The wedding and event industry is one of many that has been turned upside-down by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have always known Atlanta has an incredible community of vendors and venues, but the past few weeks have highlighted that as we have all pulled together to reschedule countless weddings and events originally scheduled for this spring. In an effort to support our community, we want to spotlight some of the fabulous vendors and venues in Atlanta. We hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we enjoy working with them!
Our first spotlight is on Brushworx, an on-location hair and makeup company. We asked Christine Pay, one of the owners, to discuss how the company got started, and some behind-the-scenes information to help couples as they decide who to hire.
Wedding Belles: Tell us about your company – how did you get started, how long have you been in business, etc.
Christine: We have been in business for over 14 years! It’s so hard to believe how fast it’s gone! Patti and I never imagined we’d have a team of 17 ladies when we started out. Funny enough, we started because the salon I (Christine) had been renting a chair in gave away my place while I was on maternity leave with my 3rd son. After ugly crying a bit I sat down at my computer and created a bridal hair and makeup company within the hour and it took off! After about 8 months of working on my own I was getting too busy to handle the work alone and a mutual friend of Patti’s and mine suggested that we meet. At the time Patti was a successful pageant coach and makeup artist . Well, our 1 hour coffee meeting turned into 4 hours and we knew that a partnership was divinely inspired. Fourteen years later- here we are!
Wedding Belles: What do you love about weddings?
Christine: There are so many things to love about our job. There are two that stand out. The first is connecting with brides and their families. Hearing the funny heartfelt stories of how they met; proposals; how they knew he was ‘the one’; how did you find your dress….all of it. The second most favorite thing is bringing out the beauty of each individual bride and having them see how beautiful they truly are. Those moments of squeals of delight or happy tears honestly make our hearts feel like bursting.
Wedding Belles: What do you wish clients knew before contacting you about your services?
Christine: How long services really take and that ‘simple’ hair and makeup takes just as much skill as dramatic styles. We have had brides who want to shorten our timing down to 20 minutes a service when we prefer 45. We may not need the full 45 but we know that in order to offer our brides the full experience and allow for any unexpected timing bumps, that 45 minutes is the most realistic. Better early than late! Also, to understand that ‘simple’ makeup still needs a skilled application so that their features will look as natural as possible and still be seen on camera or that their hair won’t fall flat within the hour.
Wedding Belles: How early should couples book their weddings with you and your team?
Christine: I always tell clients ‘It is never too early but it can very quickly be too late!” We book on a first agreement/retainer received basis in order to be fair to everyone. Brides now are booking us well into next year. I believe that if you love any vendor’s work that it’s best to go ahead and book them rather than try to save a few dollars and end up with someone you didn’t prefer.
Wedding Belles: What information do you need from brides before the wedding day? Are there things they can share with you that would make the wedding day smoother/easier for your team?
Christine: We are pretty detail oriented so we ask a lot of questions up front in order to give our brides the most accurate representation of how the wedding prep will go. We always ask about location, number of services, who is the planner/photographer, where will we be getting you ready, etc. Here are some details we ask that brides may not have thought of: Are there any people you are having ‘challenges’ with? (we can put them at the beginning of the timeline so they aren’t around the bride) Will you be having a bridal brunch? (for timing) and are there any parking restrictions where we are going? (so we don’t get towed!)
Wedding Belles: Any fun hair and makeup trends you are seeing in 2020 that you want to share?
Christine: The recent Royal weddings have certainly impacted fashion. We are seeing a return to classic glamour and smoother elegant styles as well as more crown type headpieces. Boho is still very popular but classic elegance is definitely making a comeback.
Wedding Belles: As vendors, we have all seen a lot of very interesting things on wedding days. Are there any particular wedding day mishaps that stick out to you? Or anything that you want to share about what makes your job interesting on the wedding day?
Christine: There have been so many! One that stands out was a bride who was on the 14th floor of her hotel when someone pulled the fire alarm and we were immediately told to evacuate down the Stairs!. We all grabbed what we could – wedding gown, makeup tools, shoes, etc. and ran down 14 flights of stairs with the bride’s hair still in rollers. We stayed on the street for about 30 minutes before we were told it was a prank and we could go back in. And we still finished On Time! Quite the exciting start to a wedding day!
Interested in getting a quote or booking Brushworx for your wedding? Check out their website here for more information and contact them today!