10 Best Wedding Hair and Makeup Vendors in DC and Northern Virginia
Searching for a hair stylist and makeup artist for your wedding in Washington, DC or Northern Virginia? You’ve come to the right place! Your beauty team is such an important part of your wedding day - they’re the first vendors to arrive in the morning and really set the stage for the entire day.
There are so many great hair and makeup artists in the DC region, it can be hard to know who is the right fit for you! Reviewing websites and social media for samples of stylists’ work is a great way to start your research, and I always recommend searching for their reviews on sites like Google, The Knot, and Wedding Wire to ensure they’ve got a long record of happy clients! Gather a list of a few of your favorite beauty vendors and reach out to get more details like their pricing and availability before making your decision.
When choosing your beauty vendors it’s always a good idea to go with professionals who have plenty of experience in weddings. You may have a friend that is great at doing her own makeup, but she may not be able to achieve the exact look you want for yourself (and may not have the right products to make it last for the 10-12 hour day you’ll have ahead of you). Even your regular hair stylist that you go to for your cut and color needs may not be the best choice for a wedding day updo if that’s not their specialty! You will also have a strict timeline you need to stick to - it’s so important to hire wedding professionals that specialize in efficiency and are able to create a variety of looks for you and your entire wedding party in a timely manner.
You can read a bit more about some of my favorite hair and makeup vendors below, and see some examples of their work. (And there’s a few behind the scenes photos of them too, so you can see some of the artists in action!)
All of the hair stylists and makeup artists listed on this page are inclusive and are committed to supporting diversity and the LGBTQ+ community. They work with clients of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and gender identities.
The Stylist Abroad
The Stylist Abroad is an on-location beauty team providing both hair and makeup services so that you not only look but also feel like your best self when you leave their chair. The team believes in celebrating your unique beauty and that no one needs to fit into some conforming box if it doesn't speak to them. They have extensive experience with all hair textures (curl certified), the full tone complexion range, and various cultural accessories such as tikka, jhumars, duptas, and more. Not only are they inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ+ couples but their services are gender-neutral and they are Equally Wed Certified. All of the Stylist Abroad artists are licensed cosmetologists who use premium professional vegan and cruelty-free products. Wouldn't it be nice if you could enjoy the whole wedding process and have a fun, stress free morning being pampered? Their team will bring your vision to life and do just that!
Blush Away Makeup
Finn, the owner of Blush Away Makeup, started in the beauty industry over 20 years ago as a spa therapist back in her home country of Ireland while working on cruise ships. She now runs Blush Away Makeup as a full-time makeup artist. Finn and her team strive to highlight their clients’ natural beauty, and can provide a range of styles whether you want a natural look or something more dramatic. They also offer an in-depth skin consultation to help you prepare a custom skincare plan leading up to your wedding day!
When she isn’t working weddings, Finn also works on commercial shoots, editorial shoots, and headshots. Thanks to her years of experience as a spa therapist, she brings a holistic service to all of her clients in the DC and Northern Virginia areas!
Best Face Forward
Best Face Forward - Skin, Makeup & Hair Artists works with all clients, and provides the most services for all couples in the area! They are a large onsite skin/makeup/hair/grooming team that started after the owner Kara planned her own wedding and could not find a truly full-service, one stop luxury team to provide services. Since her mom (and co-owner) had a background as a trainer in the beauty industry, they decided to put together the dream team of product AND service professionals they couldn't find. They created a customized experience that ensures everyone's satisfaction because of their unique assessments and information collection throughout the planning process. The thorough approach applies to not only making sure clients are happy, but every wedding party member too. Their full-service relationship with clients has created so many repeat opportunities to service their past clients for family photo shoots, lessons, and events!
Yisell Santos
Yisell Santos is a hair and makeup artist who works with all couples and specializes in timeless, red carpet looks. With 15+ years under her belt, Yisell hails from NYC with an extensive background in bridal, fashion, commercial, catalog and film work. Her upbeat and confident vibe sets the tone for a fun getting ready experience!
