Photography by Erin Perkin’s Photography

I can’t believe we are in the first week of February, It is crazy how fast this year already seems to be going and we are only just beginning.  Well here in the PNW we are dealing with heavy rain and flooding.  So I thought that this would be the perfect time to talk about your bridal look and duhduhduh… rain.  We Washingtonians know we can’t control the weather and even if you decide to get married in the summer here there may be a chance of an amazing summer storm.  So what do you do to ensure that your makeup will last all night?

As your makeup artist I have a few tricks up my sleeve and I am going to share a few that I have found worked for me.  (All the images in this blog post were weddings on rainy days). So let’s get to it.

Photography by Cameron Zegers Photography

Foundation

Did you know that they make a waterproof foundation and I am not talking about a silicone airbrush foundation or an alcohol based foundation.  I am talking about an honest to goodness waterproof liquid foundation that feels lightweight and looks amazing and like skin.  Oh yes they do and I carry it so if I feel like the weather is going to work against us I might decide to whip out my liquid waterproof foundation and use that on you instead of my cream foundation or airbrush foundation.  It is amazing stuff and bonus it also looks beautiful on camera.

Powder Blushes

I love a flushed cheek using a cream blush but sometimes I need something that will have a little more staying power and look beautiful even through rain.  That is where my powder blush comes in.  What is great about a powder is the I can layer it to create the look I want and not worry about it melting off.  You will look flawless all day even if a little drizzle gets on you.

Photography by Anchor Photography

False Lashes with/without waterproof mascara

What I love about my Sonia Roselli Drop Lashes is that they can be used with or without mascara so if it is super rainy and I feel like I will have better luck without mascara I will give your eyes extra oomph with my drop lashes.  Having waterproof mascara is a must on a wedding day because hello tears but it is especially necessary on a rainy wedding day.

Setting Spray and Powder

My last step to creating a waterproof look is using a setting spray or setting powder.  This last step will ensure your makeup will last all day.  I can even spray a little on a eyeshadow brush and dap it on your shadow to ensure that your eyeshadow will stay in place.  

Photography by Autumn L. Rudolph Photography

What I hope you got out of this blog post is that you don’t have to worry about the rain.  The weather should be the last thing you should worry about on your wedding day and you should especially not worry about your makeup on your wedding day.  If it happens just embrace it.  Hiring a professional makeup artist should ease your fears about weather because we work in all sort of conditions.  Until next time here is your musings from a Bonney Lake makeup artist.

Today I am so excited to feature Markie from Markie Jones Photography.  I got the chance to work with Markie at a wedding two years ago and started following her on social media.  Her social media is full of personal stories and pictures and Markie is very easy to recognise.  Well one day I was at my kids school for a halloween trick or treating event and I see this woman with blue hair and a camera taking pictures and I didn’t think anything of it but she seemed like someone I knew.  Then at an assembly I saw the same woman and took a chance and reached out to her on Instagram asking if her kids went to my kids school turns out they did.  We met for coffee and she is the sweetest most awesome person and I am so excited to feature her business on my blog so here we go.

1) Tell me a little about yourself and your business?

I like to say that I didn’t “find” photography, but rather photography found me.  Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian or a stay at home mom, but I believed I wasn’t artistic (My mom and grandma on the other hand, had loads of artistic abilities between them).  When I started college, pursuing a career as a veterinary technician (I didn’t want another 8 years of school either), I was working in a veterinarian’s office and learned there were a few things about veterinary work that I really didn’t want to deal with.  Because of this, I stopped paying attention in my classes and quickly went from being an A+ student to failing out of community college.  My mom was the one who browsed the course catalog at registration time and found a photography course.  She offered me her Pentax K1000 and told me photography would be easy. 
It was more than easy, it was calming, therapeutic and healing for me.  I could spend full days in the darkroom without realizing how much time had passed.  Listening to the water run through the wet table, the sloshing of the chemicals in the developing tank and the hum of the light tables soothed a part of my spirit I didn’t realize was restless and neglected. After graduating college in 2006, I stepped away a bit, not having somewhere to develop my film on my own.  But my ex-husband offered my skills up to the local Pop Warner Football Team head coach, and I became the team photographer for the Pacifica Tigersharks (2008).  Between games, I’d snap a few portraits of the boys on the sidelines and include them in the team galleries.  Soon the team moms were asking me to photograph their Christmas cards and family sessions. 
After being laid off in 2010, I was offered a “business loan” from my dad with the conditions that I applied for a Washington State Business License, and opened a formal business that I could run during my month long stays in Washington.  While the original plan was for my ex-husband and I to move back to Washington (hence starting the business here), things happened that caused a change in course, and I wound up moving my daughter and myself home in September 2011.  Since then, my business has continued to steadily grow while still providing that outlet I’ve become so fond of.   

2) I feel like every photographer has an individual style.  What would you say yours is?

