How to Choose the Right Hair & Makeup Artist for Your Wedding Day
Your wedding morning is more than just hair spray and lipstick - it’s the quiet, beautiful moment before everything begins. The right hair and makeup artist understands that, helping you feel calm, confident, and completely yourself as you step into forever.
Finding Your Perfect Match
With so many talented hair and makeup artists on the Sunshine Coast, how do you find the right one for you? According to Marlies Tamis from Makeup by Marlies, it all comes down to connection, communication, and confidence.
Do your research. Check out their recent work on Instagram or Facebook and see if their style matches your bridal vision.
Find your vibe. Are you going for soft, romantic, and natural? Or do you love a bold, full-glam look? Choose an artist whose aesthetic aligns with your personality.
Ask the right questions. Find out if they’ll personally be doing your hair and makeup, what products they use (especially if you have sensitive skin), and how long it will all take on the day.
💬 “It’s so important to have someone on your wedding day who makes you feel comfortable and confident – you need to know you’re in trusted, experienced hands.”
– Marlies Tamis, Makeup by Marlies
I couldn’t agree more! As a photographer, I see firsthand how much confidence shines through when a bride feels amazing. A great hair and makeup artist not only enhances your look – they set the tone for your whole wedding morning.
Where to Start When Planning Your Bridal Look
If you’re newly engaged and starting to think about your wedding style, here are Marlies’ top tips:
Communicate your vision. Bring inspiration photos to your trial and chat openly about what you love (and what you don’t).
Book early. Popular artists can book out months in advance – and this gives you time to plan a trial.
Plan your timeline. Discuss how long hair and makeup will take so your photographer can capture all the fun, relaxed moments before the ceremony.
Once those details are sorted, your wedding morning will flow smoothly, and you’ll be free to simply enjoy the moment.
My Favourite Takeaway from This Episode
I’ve worked with Marlies at countless weddings, and she always brings such calm, positive energy to the day. My biggest takeaway from our chat? Finding a stylist who “gets you” is everything. It’s not just about products or technique – it’s about trust and feeling at ease.
Listen to the Full Episode
You can listen to the full episode featuring Marlies Tamis from Makeup by Marlies right here:
👉 Pop the Question – How to Find the Right Hair & Makeup Artist for You
Planning Your Sunshine Coast Wedding?
Hey, I’m Lou O’Brien - long-time local and wedding photographer behind Pop the Question! I’ve photographed hundreds of beautiful Sunshine Coast weddings and love helping couples plan their dream day with ease.
If you’re still searching for the perfect photographer to capture all the love, laughter, and in-between moments, I’d love to chat!
📷You can view my packages here - Wedding Photography Packages
🎧 Want more wedding wisdom? See all Pop the Question episodes here
📘 Download my FREE Sunshine Coast Wedding Planning Guide - it’s full of local tips and insider advice to help you plan with confidence.
And a big thanks to my guest, Marlies Tamis from Makeup by Marlies, for sharing her expert advice on bridal beauty and wedding day prep. You can find her here:
💻 Website: https://makeupbymarlies.com.au
📸 Instagram: @makeupbymarlies
💬 Facebook: Makeup by Marlies
Episode Transcript
Lou (00:00.398)
Hi, welcome to Pop the Question podcast brought to you by Sunshine Coast Wedding Collective and me, Lou O'Brien, Sunshine Coast Wedding Photographer and your guide to all things I do. And of course, this is Kiki and she has been digging up some treats in the garden today. So she is grubby as, but thank you everyone for joining us. This podcast is for engaged couples looking for helpful tips on how to plan their wedding.
And today I'm very excited to be chatting with Marlies Zutz-Tamis, which I hope I said the surname right, because I always just say Marlies. Great. Marlies and I have known each other for a few years now. We've done countless weddings together. I absolutely love doing weddings with Marlies because she has this calming presence about her. And whenever I see the brides, they're just always so chilled and happy.
Marlies (00:37.849)
Perfect.
Lou (00:57.513)
knows how to bring out the natural beauty in her bride. So I just love how the brides look. They just look like their best selves, which is just gorgeous and it always makes them feel amazing on their wedding day. So thank you very much, Marlies, for joining us today. How are you?
Marlies (01:15.544)
Good, well thank you for your lovely words. It's so lovely to hear. Yeah, I'm really good. Thank you. And thank you for having me.
Lou (01:21.727)
that's great. Well, I'm really happy to have you. So for people that don't know you, can you tell us just a little bit about yourself and about your business?
Marlies (01:33.7)
Yes, so I started doing makeup in the year 2000, which is already quite a long time ago. And I did all my my training and courses in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam. And I moved to Australia in the year 2012 and started doing weddings over here, the Sunshine Coast, and absolutely loving it already for quite a long time now. Yeah, so hair, yeah, so I'm doing hair and makeup here on the Sunshine Coast, the whole region over here and yeah, looking after brides and their bridal parties is an absolute privilege.
Lou (02:04.363)
Yes! Yeah amazing!
Lou (02:20.447)
Yeah. wow. That's amazing. just to let people know, English isn't your first language. So it's actually quite amazing. I'm always blown away with people who are bilingual, as I've said to you before. And I just love your accent. And I think it...
Marlies (02:28.567)
No.
