MaryAlice Beauty - Interview with an Anchorage hair and makeup artist.
I first met MaryAlice in a photoshoot I organized for my business, Turnstone Farm.
After my last shoot I learned a lot: get a haircut the day before, hire a professional to do my makeup.
Because, seriously it is quite possible that you will break out the day of your photoshoot, wedding or other special event. Plan ahead!
After working with MaryAlice, I knew I wanted to work with her again and refer all my clients to her.
She is warm-hearted, calming and has a soothing way about her that puts everyone at ease.
Her energy is just a perfect fit for a hectic wedding day.
I was so thrilled to talk with her more in depth about her business and more importantly, beauty.
Click here to book Mary Alice: https://www.instagram.com/maryalice.beauty/
How long has she been in business?
MaryAlice has been in business doing hair and makeup for over 10 years. She’s always had a passion for it and has completely fallen in love with the power of the beauty industry.
How long does it take to get someone ready (do their hair and makeup)?
Set up can vary based on the type of wedding.
Elopements are more relaxed and can take less prep time depending on the look.
For large wedding parties, she often starts at 7:00 or 7:30 am to make sure the whole wedding party has time to be prepped.
Even without a big wedding party, couples often do first looks which can take an hour and a half of time with a photographer. So it’s best to plan for plenty of time to get ready.
Does she have any advice to couples getting married?
MaryAlice wants to encourage you to get really clear about the vision for your wedding. In fact she offers Creative Strategy Sessions for couples wishing to nail down their dream vision.
She’s noticed that the people who are the clearest about their vision are the happiest. MaryAlice’s interdisciplinary career has given her opportunity to build a lot of skill as a creative problem solver.
As a start, ask yourself why - why are we doing this? How do we want people to experience this? There is no right or wrong answer. It’s just important to be clear. With clarity, all the decisions you need to make will become easier.
What exactly is a Creative Strategy Session?
It’s a conversation without a custom end goal for each person. It’s a process of guiding and reflecting back the vision that is emerging and being heard to create clarity for everyone involved. It’s finding patterns in your thoughts. It’s finding your why for your event and most importantly creating space for what you actually want.
Having a guide to help you figure out what you want can be incredibly powerful.
MaryAlice loves weddings because they are already a creative endeavor. Artful gatherings, traditions, logistics and a ton of emotional meaning are always involved in weddings. Design sprints. Creative process. Disguised in different names: sprints, accelerators. Merge the two to support people creating their vision. Helping people have a creative vision who can bring that together. Having a crystal clear vision. There’s a thousand different ways they can go.
How far out do people need to book her for a wedding?
People start booking around December for summer weddings. Each wedding party gets a custom quote for pricing as it varies depending on time, size of groups and desired looks.
To determine this custom quote you can fill out an inquiry on her website in order to find out more. GO HERE to do that: https://www.instagram.com/maryalice.beauty/
I have my own story about why to outsource makeup and hair! But I wanted to know in her words… why should someone hire MaryAlice and not just DIY it?
Makeup is such a felt sense, wearing it's a sensory experience.
A professional can use makeup to transform you into many different moods. If the tool is not used in a way that supports your desired feeling, it can become an experience that doesn’t honor your goal. It’s really all about an experience.
Hiring a professional can also create a buffer between relationships. If your best friend offers to do your makeup, yes this may save you money but if you are not happy with the end result or the process it may create added relational tension. No one wants this added stress on their wedding day.
MaryAlice has heard so many stories of this happening and it makes sense to give yourself clear boundaries with important wedding details.
You tie things to people and you want to enjoy each moment and boundaries are a great way to keep it uncomplicated. There is so much psychology in the art of beauty.
She strongly recommends doing a trial run for folks that aren’t used to wearing makeup. It can feel weird, whether you’re wearing fake lashes for the first time or just putting on a thin layer of lip gloss. Everyone has a different comfort level for makeup.
To some people it can feel dramatic like putting on a costume. The most important thing is making sure you feel comfortable with your choices so that you don’t have extra discomfort during an already energetically charged social situation.
I always like hearing about other wedding vendors. What vendors does she like working with?
MaryAlice loves Lauren Roberts and Megan Freeman for videography and photography.
As for planners, she says there are so many great options. We both agreed that communication style and personality really matters when hiring a planner. If you have the chance to interview a few by all means do it!
On another note, MaryAlice gets excited when people find ways to use more small businesses for the in-between experiences/gatherings that happen around weddings.
Is there a way to incorporate some of our favorite small businesses into your special day or weekend?
Like Wild Scoops, Fire Island Bakeshop, Cynosure Brewing (or any other brewery in town). The Spa at Alyeska, etc. Get creative!
There are so many options for creating fun and new experiences for friends, family and guests who visit Alaska to be a part of your day.
I love giving my clients cool ways to wow their guests, and transform their event.
Is there a story that stands out in her mind of a couple going above and beyond?
She loves when families personalize their weddings. One couple canned their family’s smoked salmon and gave it to guests. Those small personal touches make events so special.
She remembers one of her first wedding experiences as a teenager of attending a beautiful pre-reception night. It was an elegant backyard party an evening before her cousin’s wedding.
Most of the guests were invited to this casual and classy dinner. People told stories about their relationships with the bride and groom and gave toasts.
An event like this makes the actual wedding day so much more cohesive. People have already had the chance to meet and to put each other in context. This allows everyone to feel more involved in the many different connections.
It also gives your most beloved people the chance for friendships and new relationships to spark. What an awesome gift.
I wanted to know what one goal MaryAlice has for her business this year or next?
She says she is really excited to launch her new website.
And as always, she is excited to do more weddings. MaryAlice loves being a part of weddings. She likes being a part of intimate moments and joy while helping people feel their best.
At a wedding you are part of a collaboration and that group energy is contagious. She gets super energized with all the love that is shared and learning about families and how all the relationships were born.
It can be such an intimate experience with people. She loves hearing stories and hearing about all the different ways people come together in life.
I wanted to know the one thing MaryAlice wants her soon to be clients to know?
MaryAlice likes to make people feel comfortable being seen in these special moments.
She wants you to know that your vision is unique and there is no one right way to be a “bride”, there can be a lot of societal stories that come pouring in once you start planning a wedding.
She wants to help build a vision with you that you’ll love.