Hair and makeup is priced by the head and by the hour at the same time, which is why two quotes for the same morning can look nothing alike. An artist is selling you a fixed early start, a fixed number of faces before a fixed deadline, and a trial beforehand, and the shape of your morning decides how many of them have to be there. This page explains what drives the number before anybody quotes you.
Ask three suppliers for a price
How the morning is actually priced
Start from the deadline, which is the time you must be ready, and work backwards. Each face takes a predictable amount of time, so the number of people being done and the hour they all have to be finished together decide whether one artist can do it or whether a second has to be booked. That is the largest single lever on the quote, and it is entirely within your control: five bridesmaids being done is a very different booking from two. The bride is normally priced separately and higher than the party, because it includes the trial, the longer sitting and usually a touch-up kit or a return visit.
The trial, and why it is not optional
A trial is a separate appointment weeks or months before, usually charged separately, and it is the whole reason the booking works. It is where you find out that the look you saved does not suit your face, that your skin reacts to something, or that the artist listens. Couples who skip it to save the fee are gambling the one photograph set they cannot retake. Ask whether the trial fee is credited against the booking, since some artists do that, and ask whether a second trial is available and at what cost if the first does not land.
The questions that change the quote
Ask what time they need to start and how long they need per person, because an artist who can do six faces in the time another needs for four is genuinely cheaper. Ask whether travel and early-start fees apply, since a six o'clock start an hour from home is a real cost. Ask whether they stay for touch-ups after the ceremony and what that costs, as it is commonly an extra hour rather than an included service. And ask about the products, particularly if anybody has sensitive skin or wants long-wear photography-friendly makeup, because that is a different product line and sometimes a different artist.
How to price bridal makeup: what artists publish
Of the bridal hair and makeup price lists we read, six publish a figure, from £150 for the bride's hair alone to £1,255 for a full bridal party package, with a median of £402.50. Couples' own spending sits close to that middle: Bridebook's 2026 UK report puts the average at £394 on make-up and £417 on hair, and The Knot's US data at $150 for a makeup artist for one person. All were read on 12 October 2026. An artist working out how much to charge for bridal makeup is pricing the same things a couple is buying: the trial, the faces, the early start and the travel.
Questions people ask about bridal makeup
How much to charge for wedding makeup as an artist?
Price the trial, each face on the morning, the early start and the travel as separate lines, then check the total against what other artists publish: the six bridal price lists we read run from £150 to £1,255 for different packages, with a median of £402.50 (read 12 October 2026).
Should wedding hair and makeup be the same person?
It is cheaper and simpler when it is, and specialists are often better at each. If you book two people, check they can work in the same room at the same time without doubling the morning.
How early does it start?
Earlier than most couples plan for. Work backwards from the time you must be dressed and ready for photographs, add contingency, and expect the artist to arrive before you would like them to.
Is a trial included?
Usually not, and it is sometimes credited against the booking. Ask specifically, because a quote that includes the trial and one that does not can look identical until the invoices arrive.
Do I have to pay for the bridal party?
That is a decision rather than a rule, and both arrangements are common. Whichever you choose, tell the artist the total number of faces, because that is what decides how many people they need to bring.
Sources
- The Snapper London prices and packages
- David Wadley Photography price list 2025-26
- Bridebook, Average Wedding Cost UK: £20,604 in 2026 (read 12 October 2026)
- The Knot, This Is the Average Wedding Cost, Backed By Data (read 12 October 2026)
- Lucent, Bridal Hair & Makeup Packages London (read 12 October 2026)
- CLJ London, Wedding Hair and Makeup Prices and Packages (read 12 October 2026)