chapter 10
that special day
In the end, the most important mementos of your wedding are the photographs, because fifteen years from now, when what you wore no longer fits, the one thing you are going to look back on are the photos. The time of day you get married, as well as the way you photograph at that time of day, will affect your makeup choices. For example, the natural look of a morning wedding varies greatly from the more dramatic look of an evening ceremony. The way the sunlight changes throughout the day can affect the way your makeup appears in photos. It can also affect the type of lighting your photographer will choose.
I divide brides into four categories, based on the time of day they’re getting married: morning, midday, late afternoon, and evening. With each time choice, there are certain details you’ll want to consider. Paying attention to them can help you get the best wedding photos possible.
morning bride
For a morning wedding, your makeup look should appear soft and pretty to match the cool, soft morning light. Morning light has a blue tint. Mornings are perfect for the natural girl; it’s the time of day when a bride should wear the least amount of makeup. Most brides who get married in the morning have the event outside, or at least take their photos and portraits outside. Even if they are getting married inside, the photographer might be taking advantage of the light coming through windows rather than using a lot of artificial light for the photographs.
• Though a matte foundation is always perfect for photographs, a morning bride can choose to wear a foundation with a slight sheen or dewiness to it, because the light will be so soft. Make sure that your skin is a nice, even tone (see here).
• Make sure to prep you skin well so your foundation lasts throughout the ceremony and reception without needing a ton of touchups.
• If your skin tends to break out, I would not choose this time of day for your wedding, because you are going to want to wear as little foundation and concealer as possible, due to the softer natural light.
• Go light on the powder so your face retains its natural appearance. You want your skin to appear matte, but it does not take a lot of powder to achieve this. Heavy powder can appear artificial in the morning light.
• If you want, your blush can have a touch of shimmer to it at this time of day, because the photographer isn’t likely to use a flash and the light is so soft. Just make sure you don’t choose anything too bold.
• Don’t make bold eyeshadow color choices for your eyes. Choose warmer, soft shades that complement your eye color. This is the one time you will want to wear less eyeshadow, because the lighting will accentuate any harsh colors or lack of blending.
• Define your eyes well at the lash line to help them stand out (see here). Another option would be false eyelashes (see here).
• If you choose to wear eyeliner (you don’t have to), keep it subtle and soft. You don’t want anything too dark (no black) or too harsh or thick—keep it really close to the lash line—at this time of day.
• Lip color should always be soft and natural—nothing too bold. If it is too bold, it will be all that you see in the photos.
• Everything will photograph darker than it appears to the eye, because the light is so soft, so go with softer shade choices.
• Make sure everything is well blended; any harsh lines or hard edges will just be magnified in the photos.
midday bride
If you’re planning a wedding in the middle of the day, be aware that the midday sun can cast shadows on your face, which can make a difference if you’re taking outdoor photos. This is the harshest light to be photographed in. Because the natural light will be coming from directly above you, you’ll want to follow these steps to make sure you are picture perfect.
• Don’t wear foundation with a sheen or dewiness to it. If you do, the strong light will make you look shiny, reflective, and oily in the photographs. Go as light as possible with your foundation; the light could make it visible. A lightweight foundation and a matte powder finish will photograph beautifully.
• Prep your skin well to make sure your foundation lasts throughout the ceremony and reception without needing a ton of touchups.
• Make sure your blush has a more matte finish. If it has too much shimmer, it will look too reflective in the photos.
• A crème blush is a great choice for this time of day. It will absorb into your skin and look more natural. Keep in mind that crème blush does not work well on oily skin, so stick with a powder blush.
• Because the light is so strong and can wash out your skin, highlighting and contouring is a must.
• Due to the midday lighting, if your eye makeup is too dark, your eyes will photograph like two dark holes. Your highlight shade is the most important shadow choice. Use a highlight with shimmer (not frost) to open up your eyes. The lightreflective particles in the shimmer will help prevent the “black hole effect.”
• Make sure your midtone and/or contour shade has a matte finish—you never want to use three shades with shimmer, because your eyes will look too shiny in the photographs.
• If you want to wear eyeliner, keep it as close to the lash line as possible. If it is too thick, it could darken the lid more than you want, creating the dreaded “black hole effect.”
