Amber Papastavros Hair & Makeup Design | Vendor Love
Bridal hair and makeup is such an important part of the wedding day! Finding the right person to achieve your desired bridal style can be a huge task in itself. Luckily in my nine seasons of wedding photography, I’ve found some of the best in the industry who I also enjoy working with. I know that if I enjoy working with them, my brides will too! Amber is the lead makeup artist and hair stylist of her company, Amber Papastavros Hair & Makeup Design. She is a wedding vendor who is not only talented at what she does, but is also someone who my brides would enjoy hanging out with on the morning of their wedding day! I first worked with Amber this past summer for Katie & Ryan’s Whitby Castle wedding in Rye, New York and instantly fell in love with her makeup artistry and hair stylings. Katie and her bridesmaids looked flawless throughout the entirety of the day’s festivities!
I’m so happy to have Amber join our Vendor Love blog series today! Read on to learn more about Amber’s process and working with her for your big day!
Tell me a bit about you and your business! How did you get started in the wedding industry?
"I have been styling hair and makeup professionally for just about seven years. I always knew I wanted to be in this field but fell in love with weddings while I was still in hair dressing school. One of my teachers saw how much I loved up-styling, and asked me to assist her on a wedding. From that point on, I knew I wanted to own my own business and specialize in hair and makeup for weddings."
What do you love most about being a hair stylist and makeup artist?
"What I love most about styling hair and makeup is that I am given the opportunity to meet and build relationships with so many incredible people. It is amazing to be a small part of a bigger picture and to have the opportunity to see the vision that a bride has come to life on the wedding day."
What should brides know about your process and about working with you?
"I pride myself on being professional, punctual, and organized. From the trial, to signing of a contract, to the day of a wedding, my goal is to make the hair and makeup process as stress free as possible. I also am very accessible via email, text, and phone!"
What is your favorite part about working with brides who are planning their wedding day?
"My favorite part of working with brides is helping to make them feel like the best version of themselves on one of the most important days of their life."
What (or who) inspires your creativity?
"Bridal fashion week is a huge sense of inspiration and I also love reading wedding blogs. I think the biggest source of inspiration for my creativity comes from my brides. Getting to know them, their style, their vision for their wedding (dress, veil, shoes, flowers, color palette), this all helps me to understand the ‘look’ they are going for. From there, we work together to create their perfect wedding look."
How early should brides book you to ensure you'll be available for their wedding day?
"Some of my brides book over a year in advance while the majority are booking 9-12 months before their big day. With Fridays and Sundays gaining popularity, Saturdays are still the busiest for weddings and book rather quickly."
As a hair stylist and makeup artist, what is one tip or piece of advice you'd give a bride for her wedding day?
"A tip or piece of advice for a bride on their wedding day that someone told me during my wedding and I would love to share was to take a step back, take a deep breath and thoroughly enjoy the wedding. From hair and makeup, to flowers, to seeing the venue before the guests arrived, I was able to enjoy each part of the day with my husband and to know that the love and time we put into planning the wedding was more than I could have ever imagined."
If you don't already, be sure to follow Amber to stay up to date with her latest styles!
Instagram: @amberthestylist
I hope you enjoyed getting to know more about Amber Papastavros Hair & Makeup Design! What specific bridal style are you planning for your wedding day?
