How to Coordinate your Bridal Dressing Room

Your first decision should be where you’re going to go right after you wake up on your wedding morning. Will you go to a salon or will you go to a hotel? Better yet, will you already be at the hotel and the Stylists will come to you? Or, finally, will you go straight to the Venue and start getting ready there? These are your 4 Options on where to get ready:

Step 1- Research your options

Option 1- Go to a Salon

With this option, you’ll probably wake up at home and then you and your bridesmaids will all meet at a salon for hair and makeup appointments. You’ll want to call Salons ahead of time and make all the arrangements. Try to get the first chair of the morning so that you’re not waiting on another client of the Salon. You’ll want to bring a head scarf to protect your up do or curls for when you travel back to the venue. You’ll also want to wear a button-down shirt so you’re not pulling one over your head and smudging your makeup.

Option 2- Get Ready at Home

This is a great option because you have one less travel step. You wake up at home, perhaps even have a few bridesmaids stay the night before and start breakfast while you wait for your stylists to arrive. For this option, you will have needed to hire Stylists who travel. They will arrive, make you pretty and then go on their way. This option works wonderfully If your venue is far away and you don’t necessarily want to pay your stylists a long mileage fee. Or, equally likely, if they have other brides that morning and don’t need to be driving all over the city.

Option 3- Get Ready at the Hotel

I love this option because the bride usually has a lot of items she needs at the hotel on the wedding night, like makeup remover and her dress bag. If you book your Wedding Night Suite for TWO nights, say Friday and Saturday then you can “move in” with all your overnight stuff, and even his, and not have to move it twice. This eliminate a whole lot of Project 27 {which we’ll get to} and makes for a nice transition in the evening. You will still have to travel one time after your hair and makeup are done, so you’ll still need that head scarf, but the rest of the evening is easy!

Option 4- Get Ready at the Venue

This option is equally as great as option 3 with the conveniences it offers. You won’t have to travel once you’re on sight so your hair and makeup will be pristine. You will already be at the Venue, so if you’re running late you won’t have to stress out in traffic. Most of your family will all be meeting here for pictures so you’ll have more opportunities to see them getting ready.

These option have their own pros and cons. What it really breaks down to for coordinating is of course, budget, and whether you can afford another night in the hotel or travel mileage for stylist. You should also weigh in the conveniences though because a little convenience can go a long way if traveling between places can cause huge delays in your timeline.

Step 2- Decide Where

The first place you should ask is your Venue and if they have a Getting Ready room for the Bride and her entourage. Most often they will and it will already be included in your rental fee! Bonus! If you’re getting married at a private home, I bet there is a bedroom, or even a large room that you can use, if not the whole house. Just be sure that there is a separate area for the Groom & Groomsman far enough away so as not to interfere with the first look!

We have a great Venue Contract Review Worksheet that can help you through all the questions you should ask before signing into a Venue Agreement. It comes straight out of our Dream Team Interview Book.

Step 3- Make a Plan

Once you’ve identified where everyone will be getting their hair and makeup done, do set a time for everyone to meet you at the venue or hotel. You’ll want them all there when you’re getting into your dress, for all of those amazing Wedding Morning Pictures!

Read Next P0 | How to Coordinate your Wedding Morning Getting Ready Pictures

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Next Project Block: Project Block 1: How to Coordinate Guest Entry