In today’s Chancey Charm Houston Wedding Vendor Highlight, Wedding Planner Skylar Caitlin is chatting with Makeup Artist, Bronwyn Kaye. While Bronwyn Kaye’s portfolio includes bridal, television, film, editorial and stage makeup expertise, she has a passion for the wedding industry and a heart for making brides feel beautiful on their wedding day. Servicing the Aspen, Houston, Austin + Dallas areas, her work has become known far and wide. We’re excited to share more about Bronwyn Kaye below, including her top wedding planning tips for brides, how she got her start in the industry + more. Cheers!
– The Chancey Charm Team
Johannesburg, South Africa | Now living in Aspen, Colorado
What’s your area of expertise?
Makeup Artistry: bridal, television, film, editorial and stage
First job you ever landed
Assistant makeup artist for a nationally broadcast television show in South Africa.
What brought you to the wedding industry?
I was recommended to a bride getting married in my area, and when she saw herself in the mirror after I was done, she was so overwhelmed she hugged me and started crying. When I realized my work could make someone feel so confident and beautiful on one of the most important days of their life, I was hooked. Weddings became my passion.
A lesson you’ve learned the hard way in the wedding industry
I’ve learned two key lessons over the years:
1: Be prepared to go above and beyond what my job description entails. I am with the bridal party for most of the morning on the wedding day. This is the time when unexpected problems come to light and the bridal party often looks to me as an immediately available source of expertise in wedding problem-solving. I have played the roles of hairstylist, photographer, wedding dress seamstress and psychologist. I have sewn in hair weaves, glued heels, painted nails, fixed stocking runs and doctored allergies. It is of utmost importance that the bride be is as relaxed and oblivious to the drama as possible, and as a trusted vendor I believe it’s important to help out where one can.
2: There will always be more willing faces for makeup than originally booked.
Favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon
My husband and I love adventure, and so we enjoy going for an exploratory hike or Sunday drives to beautiful viewpoints and sundowner spots.
Best piece of advice to someone new to the industry
Be punctual. Be reliable. Be calm.
Best piece of planning advice to a new bride/groom
Find a great location as soon as possible. The rest of the details get easier to plan once this decision is made.
Some words you live by
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Best tip for balancing work + home life
As a freelance artist, I am blessed to be able to choose my own hours and do what I love for a living, so it never feels too much like “work”. This sometimes makes it hard to separate the two areas. Doing my admin from home or phone, I have had to learn to set aside specific times for focused work. I believe it’s important to be present wherever you are and give full attention to the people and events around you. It’s not easy with our phones and TVs, but I believe it’s key to making the the most of our time off from work as well as staying professional while at work.
Best moment of your career
I have four exciting moments I am proud to have experienced. First was doing makeup for Winnie Mandela in her home in South Africa at the beginning of my career. The second was being featured in a two-page article about my makeup business in GetIt, and seeing myself on the cover of that magazine. Third was seeing my name in credits on the big screen for the first time for the feature film Cocktail, and most recently doing makeup for Fox News here in the USA.
Guilty pleasures
Listening to live jazz or big band music with a glass of really great red wine. When there’s no night out, a bubble bath does wonders for the soul.
Favorite Instagram account
My current favorite Instagram accounts for makeup are @xxfidelxxmakeup @patmcgrathreal and @danessa_myricks
What’s your favorite aesthetic?
I love both soft pastels and rich jewel tones. My taste changes a lot, but I have a current obsession with art-deco and woodland details.
Intimate or Par-tay? What size wedding do you recommend and why?
I had two weddings – one in the US and one in South Africa. One was tiny and put together in three weeks and one was planned over time and larger. Both were incredible. I think a smaller intimate wedding planned very well with special details is the key. Be ruthless with your guest list and have more freedom to do exciting things with your wedding details. A few less guests could mean an amazing live band or beautiful floral backdrop.
What’s the first thing a newly engaged couple should do?
Without a doubt, the first thing a newly engaged couple should do is see a pre-marital counselor. Most church organizations do a course, or you can get books online. The information shared and topics covered are invaluable in helping prepare you for marriage. It’s important to remember the wedding is one day, marriage is forever and should be prepared for accordingly.
Learn more about Bronwyn Kaye here + follow along on Facebook and Instagram. Cheers!