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p. 02

p. 02 · From first message to last pin

The method, in nine steps

This is how a booking runs, in the order it happens. Nothing on the morning is improvised, and none of these steps change for a garden ceremony of twelve or a Winelands wedding of a hundred and fifty.

  1. Reply within 2 working days

    Writing to me

    Tell me the date, the venue, how many faces, and a rough time for the ceremony. If anyone in the party is under twelve, say so, because it changes what I can do for them. I answer Tuesday to Friday and I'll tell you straight away whether the date is still free.

  2. 30% deposit · one free move

    Holding the date

    A 30% deposit holds your date. It isn't refundable, but if the wedding moves, the deposit can move with it once, to any new date within twelve months. Until it lands, the Saturday is still open to whoever asks next.

  3. About 2.5 hours · R1,600

    The trial

    We book it six to ten weeks before the wedding, and it takes about two and a half hours. Bring the actual top of your dress or a clear photo of the neckline, and the veil if it exists yet. I work beside a window, not under a ring light, because your photographs will be taken in daylight and the trial should be too.

  4. Within 3 days of the trial

    The chart

    A written face and hair chart arrives within three days. It lists every product by type and shade family, in the order each one goes on, and draws out the pin layout for your hair. Keep it. If you ever want the look again, it can be followed by anyone with steady hands.

  5. Balance due 7 days out

    The week before

    The balance is paid seven days before the wedding. That week I build the timeline backwards from the minute your photographer arrives, one chair at a time, and send it to you. You're always the second-last chair, never the last, so a late bridesmaid costs the morning a few minutes and never costs you.

  6. 45 min before the first chair

    Setting up

    I arrive 45 minutes before the first chair and walk the house or the suite to find the room with the best north or east light. Then I set my daylight lamp to match what's coming through the glass. Chair at working height, brushes rolled out, pin tin counted.

  7. About 90 min hair, 60 min face

    The bride's chair

    Hair takes 90 minutes, and the anchor braid goes in first because everything else is pinned to it. Makeup takes 60 minutes: prep layer first so the primer has its twenty minutes to settle, lip last so it's fresh for the first look.

  8. The last ten minutes

    Veil and last look

    The veil comb goes onto the braid, never into loose hair. Then I check you from three angles: straight on, in profile, and from behind, the way your guests will see you walking away from them. The touch-up pouch goes to your maid of honour, and I step back.

  9. That night, at home

    Pins out

    I count every pin in, and before I leave I tuck a small envelope into your bag with the number written on it, so whoever takes your hair down that night knows when they've found the last one. A low chignon is usually 38. The most I've ever written on an envelope is 61.