Post # 1
Member
582 posts
Busy bee
HI all.
I have finally decided on MUA and hair stylists for our wedding and I feel so relieved (and excited)!
I did have a MU trial last weekend just for comparison’s sake (it was cheaper and w/a vendor who did both hair and makeup). Suffice to say, the trial was horrible.
The artist was a sweetheart and I felt bad saying ‘no’…but I’d feel even worse going through with it and then looking horrendous on my wedding day.
She has emailed me asked who I chose to go with and why. I feel awkward responding and probably will ignore the email….
Have any of you encountered this type of response before? Just curious about that…What did you do?
Post # 3
Member
2512 posts
Sugar bee
I think in any profession, feedback is important to help improve your service.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling her who I went with, but I wouldn’t have a problem kindly telling her why I didn’t choose her.
Post # 4
Member
3769 posts
Honey bee
- Wedding: August 2013 - Brookfield Zoo
It’s awkward, but she is probably just looking for feedback on how to improve her services. I agree, don’t tell her who you went with, but tell her what it was about her trial that didn’t work for you.
Post # 5
Member
979 posts
Busy bee
I would give feedback. I’m a photographer and I usually like to know why a client didn’t chose me. Mostly its because of package and/or pricing. That way, they can adjust anything to accomodate future clients.
Post # 6
Member
3941 posts
Honey bee
Don’t ignore her, be honest. If she’s asked “why”, then don’t hesitate to tell her that you just didn’t like what she had done.
Post # 7
Member
582 posts
Busy bee
Thanks everyone. That makes sense. I just need to find a way to say it that would be curteous and also helpful (other than simply stating that I preferred the work of the other artist).
Post # 8
Member
1448 posts
Bumble bee
I wouldn’t tell her who you chose to go with either, or just say that you’ve decided to DIY your makeup.
You should be fine to tell her why you decided not to go with her; don’t say “it was horrible” as it’s not the kind of feedback that will help her improve. If the foundation was off or there was too much makeup or you didn’t like the eye look or whatever, that’s fine.
I once passed on a mascara in a department store because the MU artist did a crap job at applying it.
Edit to add: Also tell her what she did right. i.e. “I really loved your attitude!”
Post # 9
Member
786 posts
Busy bee
I found it pretty annoying when vendors I didn’t book with asked me where I booked instead, it just felt creepy to me haha. But I did have a couple venues send me questionaires and I did fill them out honestly to give my feedback. I think it’s important to tell her why you went with the other makeup artist but should defintely not tell her who you booked.
Post # 10
Member
1684 posts
Bumble bee
Include reasons why you liked her along with what she needs to work on, especially since you liked her as a person! It can only help her career.
I.e.:
Thank you for meeting with me. It was a pleasure talking to you. However, I regret that I won’t be needing your services for the day of my wedding.
You were extremely personable and easy to work with. Your personality really shined through and is a great asset to you!
However, I chose someone else because I found your make up style a little heavy for my personal preference. I decided to go with lighter makeup and a little more of a natural look for the wedding. (Or whatever the reason. At least this was she knows that she needs to work on her “natural look” or “diva look” or whatever you were going for) I will keep you in mind for recommendations to any of my friends who are interested in a more dramatic look (i.e. pick a strength).
Thank you again for meeting with me. I wanted to commend you for your professionalism and wanted to mention how adequately priced you are. This was a very enjoyable session for me.
Good luck on your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
babycakes24
Post # 11
Member
11747 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
she is probably looking for feedback to help her business. I’d definitely give it to her – be honest but not mean.
Post # 12
Member
11747 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
she is probably looking for feedback to help her business. I’d definitely give it to her – be honest but not mean.
Post # 13
Member
582 posts
Busy bee
@kaw2be: I like the idea of a questionnaire…if I were a vendor, I think that would give me the best chance of getting feedback and feedback that could help me in the end.
@Anise: Good advice. I will tell her that I thought she was very sweet and good at making the client feel comfortable. Unfortunately, to her, “dramatic” makeup meant applying waaay too much and in all the wrong places. I compared the pictures I had from MUA#1 and this one…wow. what a difference!
Post # 14
Member
582 posts
Busy bee
@BeachBride2014. great letter! might use this/some version of it, if you don’t mind, of course.
Post # 15
Member
272 posts
Helper bee
I had one potential vendor ask why we didn’t choose his services. I was happy to explain why, though it was probably easier because I really did like his work, we just found someone we liked even better and were able to meet in person.
Her styling probably is what some people want, but it didn’t work for you – there’s nothing wrong with telling her that nicely.
Post # 16
Member
3357 posts
Sugar bee
I don’t see why you shouldn’t tell them who you went with and why. I had a similar thing happen when shopping for apartments and everyone I didn’t go with, called to ask who I went with and why. They want to know who their competition is.
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