’t find in their profile.   The system will notify the stylist of the message and allow them to reply directly to you.   Do not share personal contact details (phone or email) with the stylist via the messaging service as the system may lock you out.   Once a booking has been made the contact details of the stylist will be provided within the booking.

When to have a trial is really up to you.   Ideally we recommend having makeup and hair trials a month or two out from your wedding day, as your hair will be roughly the same length as it will be on the wedding day and the weather should be similar. Having trials in different seasons can give you an inaccurate idea of how your hair or makeup will react and last on the actual wedding day.   ie. makeup applied in winter may behave differently to when applied on a hot and humid summers day.   Hair styled on a humid day may drop quicker than on a cooler day too, for example.   Having said that, we realise that there are timing restrictions where brides are available for trials and as such we are happy to do trials whenever required, fitting in around our wedding bookings.   Your makeup artist and hair stylist will adjust the products and possibly the application slightly to accommodate the weather on the day if necessary. Although highly recommended, trials are not compulsory.

A little more about trials – we are more than happy to do trials on everyone in the bridal party, as well as mums, if required, however often it is just the bride who requests a trial.   Our stylists will discuss the overall look you are wanting for both yourself and your bridal party.   Variations of a particular style may be required depending on factors such as the length of hair, thickness and condition, however they will do their best to create styles as close as possible to the brief given what they have to work with.

At a trial your stylist will consult with you first to discuss various aspects of your wedding as well as look at any inspirational images that you have, or may provide you with some images to look at.   Essentially this is to narrow down what you want, and don’t want, for your makeup and hair.   Once this is established the makeup artist or hair stylist will start creating.   They are happy to show you some variations of the makeup or hair style, such as darkening up the eyes, a change of lipstick shade, moving a downstyle curl into a messy upstyle, however please be aware that a total re-do or second full style is not factored into the timing or pricing.   If a full second look is required then a subsequent trial fee would apply.   Approximately 1 – 1 1/2 hours is allocated for a trial – depending on the stylist.

Please note that at your hair trial often the hair stylist will not use as much product in your hair as she will on the wedding day.   This is so that she can move the hair and show you some variations to the look you are after.   Also be aware that hair can reach a point where it has been overworked and become frizzy when a style is moved around or changed too much.   This wouldn’t be the case on the wedding day once the actual style has been decided on.

Trials can be booked no further than a month out from the potential trial date as we do need to fit trials in around our wedding bookings.   We reserve the right to move a trial booking should details of the wedding booking change which will encroach on the trial booking.

You can search for makeup artists who use products suitable for sensitive skin.   Of course the degree of sensitivity can vary from one person to the next and as such it is strongly recommended that a makeup trial is performed to ensure all products used will be compatible. Most common irritants in makeup are fragrances and sunscreens, and usually the products most likely to cause an issue are those which go directly onto the skin, such as foundation and concealers.   If in doubt, be sure to ask the makeup artist to do a patch test either on arrival at the makeup trial, or, if the sensitivity is with a bridesmaid or mum who hasn’t had a trial, then first up on the wedding day.   Usually any irritation will begin to show within 5-30 minutes of the product being applied.   Water based foundations are often more sensitive-skin-friendly than silicone based foundations.    To a lesser degree occasionally some mascaras and eyeliners can cause mild irritation however this is usually in the non-waterproof products that may leach into the eye with tears.   For this reason waterproof mascara is used and many makeup artists will also use waterproof eyeliners.

Airbrush makeup is the application of a liquid foundation (and occasionally other liquid makeup products) via an airbrush gun and small compressor.   The foundation is applied in a fine mist resulting in a lovely even coverage.   Airbrushing foundations can vary between brands and may be water or silicone based.   Airbrush foundation can be applied in a light coverage or layered to achieve a fuller coverage depending on requirements.   Being a liquid foundation however even a fuller coverage tends to feel quite light on the face compared to cream based foundations.

At all times you should be guided by your individual stylist regarding skin prep as everyone is difference, however as a general rule the following would normally apply:

At all times you should be guided by your individual stylist regarding hair prep as everyone is difference, however as a general rule the following would normally apply:

To work out timings for your makeup and hair styling preparation first start with the ceremony time and work back from there.   If for example you are having a 3pm ceremony then as a general rule you will need to be ready 1 1/2 hours prior to the ceremony time – so by 1.30pm.   This is the time makeup and hair would be finished; you then need to allow time to get dressed, time with your photographer and time to travel to the ceremony location.   Of course this is an approximate completion time and will vary based on: how complicated your dress is to get in to; how much time your photographer wants with you (please note: they may advise an arrival time but are often photographing flowers, shoes, rings, dresses, etc., so may not require you to all be completed by the time they arrive); and also how far you have to travel to get to the ceremony location, allowing for traffic, etc.   Never under estimate how much time you need from completion time to ceremony time as this is vitally important.   Gone are the days that the bride can be fashionably late; some celebrants allow only a small timeframe for a late arrival plus any delay will snowball and impact on your schedule for the remainder of the day.

