HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING

How to hire a bridal make-up artist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

There is no UK register to look bridal make-up artists up on. Here is what to check, what the contract must say, and what to do if it goes wrong.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a bridal make-up artist in five steps

  1. See real bridesPhotos from weddings, not shoots, and from later in the day.
  2. Book the trialWeeks ahead, with photos in daylight.
  3. Sign a contractDate, time, venue, people, deposit, balance and cancellation.
  4. Plan the timetableWho sits when, worked back from the ceremony.
  5. Ask about back-upWho comes if the artist is ill.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No UK nation licenses bridal make-up artists: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have no register for this work. Council skin-piercing licences begin only where a needle breaks the skin, which a bridal make-up artist does not do.

Ask to see their training for this exact treatment, and confirm their insurance.

Insurance that covers the bridal make-up

Insurance for bridal make-up artists is sold treatment by treatment, so a bridal make-up artist's policy that covers a salon may stop at your front door. Public liability insurance is the part that pays for an injury.

Get the insurer's name in writing and check the schedule mentions the bridal make-up.

Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply when bridal make-up artists trade as a business: the bridal make-up must be done with reasonable care and skill, and if it is not, you can ask for a repeat or a lower price.

Confirm the trader badge on Locufy and hold on to the written booking. legislation.gov.uk →

Booking terms under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013

A bridal make-up artist booked online or by phone makes a distance contract: you have 14 days to cancel, unless the bridal make-up happens inside that time at your request. Deposits and late-cancellation terms need to be in writing to bind you.

Ask the bridal make-up artist for the deposit, balance and cancellation terms in one message before you pay. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Bridal make-up carries VAT at 20% once the artist is registered for it. Registration is required above £90,000 of taxable sales, and a bridal make-up artist past that point must add the VAT and show it as a separate line.

Check the booking form for a VAT number and see that the invoice shows the VAT. gov.uk →

“Can I see bridal make-up you have done on skin like mine?”

A good answer: Real weddings, close-ups and photos from later in the day.

“Is the trial included, and when?”

A good answer: A trial weeks ahead, priced or included in the bridal make-up.

“What time will you arrive, and how long is the make-up per person?”

A good answer: A written timetable for the morning.

“What is your travel and early-start charge?”

A good answer: Figures in the bridal make-up artist's quote.

“Who covers if you are ill on the day?”

A good answer: A named back-up make-up artist or a full refund.

“Do you stay for touch-ups?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with the price per hour.

“What deposit do you take, and when is it refundable?”

A good answer: A deposit in the contract with clear refund terms.

Getting the quote right

  • The bride's bridal make-up, and each extra person priced
  • The trial — date, length, price
  • Lashes, travel, early start and touch-up cover
  • Deposit, balance and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends on the day: the bridal make-up artist from your trial, or an assistant for the bridal party, and whether that assistant is employed or subcontracted
  • The artist's VAT number on the booking form, with VAT shown for the bride and the party apart

Walk away if

  • No contract for a wedding date
  • No trial for the bride
  • A non-refundable deposit with no terms
  • No back-up plan
LOW
£100
TYPICAL
£200
HIGH
£450

What a bridal make-up artist costs: £100–£450 per booking

Bridal make-up artists price per booking: the bride, a trial, each extra person and travel are usually separate lines. Bridal Makeup price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Bridal make-up artists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ConsultationDress, skin and look discussed.
  2. TrialThe full look done and photographed.
  3. TimetableThe morning planned in writing.
  4. Wedding morningOn time, the party done in order, the bride as agreed.
  5. FinishLashes, setting spray and a touch-up kit if agreed by the bridal make-up artist.

Trial
A full run-through of the bridal make-up weeks ahead.
Long-wear
Products chosen to last through the day.
Early-start fee
A charge for arriving before a set hour.
Bridal party
Bridesmaids and family made up with the bride.
Touch-up cover
The artist staying to refresh make-up.
Balance
The price left after the deposit.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the contractIt is your record if the artist is late or does not come.
Photograph the trialSo the look on the day matches.
Pay the balance as agreedOn the contract date.
Leave the reviewLocufy only takes reviews from people who booked. If the bridal make-up is not right, use the make-it-right step first so the bridal make-up artist can put it right before the review goes up.

STEP 1Tell the bridal make-up artist, in writingSay what is wrong with the bridal make-up and whether you want it redone or money back. A trader owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, so a bridal make-up that falls short can be put right or partly refunded.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyGive the bridal make-up under four stars and we ask whether to send it to the bridal make-up artist first; we follow it through with them, and then you review.
STEP 3No regulator — Trading StandardsNo body licenses a bridal make-up artist, so a bridal make-up dispute you cannot settle goes to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262).
STEP 4Small claims, if it comes to moneyIf the bridal make-up artist will not refund or redo the bridal make-up, you can claim without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a bridal make-up artist: questions people ask

No register or licence applies. That puts the checking on you: photos of their work, their training and who insures them.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a bridal make-up that was not done with reasonable care and skill can be redone free or partly refunded. Raise it quickly and in writing.

£100–£450 per booking, typically around £200. London artists, early starts, travel and bridesmaids added push the total higher. For the breakdown, read the bridal makeup price guide; your town in the search box above shows bridal make-up artists near you.

As soon as you have the date; popular weekends fill early. Get it in a contract.

You are owed the deposit back at least. A no-show is a breach of contract; the small claims route applies if they will not refund.

Tell the artist in writing after the wedding. Make-up not done with reasonable care and skill is a reason for a reduction.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in beauty & grooming

How to hire: Makeup ArtistHow to hire: Mobile Makeup ArtistHow to hire: Special Occasion MakeupHow to hire: Makeup LessonsHow to hire: Bridal HairHow to hire: Henna & Mehndi ArtistHow to hire: Spray TanHow to hire: Mobile BeauticianAll 701 hiring guides →

Bridal make-up artists near you

Bridal make-up artists in LondonBridal make-up artists in ManchesterBridal make-up artists in BirminghamBridal make-up artists in GlasgowBridal make-up artists in BelfastAll bridal make-up artists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales), with London's Special Treatments Licence
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — your rights when a service falls short
  4. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  5. gov.uk — VAT rates
  6. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register