Getting married in Panama: planning the hair and makeup

On a wedding day everything is measured in minutes and almost nobody budgets them correctly. These are the things that, seen from the salon, decide whether the morning is calm or frantic.

Do the trial, and do it early

A hair and makeup trial is not a luxury. It is where you discover that the updo you loved in the photograph does not work with your hair density, or that the lipstick you chose reads differently against your skin in natural light.

One to two months out is right. Close enough that your hair colour is final, far enough that you can change your mind without panic.

Come to the trial with hair washed the day before, not that morning. Freshly washed hair is slippery and holds badly — an updo sits far better on second-day hair, and that applies to the wedding day too.

Three decisions before the style

• The neckline. A dress with detail at the shoulders asks for hair up; a simple neckline carries hair down. Bring a photo of the dress to the trial.
• The veil or hairpiece, and where it sits. An updo is built differently depending on whether the veil anchors above, through or beneath the knot. Bring the actual piece, not something similar.
• Where the celebration is. An air-conditioned ballroom is not an outdoor beach wedding at four in the afternoon. Heat and breeze decide how much the style has to hold.

Makeup and the climate

Bridal makeup in Panama is planned around endurance. A primer that controls shine, thin layers rather than one thick one, setting spray, and a lip that survives a full lunch. Beautiful makeup that collapses after two hours is no use at a wedding that runs ten.

If you cry — and most people do — what saves you is waterproof lashes and liner. Decide that in advance rather than improvising.

Timings

Allow 90 minutes for the bride's hair and makeup, and around 45 for each member of the party. If there are several of you, we start with them and finish with you: yours is done last so you reach the dress as fresh as possible.

And leave half an hour of slack. It is always needed.