Yisell loves to create long lasting relationships with her brides, often seeing them after their weddings for all milestones such as maternity, newborn, and family portraits (yes, even fur baby photos). She also goes the extra mile by providing a luxurious pre-wedding experience with services such as color matching for extensions, beauty timelines, and guidance for the bride who is unsure of what she'd like.
Paolina Rios
Paolina Rios loves to walk the line between a natural look and pushing the glam! Whatever style you’re looking for, she has the skills to provide it. After years of working as a hair stylist and makeup artist at CNN, Paolina decided to grow her wedding business here in DC because helping clients look their best for their big day is one of her true callings!
Paolina’s own struggles with skin challenges and sensitive skin as an adolescent helped her learn about skincare and clean beauty. She focuses on teaching and helping her clients take care of their skin so that once you wear makeup, it’s just a seamless better version of yourself. She loves teaching makeup classes and providing the perfect match skin tone makeup for her clients. Paolina is also trained to do hair extensions, clip-ins, and tape-ins just in case you may need extra length or thickness. Paolina runs an inclusive business and celebrates diversity; she loves color matching all skin tones and celebrating a variety of cultures.
Creative Hair and Makeup by Perry Warren
Perry Warren is experienced in ALL things and formats that are hair and makeup. Whether it’s a visit to the salon for your regular follicular needs and updates or working the magic with his makeup brushes and bobby pins, utilizing his specialized applications and techniques for your wedding. Because of his 20+ years in the salon, fashion, and the wedding industries here in DC and Northern Virginia, there is no hair or makeup issue or challenge that he cannot remedy and master. With almost 300 reviews on The Knot, Perry has plenty of clients that can attest to his incredible communication skills and calming presence on a wedding day. He has been known to go above and beyond, helping his clients (and their photographers!) get the perfect photos.
Fleur Beauty Studio
Fleur Beauty Studio is a Northern Virginia-based wedding beauty team that provides the highest level of services to make your day as memorable as possible. The quality of their hair styling and makeup artistry combined with the great relationships with their clients have led to multiple industry awards and solid 5-star ratings.
Fleur Beauty Studio prides themselves on their communication and planning skills, which help them contribute to making your wedding day absolutely perfect! They also offer bride-only and elopement wedding prep sessions, giving couples the flexibility they need for a stress-free experience.
Carla Pressley Hair & Makeup
Carla Pressley is a DC and Northern Virginia hair and makeup artist with a background in film, television, salon, fashion, weddings, celebrities, dignitaries, and royalty.
She never shies away from problem solving or "difficult clients." With a background in salon training she is able to cut hair for men and women of all hair textures. Carla is training a team of dedicated hair and makeup artists so that she can pass along all her experience to artists who also have a passion for working with all skin tones and hair textures. She's award winning, licensed, insured, serious about her artistry, and dedicated to her clients. Carla has a calm presence and is very personable and approachable!
Makeup with Jossy
Makeup with Jossy’s vision is to provide the best beauty experience to everyone! They are proud to be an all-inclusive business and support diversity and the LGBTQ+ community. With over 16+ years of experience in the beauty industry, Jossy and her team love to create a comfortable yet luxurious beauty experience, especially on a client’s wedding day. They specialize in weddings, elopements, and special events. Being able to work with clients to create the perfect, long-lasting look is just the start of the relationship Jossy and her team have with each one of their clients. They love to create lasting bonds and continue working with clients for vow renewals, baby announcements, and even newborn family photos.
Swept LLC
Swept, LLC is a large team of talented hair stylists and makeup artists who are passionate about making people look and feel beautiful on their big day! Since their team is so big, they can always accommodate large wedding parties. They are known for being fast, efficient, and working well under pressure. All of the beauty products they use are high end, to ensure they will last your entire wedding day through sweat, tears, and dancing!