Once you have your completion time the ‘4 Brides Marketplace’ will automatically calculate out a start time for you based on the services you add to your booking and the actual time the particular stylist has indicated for each service.   As all stylists work at a different pace we find that this gives the most accurate timing schedule for you.   Your stylist may also arrive slightly earlier to set up prior to starting.

So, using the above example.   For a 3pm ceremony, with only a short distance to travel to the ceremony location, we would recommend being ready by 1.30pm.   If there are 4 ladies requiring upstyles and the stylist requires 45 minutes per person then the system will make a booking for you starting at 10.30am (with the stylist generally arriving between 10.00 – 10.15am to start setting up).

Different products (including different shades) are used with these styles of makeup as well as different techniques may be required.   Not all makeup artists may carry the full range of products for all skin tones or have the skill or experience in these areas.   In Australia they can be specific requirements that a bride is looking for and as such we have listed them separately.   It would generally be expected that experience in one of these areas would also indicate that the stylist is capable of similar makeup. ie. Indian makeup artist should also be able to do Arab makeup as the styles, although not the same, are similar, hence why we have not listed every makeup style.   Also a makeup artist who has the products for African makeup should also be able to accommodate other darker skinned cultures and have an understanding as to what shades work best.   We have included these options to streamline the search for the bride to ensure the stylist has the required products and skill/experience.

Yes and no.   Yes, your makeup artist and hair stylist can be booked for the same times for a group of 2 or more, so long as each has someone to work on from the start.   If the booking is only for 1 person then they would need to be booked one after the other as it is not ideal for makeup to be done whilst the hair stylist is moving your head.

Generally on the wedding day the makeup artist will start on one person whilst the hair stylist starts on another, and they then change around making sure that the same person isn’t left to the end for both services.   Usually the makeup artist will require the client to be sitting up high on a stool and the hair stylist will want them sitting low in a normal height chair, so it is best to avoid both stylists needing to work on the one person at the same time.

This really depends on the timeline.   Some brides request that the photographer arrive really early and they want to be totally finished when they arrive and, as such, the stylists will do makeup and hair first and second.   As we can’t leave the same person (bride) to the end for both services she would generally go in the middle for one service and the end for the other.   You will often find that the stylists will discuss this with each other and which service goes first may depend on whether you are having hair across your face, in which case the makeup would go first, or perhaps the hair stylist may wish to curl your hair and let it sit for a while only to then finish it off at the end…in this case hair might go early in the booking, then makeup and then finished off with hair again at the end.   There are a lot of different scenarios but the most important thing is to discuss your preferences with your stylists and they will work in with you to find the best option.   Regardless of who goes first your stylists will check everyone and do final touch-ups prior to packing up anyway.

This is a not for profit group of Australian wedding professionals and venues who have signed a statutory declaration and publicly declared that they run their business in an ethical and honest manner as described in the Ethical Wedding Professionals ‘Code of Ethics’.   Following is a summary of the EWP Code of Ethics:

• Abide by all local and federal laws governing the industry.
• Obtain and maintain current licenses and certificates as required by law.
• Maintain adequate liability insurance.
• Operate under a current ABN or ACN.
• Operate their business in an honest and ethical manner.
• Treat all clients with respect, a sense of co-operation and with concern for their welfare.
• Personally and professionally treat peers and suppliers with the same respect in which I would wish to be treated
• With transparency, offer full disclosure to clients, any financial interest or payment received, extending to and including monetary payment, exchange of service of value, on referral or recommendation of services, products or venue.
• Have no expectation or demand of payment for referral or recommendation including commissions, gifts or kickbacks.
• Truly and honestly represent business in all forms of marketing and advertising
• Have the best interests at heart of the  client  and the wedding industry in general.
• Aim to maintain a standard of excellence in honesty, ethics and standards within the wedding industry and ultimately aim to improve and lift these standards.

Makeup 4 Brides & Hair 4 Brides never have and never will pay wedding venues or other wedding suppliers for referrals nor have we ever received payment for recommending other suppliers or referrals.   We simply refer those whom we believe offer the best service and products for the bride.   It’s as simple as that.   We appreciate greatly those who refer us based on our standard and quality of service, longevity in the industry, as well as them knowing that we will look after their brides to the highest degree.

If you would like to know more about Ethical Wedding Professionals you can visit the website here:   www.ethicalweddingprofessionals.com  Also some interesting reading here:   Who Wins In The End?