This is one of those questions that always tongue ties me.  I like to say it’s photojournalistic, true to life photography.  I feel that it’s a combination of simple observation (like what you’d see in a newspaper) combined with the ability to curate and tell the story of the day as it unfolds.  I’m not a fan of muted colors (or that faded green that seems to be popular), nor am I really a light and airy or dark and moody photographer.  The finished edits are clean, simple and very much what you would have viewed on the day of the wedding.  If the grass is golden, it was golden when I shot it.  No gimmicks or crazy photoshop action. 

3) What has been your favorite part about photographing weddings?

 Weddings are amazingly fun because they test my skills.  There is no other genre where you’re going to shoot commercial, family, couples, and candid photography all in the same day.  But my absolute favorite part of weddings… the moment the couple kisses at the end of their ceremony for the first time as a married couple!  It doesn’t matter to me what nationality, gender or identifying personality, I almost ALWAYS tear up at the first kiss. There is just something so special about sealing the deal with a kiss. 

4) When should clients book you for their wedding?

Right this instant, I’m booking 2020 and 2021 weddings.  Since I’m only allowing myself to take a maximum of 20 weekend weddings a year, and I prioritize one weekend a month for family, it’s important to get on my calendar asap when you’re wanting to book.  For those who are interested in week day weddings (my favorites!) I typically book out about 3-6 months. 

5) What is one tip you can give a couple about hiring a photographer?

Have an engagement session with them before you book for your wedding.  A lot of photographers (myself included) offer free engagements in our wedding collections. However, having an engagement session prior to booking will allow you to see how they work, and get a feel for being behind their camera.  It makes me sad when clients hire photographers, then find after their engagement session they aren’t happy with the images/the feeling during the session/something else entirely.  Obviously there are times where this isn’t possible due to time constraints or logistics.  But when possible, definitely do it.  (P.S. Ask in advance if you pay for the engagement outside of the wedding collection, how things are handled when you decide to book). 

If you would like to learn more about Markie and her business please click here.  I loved her tip at the end and think it is so helpful for couples to know.  I have a great group of guest bloggers lined up this year and am so excited to introduce you to them.  Until next time here are you weekly musings from a Bonney Lake Makeup Artist.

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Photography credit Markie Jones Photography

Photography by Olga Andreyanova Photography

As booking season is approaching and I am getting more and more inquiries I am also getting more and more questions about minimums and dollar breakdowns.  So I wanted this blog post to be all about minimum amount of services needed to book.  I am going to be straight up with you when I first started getting serious about bridal I didn’t have a minimum needed to serve I would go all over the place for just one person.  I realized I wasn’t doing myself, my brides or my car any favors.  It was a lot of wear and tear on my vehicle for maybe $100.00 (not including the trial run).  My gas and taxes were most of what I made and I would come home with maybe $15.00 for the entire 3 hours of my time.  Something had to change and that is when I realized I needed a minimum in place.  So here are the reasons why most artists have a minimum dollar amount or services.

Photography by Jenny Ostenson Photography

1) Weddings are everywhere

I have brides getting married all over the PNW.  I drive all over the place I have done weddings in Everett, Kingston, Mt Rainier those location are all well over an hour from where I live.  It honestly does not make sense for me to drive over an hour to just work for an hour.  That is why I have a minimum of bride plus 2 services needed to book so that way driving that hour makes more sense.

2) Bridesmaids, MOB’s and MOG’s should be able to get ready too

Your bridesmaids, mother of the bride and mother of the groom have already bought the dress, the shoes, the jewelry.  They want to look beautiful too and you should want them to look beautiful.  I also love to create cohesive looks so that is also why I have a minimum because I want them to feel good and I have found having 2 people also getting ready with my brides makes for a fun day.

Photography by Rebecca Jane Photography

3) Weddings are typically on the weekends and some holidays 

I love doing bridal work it is my most favorite thing in the world.  I love spending my weekends and sometimes holidays with my brides and hanging out with you and your family.  However on the weekends when I am with my brides I am also giving up time with my kids which we have a good schedule now and they have grown up in this lifestyle so it doesn’t phase them.  I have a minimum because I want to make sure that time away from my babies is worth it and is also enough to cover the occasional baby sitter if my husband gets called into work.  

Doing bridal is my favorite I love it and what I really want for my blog is for you all to get the inside scoop on bridal beauty services.  I feel even still that our category as a wedding vendor is confusing for brides because when thinking of makeup artistry and doing updos you think of per service instead of group total.  Photography is easier to understand because they have hourly packages, catering is easy to understand because you have to feed your guests so you go by guest count and plate service.  Beauty services still has a lot of misinformation out there.  So I want to make my blog fun, informative and also give you all the knowledge of why we charge what we charge and do what we do.  So you can be a better consumer.  Anyway here is my weekly musings of a Bonney Lake bridal makeup artist.