• Long, beautiful eyelashes really help define your eyes without depending on heavy eyeliner (see here). False eyelashes would also be an excellent choice (see here).
• Because the sunlight grows stronger as the day advances, every makeup line becomes more visible on your face as midday approaches. Make sure to blend your foundation, blush, eyeshadow, and powder extremely well. At this time of day, there is no such thing as over-blending.
late afternoon bride
The golden light of late afternoon is the most beautiful light you can be photographed in. Late afternoon is when the sun is starting to set in the sky, creating a beautiful warm glow. Because the light will be so beautiful and forgiving, you can add a little more drama to your makeup look. You can wear more eyeshadow and have more shade options. This is hands down the photographer’s and makeup artist’s favorite time to photograph a bride.
• If your skin is less than perfect, late afternoon is a great time to get married. The light is softer and more forgiving, so you can use a little more foundation and concealer to cover your flaws, and your skin will still appear completely natural-looking in photographs. Don’t forget to powder—remember that matte skin always photographs better than shiny skin.
• Make sure to prep you skin well so your foundation lasts throughout the ceremony and reception without a ton of touchups.
• As evening comes, your photographer will have to use a flash, so make sure you add color to your face. A flash shoots a bright burst of light in your face, which can make you appear washed out. Even if you do not normally wear blush, you need to wear at least a little color on your cheeks.
• Another way to prevent looking too pale or washed out in your photos is to contour your face and add a warm glow with bronzing powder (see here and here).
• It’s fine for your blush to have a little shimmert, because it will look beautiful in this light, though it is also fine if you want to use a matte shade.
• You can make richer color choices thanks to the lighting, so feel free to apply more dramatic eyeshadow shades.
• A shimmery (not frosted) eyeshadow will look beautiful because it photographs well in all lighting. Just make sure that your midtone and/or contour shade has a matte finish. You never want to use three shades with shimmer, because your eyes will look too shiny in photographs.
• Want to add a little more glamour? Try false eyelashes. This is the perfect time of day for this beauty trick, and eyelashes help define your eyes better than anything else you could do (see here). If you don’t want to wear false eyelashes, just make sure to layer your mascara to get the most definition you can (see here).
• Late-afternoon brides get the green light to wear a richer lip color, too. The light allows you to wear richer colors without them showing up in photos as too intense.
evening bride
If you love to glam it up, an evening wedding allows you to go for a more dramatic makeup look. You can play with color and wear more makeup at night than at any other time, and you will still photograph beautifully. This is the time of day for the bride who wants to be a glamour queen.
• If you have less than perfect skin, you can wear more foundation and powder at this time of day and still look natural.
• Make sure to prep your skin well so your foundation lasts throughout the ceremony and reception without needing a ton of touchups.
• Your photographs will be taken with a flash, so make sure to bronze generously to give your skin a glow. One thing that helps is sculpting your face, because it will add color so the flash will not wash your skin out, and it adds dimension. Dimension is important because the flash can also flatten everything out in a photograph (see here and here).
• Everything should be more defined, from your lips to your eyes to your cheekbones, because all photos will be taken with a flash, which can wash you out. More defined does not mean darker. Even if you don’t wear blush every day, you need at least a little color in your cheek for the flash. Give your lips a nice defined edge by lining them (see here).
• Even if you don’t always wear brow color, you may need a little so your brows will show in the photos, especially if you’re a natural blonde (see here).
• Shimmery eyeshadow will photograph well in the evening, but there should be absolutely no frosted shadows for this time of night (or any time for brides, in my opinion). Frosted eyeshadow looks too shiny in photographs, especially when a flash is used! A shimmery shadow always looks soft and pretty. Just make sure that at least one of your three shades of shadow is a matte. You never want all three shades to shimmer, because the eye will look too shiny in your photos.
• False eyelashes are a must for a nighttime wedding because they help define the eyes (see here). The more definition at your lash line, the better you will photograph. If you do not want to wear false eyelashes, layer your mascara (see here). This will also help to define them.
• If you want to wear a smoky eye, you’re in luck. Evening is a perfect time for this eyeshadow application technique (see here). This look will photograph beautifully and look sophisticated. Just make sure to wear a soft lip color if you’re wearing a smoky eye.
• Make sure you have lip color and powder on at all times. You never know when the camera will flash!
