Destination Wedding Makeup Tips

Katie-Laine Thornton professional makeup artist, hair stylist and beauty educator.

As a destination wedding specialist, I love sharing with my brides my knowledge of destinations and resorts and helping her choose the destination wedding location. From the beginning whether it is just the bride and groom or if  she has a large group of friends and family that join her in destination I am able to take care of every detail.  However, when it comes to the best options for her destination wedding hair and makeup I consulted  with Katie-Laine Thornton – a local Nashville, Tn. professional makeup artist and hair stylist with tips to share with my destination wedding brides. This blog post is notes from my interview with Katie-Laine and I hope you find them useful, and I will share some tips for packing for your honeymoon in a future post as well.

If my bride  can’t take a makeup artist from home with her – how does she choose a makeup artist in the destination where her wedding is held?

Katie-Laine: This can be a little tricky but it can certainly be done. Start by searching for a professional looking website that has lots of photos of their former clients and that you like the look of the brides in those photos. Look for someone with lots of reviews! If possible,schedule a call with the artist, or at least have conversations with them through email so you can get a feel for their communication style and vibe. You definitely want someone that understands your vision and makes you feel like you are in good hands.

If  my bride plans on doing her own makeup for her destination wedding what tips can you offer her ?

Katie-Laine: If the wedding is being held in a tropical destination , to combat the heat and humidity  she should use a oil-controlling moisturizer and use a setting spray after she completes her makeup (something like Urban Decay All-nighter). I am a big fan of tubing mascara like Blinc Kiss Me or MAC Extended Play- these mascaras hold up really well and don’t run or smear. I like to uses a long-wearing liquid lipstick as a base for lip color, although these do not always feel great on the lips, apply lip conditioner or regular lipstick on top. If you need to touch up shine on your skin,use blotting sheets and then lightly dust on a translucent powder

This bride chose to have her makeup done in her suite

Photos are such an important part of any wedding, but expecially for my destination wedding clients -what tips can you offer for photos?   

Katie-Laine: Prep your skin with skincare-make sure you are using one for your skin type! One of the worst problems especially in a tropical location and that many of my brides have is dehydration – so moisturize often, drink lots of water and eating plenty of healthy fats help with dehydration Groom your brows- brush through brown hair and fill in as needed using brow gel/was if needed. Cheek color is so important so make sure you have your favorite blush so you can add color back in as needed. False lashes help to open and define eyes. They look very natural in photographs and make a huge difference -but would suggest to get them a couple months ahead of time so that you can get used to wearing or applying them or lash extensions are a great option as well. Don’t forget to define your lips – use more color than you would normally. If you want a nude look,make sure to define the lips with lip liner so they don’t disappear into your skin.

Do you offer classes to destination wedding brides to teach them how to use the tips you mentioned?How do brides find you?

Katie-Laine:  Yes, I have had the pleasure of doing makeup for over 800 brides for their special day, I love doing private classes for brides and helping them decide on their makeup look for their special day- brides can  checkout my website www.katielainethornton.com  to learn more or they can email me [email protected] or call 615-424-2251

If you are thinking about a destination wedding email me to start planning – [email protected] or call direct 931-337-0770