How to live your best bride life

As we head into wedding season in New Zealand and Australia, we asked Stacey Banfield - one of New Zealand's leading makeup artists - for her expert advice. She’s also about to be a bride herself!

When someone is looking for a makeup artist, (assuming you are already booked!) what advice would you give them for choosing the right person for their big day?

I always advise clients to look over the work of an artist, search their name online and get a feel for others experiences with them. It's so important to have vendors that you can trust and make you feel relaxed surrounding you on the most important day of your life. Always do a trial and make sure the style is what your wanting, as someone’s work online can be totally different in real life these days too. It’s also a great opportunity for you to meet them and make sure you click as they will be spending a good chunk of your morning with you :)

Brides-to-be will be wanting to achieve beautiful radiant skin and hair for their wedding day - what are your top tips for this and what is your routine in the run up to your wedding day?

Of course Jeuneora Renew + is my personal holy grail, I suggest this to so many of my clients as I’ve seen such incredible results myself, it truly works from the inside out. I always try and get my clients to come for their trial at least 6 months out, this way we can go over if they have any skin concerns and work out a plan from there. Regular Micro’s are also incredible for removing texture and creating a beautiful canvas.

What advice do/would you give to your brides to help them relax on the day?

Breathe, this is your day and you have paid so much money for it so make sure you enjoy every second and also trust your vendors. It’s their job to ensure your not only totally happy but to also make sure everything runs to time and smoothly. They will have lots of experience with weddings so don’t question their judgement. Rescue remedy is also great to help with the nerves, apart from that 90s music and just a good laugh is also key, my team and I always like to make sure everyones having a great time and if you play Shania Twain or any other 90s bangers then we will all be singing along for sure lol.

What trends or looks for weddings are you loving right now?

I love that it’s coming back to more warm peachy tones and being kept quite soft. This kind of look is super pretty and so flattering. Highlight’s going back to being less as disco ball like as possible and more about enhancing features (YUSS!!)

Who are the wedding vendors/ pros that you most love working with?

How long do I have because I’ve been doing this 11 years now i have a lot of faves!

Hair: Monique Woods is my hair guru, she is my personal hairdresser, a good friend and is incredible at what she does. She just always gets it right and every single bride we work with loves her. I love that we always get booked on pretty much the same jobs together, we know our timings well and it makes for such a great atmosphere. The two other hair stylists I would work with the most are Alex Hannah Hairstyling and Graceful Hair art, again both so talented and such lovely girls all 3 are a great choice for your day.

Photography: This is such an important one to get right, even if you don’t like having your photo taken photography needs to be something you invest in as it’s your only thing that lasts beyond the day. My top picks are Susannah Blatchford, Sarah Clements, Sophie Isabella Photo, Joseph Osullivan, Grey Area Production, Andy Brown, CM Photo, Charlotte Sowman ahh there’s just so many talented Photographers in the Canterbury area.

Florals : No doubt about it Ginny from Cressy and Charmed absolute legend she is so great at what she does and has the biggest heart. I also really love Bunch Floral and Mrs Bottomleys

Videographers : John from Velvet Cinema and Jono Schmit from JDsmit Wedding Films, great guys, super chilled and so bloody talented worth every cent!

For those who are on a strict budget, what is one thing you wouldn’t recommend skimping on for their weddings - or put another way - what do you rate as the top priorities for wedding planning?

Photography definitely don’t skimp! Everything else I guess is totally personal preference, we are getting married ourselves next year and for me as much as I love decor I’m keeping it very simple and not making it about the “Things” but more about the experience. People wont remember the thousands of dollars you spent on table settings but they will remember the awesome band you had that had them dancing all night long or the super yummy food that had them going back for seconds, prioritize what you personally find as a couple matters most to you.

Lastly - what is your favourite Jeuneora product?

Renew+ Mixed Berry hands down my absolute pick of the bunch, for a girl on the go its easy, tasty and gives me so many great health benefits - I’m going to be an avid fan for the rest of my life I reckon.