I contacted Annie, this hair and makeup artist, around two months before my wedding. We exchanged several messages and eventually agreed to have a video call to discuss everything in more detail. We arranged a date and time for the call, which she suggested herself.
When the agreed time came, I was ready and waiting , but she never called. After an hour of refreshing the chat, i never received a message to say she was unable to make it, nor any attempt to cancel or reschedule the call.
Despite this, I decided to continue with her as I liked her portfolio and thought she was a very nice lady, and my wedding was getting closer. Around one month before my wedding, I contacted her to formally book her. She apologised for previously being busy and accepted the booking. She told me she was preparing my invoice, so I understood that everything was confirmed and that the booking was going ahead.
After answering the questions she asked me, I then heard nothing for a week. I followed up and received no response. Some days later I followed up again. Then another week passed, taking me into the final week before my wedding, and I followed up again because I was obviously becoming very anxious about the silence so close to my wedding day. Again, no response. Huh???
As I was in Germany at the time, I eventually had to ask my sister-in-law to contact her on my behalf. She then told my sister-in-law that she had not sent the invoice because my venue was “too far away”.
What I find particularly disappointing is that this was never communicated to me. I was never told that the venue was too far, nor was I asked whether I would be willing to pay additional travel costs. I would have been happy to discuss this. Her Bridebook profile also states that for weddings outside London or destination weddings, she is happy to travel to the bridal party where possible.
If she had simply contacted me and explained that she was unable to travel to my venue, I would have understood or at least would have known to look for someone else. Even just “sorry, can’t do it” would’ve sufficed. Instead, after confirming my wedding date and telling me she was preparing my invoice, she stopped responding and left me to find out through my sister-in-law that she was not intending to proceed.
Even after THIS, she never contacted me directly to apologise or explain. Wait, let me just check one last time….ah nope! Nothing!
I was left without a hair and makeup artist only one week before my wedding and had to find an alternative on very short notice.
I completely understand that circumstances can change and that a supplier may ultimately decide that a location is too far. However, the lack of communication throughout this process was the main issue and caused unnecessary stress during the final weeks before my wedding. I would strongly recommend making sure you have received your invoice and a paid booking confirmation (if you insist on booking) before relying on this artist for your wedding day.
I ended up finding Sophie Vosniak, an amazing MUA.
Response from the supplier
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m truly sorry for the stress caused and for my lack of communication, which I accept should have been handled better. You contacted me around 2 months before your wedding, for large booking An invoice was sent on 20th June, but a booking is only secured once the deposit is paid. At such short notice, I couldn’t arrange an assistant to travel over 4h. When your sister contacted me, I explained and offered to proceed if you couldn’t find someone closer.
Supplier responded