Bridal Makeup Trial: What to Expect
A helpful guide for brides planning their wedding in Kelowna & the Okanagan Valley
Your bridal makeup trial is one of the most important (and often most anticipated) steps in your wedding beauty journey. It’s the moment where ideas turn into reality and where you begin to really see your bridal self, see how everything will come together on the big day.
For brides getting married in Kelowna or the Okanagan Valley, a bridal makeup trial is especially valuable. With natural light, outdoor venues, vineyard settings, the Okanagan heat and long wedding days, your makeup needs to feel timeless, photograph beautifully, and last…all while still looking like you.
Whether you’re early in the planning process or counting down the weeks, this guide walks you through what a bridal makeup trial is, why it matters, and how to prepare. All to help you feel even more excited and ready for this really fun part of the beauty adventure with your makeup artist!
>> What Is a Bridal Makeup Trial (Preview)?
A bridal makeup trial (also often called a preview) is a dedicated session where you and your makeup artist collaborate to create your wedding day look ahead of time. It’s a chance to dive into your preferences, explore makeup styles, refine details, and ensure your bridal makeup look aligns with your vision, dress, and overall wedding aesthetic.
Rather than leaving things to chance on the wedding morning, the trial allows you to:
See how your makeup actually looks in person and in photos
Test longevity and comfort
Adjust tones, finishes, textures and levels of definition to your preferences
Offers an extra layer of confidence for your big day- knowing the game plan for your look is set
For brides who don’t typically wear much makeup in their daily lives, and prefer fresh, natural, and glowing makeup, the trial is especially important. Subtle makeup is all about balance, skin prep, and thoughtful customization to ensure it is tailored to your features, without being too much.
Cozy Makeup Studio Vibes are always found at my home based makeup studio here in Kelowna
Photo by: Candid Apple Collective
>> When Should You Schedule Your Bridal Makeup Trial?
Most brides schedule their makeup trial roughly 2–4 months before the wedding, once major style decisions are in place. Ideally, you’ll have already chosen your dress and have a general idea of your hair, accessories, and overall vibe.
For my bridal clients, I have found the best timeline for your bridal makeup trial usually falls 6-8 weeks ahead of your wedding day. If possible, keep the trial date close to the same season as your wedding, then your hair colour and possible tanned skin, will be in alignment with what you’ll be seeing on the day itself. Scheduling the trial too far in advance can sometimes be a disservice. If it’s too far ahead, its likely some finer details may change and shift before the wedding, which can impact the look and vibe of the makeup direction.
Are you an out-of-town bride- not to worry, most artists (myself included) are happy to accommodate your trial around your visits to the Okanagan, or even in some cases, coordinating it the week or 2 before. While that’s not preferred, it’s totally manageable. For Okanagan weddings that take place during peak season (spring through early fall), scheduling earlier is always a good idea as calendars can fill in quickly!
Always check in with your artist about their timeline preferences and process for booking in your trial (everyone is a little different)
>> How to Prepare for Your Bridal Makeup Trial
Preparation helps your trial feel relaxed, productive, and even more enjoyable. The more time and thought you’ve put in on the front end, can really help bring more clarity and understanding of your preferences for both you and your makeup artist. Take some time to see what makeup styles you’re drawn to; consider what elements you like (as well as don’t like). If you’ve had your makeup done before, what did you love about the experience, or what do you wish was different?
Here are a few other key ways to prepare for your Bridal Preview:
Gather Makeup Inspiration
Create a small inspiration board with makeup looks you’re drawn to, focusing on:
Images with Similar skin tone, eye color, and hair color as you
Makeup that feels timeless, wearable and classic vs “trending” makeup looks
Photos with eyes open, looking straight ahead, so you can see how makeup truly reads (tricky to see the full look and how it translates with eyes closed photos)
Pro Tip: Pinterest and Instagram are great tools, but also use your Artists website or socials to gather your inspo pics. Also aim to find photos of REAL brides vs curated model photos
Understand the Language of Makeup
One common misconception is that “natural” and “neutral” mean the same thing, and in fact they don’t.
Natural makeup refers to the overall look, finish and feel of the look. Think fresh, glowing, softly enhanced, skin like finishes and natural lashes.
Neutral makeup refers to the actual color palette- Think beiges, browns, soft taupes
Knowing this difference will help you communicate to your makeup artist your preferences and ensures your makeup aligns with your expectations.
Plan Around Your Spray Tan
We love a good bridal glow from head to toe, especially for a beautiful outdoor Okanagan Wedding. If you do plan to have spray tan for your big day, it’s a great idea to coordinate the trial for your spray tan ahead of your Bridal Makeup Trial. Ideally you should plan this for 2–3 days before your makeup trial. This allows the color to settle and gives a more accurate representation of how your makeup will look on your wedding day.
Don’t forget your Hair
This can sometimes be a little tricker to coordinate, but if possible, plan your hair trial before your makeup trial. In my experiences, many of the Kelowna based bridal hairstylist I work with are very accommodating with this, and we often times will try our very best to coordinate our schedules for our brides so they can get the complete glam experience on the same day. If that’s not an option, styling your hair on trial day (even loosely) helps bring the full look together and ensures balance between hair and makeup + gives you a fuller picture of the entire vibe all together!
June is a beautiful month for Okanagan weddings! Finishing touches for Cheryl, photo captured by: Candid Apple Collective
>> Why you Shouldn’t skip the Bridal Trial (Especially for Okanagan Brides)
From lakeside ceremonies to vineyard receptions, weddings in Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley often involve natural light from outdoor ceremonies, warm sunny weather, and long celebration days. A bridal makeup trial not only helps give you the overall vision for your bridal look, but also ensures it has the longevity needed, feels comfortable, and that it will photograph effortlessly. For me, Bridal Trials are honestly a non-negotiable (hence why they’re always included in every Bridal offering I have). Aside from the above mentioned points, trials are also our opportunity to connect a little more personally (and sometimes meet for the first time in person), take the time to go through all your preferences in detail to ensure I am totally aligned with you. Trials also offer the added comfort (for us both) going into your big day, knowing that we’ve met before, we know each others vibe and can feel at ease on the wedding day knowing it isn’t our first time meeting. Overall it’s more than “just a trial or test” it’s peace of mind, comfort and assurance that all details will flow precisely how you’ve envisioned!
Final Thoughts…
Your bridal makeup trial should feel calm, collaborative, and reassuring. It’s such a fun moment in the planning process where you feel truly seen, taken care of and at ease ahead of the chaos of the big day. It’s a time for you to connect a little deeper with your artist, for you to get to know each other a little more, and for you to be open about all details of your bridal makeup vision. For me, as a Bridal Makeup artist here in Kelowna, it’s one of my MOST favourite parts of the bridal beauty journey! I finally get to meet you, dream up the most perfect bridal look for you, and sit you down in the makeup chair for a relaxing and fun time.
If you’re getting married in Kelowna or the Okanagan Valley and dreaming of fresh, glowing, naturally enhanced bridal makeup, your trial is a key step towards showing up confident, comfortable, and beautifully yourself on your wedding day.
Can’t wait to see you soon - Rachel
Just a Kelowna Makeup artist, not taking life too seriously, and having fun in her makeup studio!