Marlies (02:37.94)
thank you. Yes, well, it's, it's, you know, living here, it's just beautiful. I love Australia, you know, the beaches, the hinterlands and the language is, yeah, it's my second language, but yeah, it's natural and I do have an accent, but yeah, it's good. Yeah.
Lou (03:02.161)
It's beautiful. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. So the next part of our little podcast, which I'd like to ask you, as I like to do with all my guests is ask a question that our engaged couples would like to know. And that question for you today is what should a bride ask a hair and makeup artist before they book them?
Marlies (03:23.615)
Yes, well that's a really good question because there are so many makeup artists and hairstylists around. So what I would tell my engaged couples is really check out recent work, their signature style and see if you align with their work and the artist's personality as well. It's really important to have somebody on your wedding day who can really look after you and that you feel that you're in trusted, experienced hands.
Lou (04:01.903)
Yep, absolutely. And like by different styles you're talking about like if someone wants a more natural look or a glamour look, like what are some different looks that brides can have?
Marlies (04:16.106)
Yeah, so like my style is like romantic, feminine and natural. So I I love to bring out brights than natural beauty. But you could also go for like a glam look. So really like, you know, full coverage, full glamour. Yeah, so so that's kind of needs to fit with your personality. And that is also why it's so
Lou (04:22.212)
Yeah.
Lou (04:43.095)
Absolutely.
Marlies (04:44.503)
That's why so important to check out the artist's work and see if it aligns with your style. Yeah.
Lou (04:48.933)
Yeah.
Absolutely, yes, I agree with that completely. Now, we have our next question. This fun little question is, pop the question, this is our mystery wedding themed trivia or question. I'm gonna ask you, which you have no idea, I have no idea. I'm just gonna pull it out of my little camera here. I always love seeing what the question is.
Marlies (05:03.083)
Okay.
Marlies (05:11.988)
No, it's so exciting. I love that prop. Yeah.
Lou (05:20.388)
I know my little camera is pretty cute. okay, ooh. This one might be a bit harder for you, but you might know this. What is the coolest wedding favor you've seen? So that could also be, I think for you, maybe bridesmaid gifts, because you probably see more bridesmaid gifts than at, you wouldn't really go to a reception. So let's change that question for you and let's say what's the best bridesmaid gift?
Marlies (05:29.525)
Okay.
Marlies (05:42.203)
Yes, I know it.
Lou (05:50.275)
you've seen.
Marlies (05:51.506)
Yes, I've seen one really beautiful bridesmaids gift who was given to the brides and was also photographed by the photographer because it was so very special. It was like a personalised photo album, all with written hand notes, little keepsakes and all put together in a beautiful
Lou (05:56.599)
Yeah?
Lou (06:03.98)
Yes.
Lou (06:11.607)
Lou (06:15.06)
my gosh.
Marlies (06:19.106)
handcrafted photo book, but all with little notes, little written text, photographs, from, yes, from, from child, yeah, from childhood to, you know, till their wedding day. That was absolutely beautiful. I love those, I love those, I love those personal touches. So that's right.
Lou (06:22.327)
Yeah.
Lou (06:27.383)
They're my favourite gifts. something so heartfelt.
Lou (06:36.257)
Yeah. my gosh. I bit.
Yeah, I was just thinking how many tears might have been there that you would have had to fix up makeup. That would have been like...
Marlies (06:48.93)
yes, I have that all the time so don't worry but you know that's what I'm there for so that's not a problem at all but that was beautiful like a personalised photo album who doesn't want to have that?
Lou (06:53.955)
Yeah, yeah, that's
Lou (07:03.331)
absolutely. I would be putting my hand up for that. Absolutely. that's great. Okay. Well, let's move on to the next part of our little podcast here. And this is I always want to be able to give our listeners a helpful tip to take away with them that they can start planning their wedding with. So what's a great tip you could give them?
Marlies (07:06.365)
That's right. Yeah. Yeah.
Marlies (07:25.441)
Well, if you start planning your wedding and bridal hair and makeup, really make sure that you research the stylist's work, their reviews, and if you really align with their signature style to make your wedding morning as beautiful and really unforgettable and feel confident as it is. That's important. Yeah.
Lou (07:47.404)
Yep.
I love that tip because that point before the ceremony is so important that the bride feels at her best and everyone else feels exactly the same. So I love that tip. That's perfect. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Marlies, for joining me today. For people who would like to find you, can you tell me where they can find you on the socials?
Marlies (08:01.64)
Yeah.
Marlies (08:13.586)
Of course, you can check out my website, Facebook, Instagram, Makeup by Marlies Yeah.
Lou (08:20.978)
fantastic. And I'll have all those details as well on my website, which is imagesbylouobrien.com forward slash pop the question and I'll have all the show notes that will include my Marlies' details and information about hair and makeup and also any past podcasts we've had as well. So thank you so much, Marlies, I've really enjoyed chatting with you and seeing you. It's nice to catch up when we're not just doing a wedding together.
Marlies (08:43.751)
Yes! Yes.
Marlies (08:50.943)
That's right. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. was my pleasure. Yeah. Okay. See ya. Bye bye. Bye, Lou. Thanks.
Lou (08:51.007)
So it's been great. Yeah.
You're welcome. Okay, bye. Bye.
Podcast link - How to Find the Right Hair & Makeup Artist for You
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