helen brady

Oh I love all of the weddings I'm involved in, it always feels a real privilege to be part of a wedding morning! I've done the make-up for my sister on her big day and a couple of my best friends too so the memories from them are obviously particularly special. I also did a wedding at The Ritz last year which was an amazing experience and not only were the group of ladies absolutely gorgeous inside and out, the hairdesser and I were spoilt rotten and treated to a silver service dinner in the bedroom suite while the bride got hitched and we waited to do touch-ups! So that wedding is memorable because it was such a unique experience with a particularly lovely bunch of girls. But I've had girls get married at church halls, hotels, stately homes, barns and anywhere else you can think of and I always absolutely love being involved in every one of those days, I honestly can't think of one wedding that I've not really enjoyed! I just blooming love my brides and I love weddings!!!!

Contemporary, personalised, calming, creative, timeless!

Definitely the relationships I build with my customers and I hope that all of my customers would say that they enjoyed having me around on their morning! A huge amount of my past brides are now good friends, have visited me again for make-up and have recommended me to their friends and that's really the best feedback you can get and it's always so lovely to catch-up with them. I always get asked whether I've had any 'bridezillas' and (touch wood!) I honestly haven't, I just keep meeting super-lovely girls who I thoroughly enjoy spending time with and I feel very lucky to be doing a job that I love with such fab people! I feel that I do really try to listen to my brides and understand their taste and and any concerns they may have. A lot of my brides have said that they were nervous before their trials and worried they couldn't be honest and I work really hard to alleviate those concerns and make sure that it's a fun and relaxed experience for my ladies. I often get texts after trials saying how much the girls enjoyed it and getting messages like those (and after wedding days) just makes my day. I try very hard to go the extra mile for my customers, I'm a dab hand at lacing up dresses, I've button-holed more Dad's than I can remember, painted last-minute nails and stitched things together and I think it's really important to be willing to chip in if things get a bit manic. I want my customers' to have the loveliest day possible and I strive to give a premium service to my ladies because it's such an important day to them and they should thoroughly enjoy it!

Research your suppliers really well; get recommendations, look at images of their work and speak to them on the phone or meet them if you need extra reassurance. You want lovely, professional people who you trust to contribute positively to your big day so it's worth taking the time to really read up and get as much info as you can on the people you're considering booking.

Gah- so many! I always love hearing of unique decor ideas/ thoughtful things that couples have done to thank the people that are sharing their day/ lovely presents bridesmaids have made for brides... it's so hard to just pick one. I'm pretty soppy so some of my favourite things are usually the details that are most thoughtful, like individual notes on the back of each guest's place setting telling them why the couple think they're great and they're thrilled to have them at the big day; anything like that I'm a sucker for. One of my brides received a present from her husband-to-be on the hour, every hour from when she woke up. They were just little tokens with note to let the bride know that he was thinking of her and what she was up to throughout the morning ('it's 11am, you'll have just finished having your make-up done and I know you'll be looking beautiful. Here's a little mirror for final checks in the car'). He'd also given the presents to different members of the family to give to her so everyone was involved and I thought that was so lovely. Anyway, I don't know who cried more, me or the bride!!!!!

So brides normally get in touch with me with the details of their wedding and we usually have a chat via e-mail about what they've got in mind for their make-up. I then through my booking process and prices with them, if they decide to book in I take a £100 deposit to secure their date and then we go from there, arranging trials nearer their wedding date, confirming details and then painting lovely faces on the big day!

Working in a creative industry that's varied, diverse and meeting so many lovely people from so many different backgrounds. Every day is different.

Try to look after your skin; cleanse, tone, moisturise. Exfoliate up to twice a week and drink LOADS of water. And don't experiment with any new beauty treatments less than 2 weeks before your wedding!!!

I'm quite a calm person generally, I'm not easily flustered. But I definitely think brides are more relaxed if they trust the suppliers around them and the service they provide so I work hard to build their faith in me and my service. I also regularly chip in with non-make-upy matters like helping my brides dressed if things do get a bit manic as time ticks on.

Relax, enjoy yourself, try to take a minute to step back and take everything in, love every minute of it! Smiley faces are always the loveliest looking! But other than that, blotting papers or a little dab of powder helps to keep make-up set and eliminates shine in any areas you don't want it!