I would say that there are two key pieces of advice that I would share to anyone breaking into the bridal industry:
1. Develop a thick skin — Bridezillas and their just as over-zealous mothers, sisters, and bridesmaids are everywhere! I had to teach myself not to take harsh criticism personally (well, I'm still teaching myself this one!). I just have to keep in perspective that the biggest day of someone's life is at stake, and try to put myself in their shoes and understand their stress. They're paying customers, and there's really no sense in feeling down or upset.
2. Put yourself out there — I remember when I first started out, I did not network or promote myself as a MUA. I was feeling a mixture of insecurity as a noob and wishful thinking that work would just come to me. Introduce yourself as a MUA and *always* having business cards on hand to pass out (when/where it's appropriate) are two super easy ways to get in the networking/self-promotion groove!
Also, building up a quality kit, constant practicing and learning, and not letting yourself fall behind on the business aspects of the job are also extremely important.
The absolute best part of bridal MUA work is just being a part of someone's wedding day. As a total romantic myself, I still tear up everytime the bride or her mother does! It is also a great source of business (as opposed to other more sporadic work, like pageants, fashion shows, photo shoots, etc., which is not as prominent around here).
The worst part of the biz is definitely trying to work effectively with a zillion other personalities, without everyone pissing each other off! Everyone that has anything to do with the wedding has an opinion and clearly feels it is in everyone's best interest to share that opinion, negative or positive, with the whole world! It takes a lot of "biting my tongue" to get through sometimes, but there's so much emotion when the MOB comes over, in tears, and tells you "thank you, i've never seen my daughter look so beatiful
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