zot's reviews

*****I just wrote a super long review so I'll sum it up first: GO WITH BETSY! BOOK HER! NOW! HURRY! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! Wedding a year away? Book Betsy so you don't have to worry about hair/makeup anymore! Have an event coming up really soon and you think it's too late to book anyone? Call or email Betsy! She will come through for you if at all possible (schedule-wise)! Want to look flawless? Book Betsy! You will not regret this. There are a lot of things I would do differently for my wedding but working with Betsy was the best part. She's easy to work with, priced well, very sweet in person - just great overall!******

I got married towards the end of last year. We'd been engaged for about a year when we found out that some of his family from other countries would be in the U.S. in a few months. Well, my husband wanted as much of his family here as possible so we decided to just plan our wedding for when they would be here anyway (since a trip for them to come here would be unlikely the following yea). All that info to say - I planned my wedding in 3 months and Betsy was a LIFESAVER!

Our wedding was planned for the morning (omg, morning weddings = you're getting ready long before the sun rises!). I didn't think about hair/makeup - a friend offered to do it so I thought that took care of it. Less than 2 months before the wedding she mentioned that she didn't feel comfortable doing my hair & she didn't want to mess it up. Time to look for a pro! How soon do brides book their hair & makeup? A year in advance? Seemed that way to me as I searched for a hair and makeup artist since several of the top rated people here on PW were all booked up (or just not helpful - unlike Betsy who is AMAZING to work with).

Ok, so I originally went with a hair/makeup artist in the Pasadena area that is very popular on PW. I did this based on her many (but not ALL) good reviews & had seen her work at a friend's wedding. Well brides, let me tell you one important detail- it's not only about how many people recommend a particular vendor - it's about how that vendor treats everyone & whether or not they will come through for you no matter what your budget/location/etc. This other person seemed so nice but then basically dropped after a few weeks & said an assistant would work with me since she forgot(?!) that she had a big wedding party booked for the day of my wedding. Um, how do you forget about something like that? And it took her 3 weeks after she had done my trial to remember? Yeah right! Here's what I'm sure happpened - someone with a big wedding party (=more money) got priority even though she had already nicely agreed to work with me. She offered me the services of a brand new assistant for the same prices she charges. Well the whole situation left me with a bad feeling. You know who provided stellar service start to finish? Betsy! The reason I didn't contact her first was that I thought she would be too expensive (she's done makeup for celebrities but she is just the sweetest woman you'll meet!) & that she wouldn't possibly be willing to travel (of course she totally was since Betsy is AMAZING) to my house to do my hair and makeup super early in the morning when she lived...well, I don't remember where she was based but I'm pretty sure she had to drive at least an hour. No extra charge!

Betsy showed up when she had said she would - I don't remember the time anymore but I know it was really early - between 3-5am. It was absolutely pitch black outside. My neighborhood is not well lit at night either but Betsy managed to find the house! She brought a special chair & all equipment that she would need. Quietly set up and then worked her magic! She did hair & makeup for me, my wedding party (which was my very picky sister!) and my mom. My mom has health issues and can't sit for long periods & Betsy was so sweet with her. She did a great job in her hair and totally listened to her. My super picky sister looked great too - best hair/makeup she had ever had! I think we all wanted more of a natural look & Betsy listened. She was willing to make changes, pretty much do anything to make us happy. I didn't have anything super specific in mind, just my (curly!) hair down & a natural look for makeup and Betsy knew just what to do. She even left us with little satin-y pouches with some lipstick/gloss for a touch up & mints. Sadly, my friend who was in charge of some things left it in the car so I didn't have it at the reception. That was ok though b/c Betsy did such a great job that I didn't really need a touch up.

So by now I hope I've convinced you to go with Betsy for hair/makeup b/c I want to help brides out - I've been there! This is a good decision. If you're look me, you will look at a ton of PW reviews for different vendors and you already have so much else going on. I've done the homework for you for hair/makeup. Trust me, I emailed or called maybe 25 of the top hair/makeup people on here (in the Pasadena area/San Gabriel Valley & then expended search to L.A. & even O.C. & to the ones that were willing to travel - like Betsy). Betsy is the easiest person to work with, she is super nice, does great work - even my mom loved her, that's saying a lot!

Oh! I want to add that she stayed extra long b/c my photographer was late! So she stayed through my getting ready pics so she can do any touch ups and put my veil on (pinned in my hair) for me.