Decorating for your wedding can cost a pretty penny – and it can also cost the bride her natural glow.
So, to save on expenses, Megan Diem Easton took matters of her big day makeup into her own hands.
“I decided to do it myself,” Easton, 25, a marketing expert from Nashville, Tenn., told The Post.
Spending less than $100 on drugstore makeup from Milani Cosmetics, the anti-glamour girl, who married husband Jacob in early November, cast herself as part of the do-it-yourself bridal makeup movement.
It’s a far cry from spending loads on professional fillings, which can cost brides upwards of $1,500, per Brides.com. The big figure doesn’t include a 15% to 25% tip, nor the roughly $200 per person for bridal party glam, so be warned wedding know-it-alls at The Knot.
Kelli Ann Sewell, a celebrity makeup artist in NYC, tells The Post that she’s noticed an increase in Big Apple brides opting to DIY.
“The New York bride is an independent, self-sufficient girl – the city just brings that out of them,” said the face-painting pro, 29, who has made VIP dolls for New York Fashion Week and Paris. “The [DIY bridal] The makeup trend reflects this confidence.”
With the average cost of a U.S. wedding rising to $36,000 this year — up from $33,000 in 2024 and $29,000 in 2023 — according to Zola’s 2025 Wedding Trends report, couples are getting more creative to keep costs down. minimum.
Last year, budget bride Monica Razak, 29, of Jersey City, ditched her dreams of rocking a $10,000 number from Kleinfeld’s to have her wedding dress handmade for $700.
And newlyweds Nova and Reemo Styles, of The Bronx, previously charged guests upwards of $300 per person for a seat at their Hudson Yards reception.
For many local lovebirds, it’s all about traveling forever for less.
To guide wild brides near and far, glam guru Sewell offers a series of virtual tutorials to perfect a natural yet elevated wedding look through her site and app. Subscription access to its premium program costs $12.99 per month or $120 per year.
“As a makeup artist, of course, I want myself and other makeup artists to have work,” Sewell said, acknowledging that DIY fashion influences the bridal cosmetology industry. “But for some brides, doing your makeup, having that moment of peace can be an act of self-care.
“It can really calm you down before you enter this new world.”
Walking alone had that effect on Easton.
“My wedding breakfast was very healthy,” said General Zer, whose bridesmaids and mother made all their own mugs for her holy nuptials. “The whole day was about love, not what I looked like.”
The viral footage of her solo kill scored more than 4 million views on TikTok, where vicious trolls slammed her, calling her “terrible”.
But the digital crash doesn’t change how beautiful she felt on her day.
“Not having strangers in the room made it feel normal,” said Easton, who prefers minimal, understated makeup on her face. “Doing something that I do every day keeps me relaxed. It wasn’t tense.”
And sometimes those “outsiders,” despite their expert skills, just miss the mark when it comes to bringing the woman of the hour vision to life.
Lauren Avery Holmes, a newlywed from California, wasn’t happy with her hired help job.
So – amid much controversy on social media – she left the makeup expert to redo it herself just 20 minutes before saying “I Do”.
“I look a lot more like myself now,” Holmes sighed with relief in a now-private TikTok post of her reimagined teen. “Much better.”
Zoe Bucuvalas also took full command of her glam — making an impromptu trip to Sephora in the middle of her Dec. 28 nuptials.
“My makeup artist was great, but I wanted to wear my favorite lip gloss at the reception,” Bucuvalas, a 30-year-old from Boston, told The Post. “And my husband said, ‘Why don’t we go to Sephora and get it?’
She and groom Daniel, who planned their micro-wedding in 48 days, exchanged vows in a chapel near Beantown’s Prudential Center, an upscale shopping mall.
But before joining their 60 guests at their after-party restaurant, the couple made a pit stop for Bucuvala’s beloved $40 Dior Lip Oil in the shade “Rosewood.” (Her absolute favorite is “Raspberry” — but, of course, she sold out.)
“There’s a stigma that brides have to completely entrust their look to makeup artists, but you really don’t,” said Bucuvalas, a former New England Patriots marketing coordinator turned MedSpa “. “I felt like the best version of myself because I used makeup that I liked. It was perfect.”
“People may think you’re crazy for breaking tradition and taking control of your wedding makeup, but who cares? said Bucuvalas. “It’s your day.”
#Exclusive #makeup #wedding #day #unexpected #benefit #addition #money #saved
Image Source : nypost.com