Weddings are one of the few industries where businesses don’t expect to see repeat customers. But for Helen Grech, owner of Perfect Pout Hair & Makeup, happy brides are often just the beginning of long-lasting relationships. She explains how diversifying her business keeps clients coming back long after the ‘I dos’.
The Melbourne hair stylist and make-up professional has spent 25 years in the beauty business, including the past eight years working for herself full-time. So this wedding pro knows a thing or two about getting brides to shine in their photos and videos, and feeling confident on their big day.
“I want to bring out the best features in the person,” she said.
“I don’t just do make-up and hair styling. I can help a bride get her skin prepared before her wedding day and get her brows into shape.
“A lot of brows these days have been over-tweezed, over-waxed or over-threaded and I’m fixing other people’s errors. I like to restore brows to their natural shape. A lot of time they are not level or one side is thicker than the other. I help that person bring those brows back to the way they should be and get them looking natural and beautiful.”
Turning weddings into ongoing business
Rather than focusing on the wedding day itself, Helen works with her clients to get their skin and beauty on point – not just for their wedding day. She can provide skin care, hair treatment and brow preparation in the lead-up, as well as maintenance advice long after her brides say ‘I do’.
To help clients to look and feel their best, Perfect Pout offers microdermabrasion and facials, brow design and restoration, lash lifts and tints, and even make-up lessons. Helen has also launched her own brand of pure and organic facial and body oils.
“Because I’m so personable and honest with my clients I find that not only do I gain them as a bridal client for their wedding, but most of the time they come back to me as a regular client for my other services because I educate them,” she said.
“I try to educate them about what’s best for them – it could be their brows or it could be their skin. I look at the way they apply their makeup – I can help them with a one-on-one make-up lesson to help them with their day-to-day make-up look – something quick and simple that they can do within 10 minutes,” she said.
“And I can even recommend them products that are going to suit their skin.”
Helen’s top tips for wedding hair and make-up suppliers
The key to being a successful wedding hair and make-up business is understanding your client’s vision so you can provide a service that meets their needs, Helen said. Find out your couple’s wedding style and their plan for photos on their day so you can cater to those needs.
“It’s important to listen to what they want but also to guide them as to what will work best to achieve their vision – and explain what you are doing and why,” Helen said.
“Some clients might come to me after they have had trials elsewhere because the make-up artist hasn’t listened to what they want.
“I look at the big picture. I always say ‘care for the client first’. Always put the client first because once you get the client on your side in terms of care, they will trust you with whatever advice you give them – which is very important.”
Consider their vibe
“Everyone has different tastes. I always look at a bride’s dress, flowers, the theme, and what colour dresses the bridesmaids are wearing. If it’s a vintage style, I’ll look at make-up styles that will go with a vintage look. If you are a more of a classic or romantic-type bride, I’ll go with a softer type look,” Helen added.
Consider their plan for the day
“There’s a lot of things to take into account when it comes to bridal make-up – even hair. Because there’s indoor photos, there’s outdoor photos, there might be a sunset setting that they want to take photos in, or black and white photos – that changes everything.”
Consider their budget
And of course, it’s important to determine the client’s budget needs so you can try to offer something that fits, if practical to do so.
Top tips for success on Easy Weddings
Having crisp and on-trend images on her Easy Weddings storefront shows potential couples what they can expect from Perfect Pout. The storefront attracts 4600 views annually, with an impressive 45% enquiry rate.
Once an enquiry comes through, Helen tries to respond with an email straight away. Using the Easy Weddings WedCRM platform, she sends the client follow-up text message, letting them know who she is and to look out for her email.
WedCRM allows suppliers to respond to enquiries quickly, as they come in. The Easy Weddings platform sends Helen a mobile phone notification that an enquiry has come in, and she can send off a response through the app from her phone. Then she has a way of tracking the correspondence.
“That’s been a real help. It’s such a good time-saver!” she said.
She keeps a template of her responses in her phone’s notepad so she can quickly copy and paste on the go.
