How The Wedding Industry Has Changed Due to Covid Through the Eyes of a Makeup Artist

Tamara Tott is an award-winning Makeup & Hair Artist based in London and owner of WeddingDayMUA. She sits down with us to tell us how the wedding industry has changed through her eyes.

The whole world was affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and close contact services were one of the worst hit with the beauty industry being closed for over a year and restrictions on close contact services mandated by government guidelines. The pandemic has changed the way people work and their priorities – and the wedding industry is no different. Looking back at the past months of working there are some key changes in the makeup service and application.

Workflow changes

The change in my workflow compared to pre-Covid times is huge. PPE, masks, gloves and visors are now the obvious necessity. This makes work a lot harder – especially when working in badly lit premises or on very hot days like the recent heatwave. Besides this, I now keep my kit to a minimum and have to budget in for extra time for kit disinfection between each client.

While working, I’m more aware of the space I’m in – ensuring the number of people in the room I’m applying makeup in is kept to a minimum with ventilation and constant airflow. This divides the bridal party into several rooms or corners as opposed to pre-Covid where everyone would get ready in the same room together.

Extra Admin Work

There are now constant rule changes as Britain relaxes and tightens restrictions based on the number of cases and risk factor. With this comes extra admin work – keeping personal records for test and trace, and keeping clients updated on what to expect, as well as reaching all the latest rules.

2 years of Weddings in One Summer 2021

It is crazy to think that we have now been affected by Covid for almost 2 years. Many weddings have been cancelled and postponed. Lockdown has been a time for budding romance with many new engagements happening. The moment ceremonies were allowed to go ahead, I received an influx of new inquiries and green lights from clients that had postponed before. Prior to Covid, the top wedding dates were weekends, now couples are getting married on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Many venues have a wider availability during the week as well as more affordable rates, so it is a win-win situation for all.

Two Extremes: Postponements vs Last Minute Inquiries

I have found that my bookings have been divided in two extremes: clients have been canceling completely or postponing until further notice, or I receive last-minute inquiries, sometimes with only one or two-day notice about couples deciding to tie the knot.

This is very unusual for the bridal industry. Normally I would be booked 6 - 12 months prior to the wedding date but with a rise in small elopement weddings, this is very much different now. These last-minute inquiries often imply an intimate wedding, sometimes with as little as 2 guests just to sign the papers and enjoy their relationship together without a lot of attention.

Pampering for Larger Groups

Before Covid, my usual bridal party would consist of a bride plus 2, sometimes 4 guests which required makeup application.

With restrictions easing, more and more people are able to attend the ceremony – and wanting to attend ceremonies after such a long time in lockdown. My inquires now can reach for up to 9 people or more who are willing to receive professional makeup and hair services. With people being locked in so long, they’re longing for parties, gatherings and to look good, hence why more people are happier to invest in their professional makeup for such a dear event.

Local Weddings, Not Celebrations Abroad.

With constant changes on travelling rules and quarantine, many of my brides have abandoned an idea of a wedding abroad and turned to local wedding planning instead. The UK has a lot of beautiful venues to offer both in the city and countryside. I am also not putting myself forward to any inquiries for weddings abroad until we settle in the ‘new normal’ and have more constant regulation on  travelling rules.

Local Mini Moons

Talking to my clients I noticed that most are planning local mini moons instead of a honey moon abroad. Some are booking Countryside spa getaways, some are traveling to Cornwall or Scotland, while others are still planning trips to green list countries.

Overall, people are looking to find a way to move on with their plans while shaping them around government rules and guidelines – and at the same time, ensuring they can have fun and enjoy their special day. More intimate weddings are taking place and on some occasions my clients are very happy about that as they never wanted a massive celebration in the first place – and Covid is giving them a great excuse! Clients are more creative these days, and I’ve enjoyed decorating face masks to match bridal or bridesmaids gowns. We’re all slowly getting acclimated to the new normal.