Wedding mornings with The Merritt Collective start long before anyone sits our chairs. It starts with a conversation.
Our Discovery Call is where I first get to meet you. Not the bride in inspiration photos. You.
The person who has a particular way of tucking her hair behind one ear, maybe a favorite lip balm, and a very clear feeling about what she does not want to look like on her wedding day.
Pour yourself a glass of something nice, get comfortable, and plan to talk about yourself more than you are probably used to.
It Begins With Who You Already Are
Many artists open with, “What do you want to look like?” It sounds like the right question, but I think there are better ways to find the answer.
My approach is different: I want to hear about your everyday. The makeup you actually wear, or happily skip. How you style your hair when you have ten minutes and when you have an hour (or if you’re the kind of person that would never spend an hour getting ready). What do you reach for without thinking? Those small, instinctive choices tell me more than any reference photo ever could, because they are already you.
There is no standard face and no standard version of beautiful. This is why we start with the real person and build outward.
It’s why the finished look feels like you.
Because it is.
What “Natural” Means to You
Photos by Dos Mas En La Mesa
Almost every bride tells me she wants to look natural. I love that. I also know it means something completely different for every single person.
For one bride, natural is bare, glowing skin and a brushed-up brow. For another, it is a clean winged liner she has worn since college, because a face without it simply does not look like hers. Both are right.
So we talk about your relationship with your own reflection, what you love seeing in the mirror, what you would rather soften, and what has made you feel like a stranger in past photos. There are no wrong answers here, and nothing is too small to mention. This is how I learn where you are comfortable and what your relationship with beauty is like right now.
Right from the jump, this gives us a foundation so the look we build feels like more of you instead of less.
The Experience We Can Cultivate
Photos by Dos Mas En La Mesa
Then we talk about your morning, and the people in it.
Who will be in the room? Perhaps your mom, your partner’s mom, your closest friends, maybe a groom who has never sat in a makeup chair and is quietly nervous about it. What would make each of them feel cared for, too? Everyone who sits in our chairs are well-served, full stop, whatever their skin, their hair texture, or their relationship with beauty.
I also want to know how you want the morning to feel. Slow and intimate, just a few of you and good coffee? Or a joyful, full-house kind of morning with a playlist and champagne? Or maybe somewhere in between? Either way, part of my job is helping to curate the most immaculate of vibes. It is reading the room, keeping the schedule gently on track, and making sure you walk down the aisle feeling relaxed and radiant, with your mind fully in the moment.
From Noon to Midnight
Photos by Dos Mas En La Mesa
We will talk about the shape of your whole day, not just the hour before the ceremony. A first look as nearly-weds, a parent, or your nearest and dearest? Are you hoping for a second look for the reception? An evening that runs late into dancing?
How you look at midnight matters just as much as how you look at noon. That is why I build looks to last, to photograph beautifully, and why many couples have me stay through the day for touch-ups and a change into your second look. Once your hair and makeup are done, I want you to forget about them completely and remember everything else.
Crafting Your Vision
Photos by Dos Mas En La Mesa
Your hair and makeup should never feel like they belong at a different wedding. They should seamlessly flow with the vision you and your planner spend months dreaming up. That said, you do not need a forty-pin Pinterest board or a color-coded spreadsheet. (Though if you have one, I will absolutely want to see it!) A brief overview of your wedding’s overall style and your planner’s name are more than enough. We’ll discuss any looks that have stopped your scroll and what you seem to be gravitating towards, but the more curated ideas come later.
After a couple books with Amy Merritt Hair & Makeup or The Merritt Collective, we’ll have a thorough consultation to learn more about your gown and its neckline, the florals, the palette, the overall feeling of the day or the whole wedding weekend. I’ll review the design deck from your planner, ensure I know your venue and the light it gets at the hour you say your vows. I will also understand your photographer’s editing style and how that could potentially impact the way your makeup reads on camera. Bright and airy, warm and filmic, moody and rich. We’ll build your skin, your color, and your finish with all these details and more in mind, so the person in your photos is the same person you saw in the mirror, glowing.
Voice Your Concerns
Bring your questions, any and all of them. You are choosing someone to spend one of the most personal mornings of your life with, and you should feel completely certain about that choice.
Ask how my background in film, television, and red carpet has shaped the way I approach weddings and guide The Merritt Collective.
Ask how I approach hair, makeup, and wardrobe together as one vision.
Ask why I believe everyone’s skin requires about three to five different base shades.
Ask about hair extensions.
Ask anything that helps you picture the morning.
We can chat about The Merritt Collective, and what it means for them to be a thoughtfully chosen group of independent artists, many with film, television, and press experience.
You can ask about how we pair couples and artists based on aesthetic, personality, and the scale of your day.
Many brides tell me our call felt less like a Discovery Call or a vendor meeting, and more like reassurance or bringing a friend up to speed on their vision. That is exactly how it should feel.
After We Say Goodbye
After we hang up, I take everything you shared and start mapping out what you’ll need (and maybe more importantly, what you don’t need.) The demands of the wedding day, your style and vision, the feeling you described.
You will hear back from me within 24 hours after curating a bespoke proposal for you to share with your planner, family, and any other decision makers. It will include a brief overview of what we discussed on our call, imagery of our work that I think you would gravitate towards, three options that I think would work well for you and your event, and what your next steps would look like if you decide we’re a good fit.
Picture Your Morning
Close your eyes for a second and picture it. The light coming through the window. The people you love gathered close. You, looking in the mirror, more luminous than you knew was possible.
That morning begins with a conversation. I would love to hear about who you are and the day you are dreaming of.
