Once you're engaged and starting your wedding plans, choosing your vendors is a big task on the list. For hair and makeup, one of the most important factors is defining your dream wedding look so you can search for the right fit — along with a communication style you connect with, since this is someone you'll be trusting on one of the most important days of your life.
Once you find the right artist, book as soon as you can. On average, most of us receive wedding inquiries about 8–12 months out, and most artists — myself included — take just one wedding per day so we can give it our full attention. Saturdays, Sundays, and most holiday weekends fill up fastest, and April, May, and November are our busiest months. If your date falls near these, book early — some vendors don't even open bookings more than 12 months out.
And on budget: if your favorite vendor is outside your range, before feeling discouraged, ask yourself — would you rather lower the budget elsewhere to get your dream hair and makeup look, or is another service more important to you on one of the most photographed days of your life?