Bridal Makeup & Hair in the Hills District

Getting ready at home, the Hills way

Plenty of Hills weddings start in a family home. It might be a big living room in Castle Hill, the kitchen bench of a new build in Kellyville, or an acreage block in Dural or Kenthurst looking out over the paddocks. You usually get more space and better window light than in a typical hotel room, which suits mobile bridal makeup well. Your artist brings their kit, sets up at the brightest window and works through the whole party while everyone stays in their dressing gowns with a coffee. Nobody has to go to a salon, and nobody drives across the Hills with a veil on the back seat.

Bridal artists who cover the Hills

These artists' bride services reach Castle Hill (2154). They're listed nearest first on the cards, each with the full total a bride at a Castle Hill address sees, travel already included.

Travel is priced by distance, so the total at Kellyville or Dural can differ from Castle Hill. Not every artist reaches every corner of the Hills either. Enter your own suburb and you'll see the artists who come to you, each with the price to your door.

If you want your hair done as well, Inez, Tracey, Abrienne, Zainab, Bela and Elisa do bride makeup and hair. Devi, Nadine, Sarah and Rebecca do bridal makeup only.

Working back from your ready-by time

Glamr asks you for one time: when you need to be ready. Say your ceremony is at 2pm at St Bernadette's on Old Northern Road in Castle Hill, and your photographer arrives at 11:30 for getting-ready shots. You'd want to be in your dress by about 1:00, so your ready-by time is around 12:30.

As a rough guide, makeup takes about 45 minutes for each bridesmaid and for mum, and about an hour and a half for the bride. A bride, three bridesmaids and mum all having makeup comes to roughly four and a half hours. That means starting around 8am, with the bride done last so her makeup is freshest for the photos. Adding hair makes the morning longer. When your artist replies, they set the start and finish time based on who's in your party.

A few things that are specific to the Hills:

• Traffic. When you choose your ready-by time, leave a buffer for Saturday traffic on Windsor Road, on Showground Road near Castle Towers, and on Old Northern Road if your venue is out at Dural.
• Acreage. If you're on acreage in Dural, Kenthurst or Glenhaven, message your artist through Glamr once your booking is confirmed. Give them the gate code, tell them which driveway to use and where to park. Don't rely on a map pin for a long rural driveway.
• Setting up. Have a table and chair ready by a window with a power point nearby, and keep a clear corner for the photographer.

Where Hills couples get married and photographed

If you're getting ready at the venue, check what the room allows. Peppers The Hills Lodge, on the corner of Windsor and Salisbury Roads in Castle Hill, has rooms on site, so you can get ready in your room and walk out to a garden ceremony.

Springfield House in Dural doesn't allow hair and makeup or bridal-party preparation on site, so plan to get ready at home. You can arrive up to 30 minutes before the ceremony to freshen up in the Manor's upstairs bridal room.

Other Hills venues include:

• Visy Dior at Norwest (formerly Crowne Plaza Norwest), which holds garden ceremonies by its gazebo
• Castle Hill Country Club at Norwest, which overlooks its golf course
• The Madison Function Centre in Dural, which looks out to the Blue Mountains

Places to consider for photos:

• Bella Vista Farm: a heritage homestead in parkland managed by The Hills Shire Council. Check with the council before a professional shoot.
• Castle Hill Heritage Park and Norwest Lake: council land too, so check with The Hills Shire Council before a professional shoot.
• Rouse Hill Estate: professional photography there has to be arranged with Museums of History NSW beforehand.

Glamr has no arrangement with any of these venues. They're listed only to help you plan.

Outdoor photos in the Hills often mean afternoon sun and a breeze across open ground. Ask your artist for a long-wear base, and put blotting papers and your lipstick in someone's bag.

Trials

Most of the artists who cover the Hills offer a bridal trial, and each artist's profile shows whether they do. You book a trial through Glamr like any other appointment: add "Bride — Trial" to your party and pick the trial date. Around six to eight weeks before the wedding works well. By then you know your dress and hair plan, and there's still time to change direction. Some tips:

• Wear a top with a similar neckline to your dress.
• Bring a few photos of looks you love, plus one you don't.
• Do the trial in daylight, and take photos both near a window and with flash.
• Keep the makeup on for a few hours. A dinner that night is the best test.

If you can, book the trial with the artist you've booked for the day itself, so the wedding morning is a repeat of something you already know works.

How booking works

1. Enter the suburb you're getting ready in, then add your party: bride, bridesmaids, mums and flower girls. Add your date and the time you need to be ready by.
2. See the artists who cover your suburb, each with the total for your whole party, travel included.
3. Send a request to the artist you like.
4. Your artist accepts, or suggests a different time, with the time they'll start and finish.
5. You accept that time, suggest another, or cancel.
6. Once you've accepted, you pay online to lock in your date. The rest goes to your artist on the day.

A few artists take bookings straight away: you pay to lock in your date and your booking's confirmed there and then, unless your party is bigger than they take on alone, which waits for them to accept first. With everyone else, you send a request first and your artist replies with the time they'll start.

It works the same way on the website and in the Glamr app.

Nearby

See wedding makeup across Sydney or makeup artists in the Hills District, and the suburb pages for Castle Hill, Kellyville, Baulkham Hills, Rouse Hill and Dural.