When a bride writes to me, the second question comes right after the date: how long does it take? The short answer is ninety minutes. The question that matters more is the next one, what time we start, and that depends on the ceremony, not on me. It is how I plan every bridal makeup in Porto, working backwards.
This page shows how that sum is done, with a sample schedule, what usually slows a wedding morning down, and what changes if you are flying in for the wedding.
Ninety minutes for the bride
Allow about ninety minutes for the bride's makeup. It is not slow brushwork. It is makeup built to last fourteen hours, survive tears and still look right thirty centimetres from a lens, and a good part of that time goes into the skin, before any foundation.
On top of those ninety minutes there is a margin at the end for touch-ups once the dress is on. Getting into a wedding dress is not a delicate operation, and it is better to plan for that than to discover it on the day.
Why the bride goes last
The bridesmaids and the bride's mother have their makeup done first. The bride sits down last, so she reaches the photographs with fresh makeup rather than three hours of wear.
There is a second advantage. By the time the bride sits down, most people around her are ready, and her ninety minutes have fewer interruptions.
How the start time is worked out
The sum runs backwards. Start from the ceremony time and take away, in this order, the travel time, the photographs before leaving, the dress and touch-ups, the bride's ninety minutes and, finally, everyone who has their makeup done before her. What is left is the time I arrive.
| Moment | Starts at | Who sets the time |
|---|---|---|
| Bridesmaids, mother and guests | Before 12:45 | The number of people |
| Bride's makeup | 12:45 | Ninety minutes, always |
| Dress and touch-ups | 14:15 | The bride and whoever helps her dress (30 min in this example) |
| Photographs before leaving | 14:45 | The photographer (45 min in this example) |
| Leaving for the ceremony | 15:30 | The distance (30 min in this example) |
| Ceremony | 16:00 | The couple |
The dress, photograph and travel times come from this example. At every wedding they are different, which is why I ask for them before fixing the schedule. The bride's ninety minutes are the part that does not change.
There are weddings at ten in the morning and weddings at five in the afternoon, and the sum is the same. We agree everything the week before, to the minute, and on the day nobody needs to watch the clock.
How many people fit in one morning
The arrival time depends mostly on how many people have their makeup done before the bride, which is why it is one of the first things I ask.
With my team of four, we can do makeup for up to 20 to 25 people in one morning. The bride is still the last. If hair is added for everyone, that number changes and the morning starts earlier.
I stay until the bride leaves
I do not leave when the makeup is finished. I stay on site from the moment I arrive until the bride leaves for the ceremony, and I keep checking her makeup until she walks in.
That is when the things no schedule predicts happen: her mother's hug, the first tear when her father sees her in the dress. A touch-up at the right moment deals with both.
What slows a wedding morning down
It is almost never the makeup. Delays usually come from outside the chair.
The most common one is hair. Anyone having their makeup done early should arrive with their hair already done, or at least washed and dry. Wet hair at makeup time is the easiest way to lose half an hour.
Next comes someone arriving late for their slot. On a morning with several people, each one has a place in the schedule, and twenty minutes late for the first pushes everyone back, all the way to the bride.
Finally, changes to the photography plan. If the photographer wants the bride ready earlier, it is better to know a week before than at eleven on the morning itself.
If you are flying in for the wedding
Many of the brides I work with live outside Portugal. The wedding morning works exactly the same way; what changes is the trial.
The bridal makeup trial is normally four to eight weeks before the wedding. For brides travelling in who cannot come earlier, we do it the day before or two days before. Everything is decided there, so on the day the ninety minutes are spent doing, not choosing.
If you are getting ready in a hotel or at the venue, I come to you. It works like any makeup at home in Porto: I need a corner with daylight, close to a window, and it helps to know in advance if the room is dark.
Frequently asked questions
How long does bridal makeup take?
About ninety minutes for the bride alone. On top of that there is a margin at the end for touch-ups once the dress is on.
What time should bridal makeup start on the wedding day?
The time is worked out backwards from the ceremony: travel, photographs before leaving, the dress and touch-ups, the bride's ninety minutes and everyone who has their makeup done before her. In the example on this page, with a 16:00 ceremony, the bride's makeup starts at 12:45.
Who goes first, the bride or the bridesmaids?
The bridesmaids and the bride's mother go first. The bride goes last, so she reaches the photographs with her makeup at its best.
How many people can have their makeup done in one morning?
With my team of four, up to 20 to 25 people in one morning. If hair is added, that number changes.
Does the makeup artist stay until the ceremony?
Yes. I stay on site from the moment I arrive until the bride leaves for the ceremony, and I keep checking her makeup until she walks in.
I live abroad. When do we do the trial?
Normally four to eight weeks before the wedding. For brides travelling in who cannot come earlier, the trial is the day before or two days before.
One last thing
If you already know the ceremony time, you have almost everything I need. Send me that time, where you will get ready and how many people need makeup. We fix the morning schedule together, to the minute, the week before. You can write in English, and the reply comes in English.