Wedding and Event Hair & Make-Up

I contacted Gayle about doing my hair and makeup for my September 2015 wedding. I booked Gayle by putting a $ 100 deposit down about 6 months before the wedding. She told me that brides typically put down their deposit before having the trial. I just figured this was normal so I didn’t think anything of it. About 4 months later I had my trial with Gayle and was not pleased at all. I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted with my hair and makeup so I was looking for a stylist who could really give me their opinion and recommendations. I felt the creativity was lacking, the makeup felt heavy (I highly recommend airbrush which Gayle said she doesn’t do) and my hair looked nothing like the picture I provided. Thank goodness for trials! I would say if you are looking for basic hair and makeup then Gayle should be fine for you but I don’t really think she caters to the modern bride. After the trial and some tears I had to find another stylist with a little over a month before my wedding. This was stress that I did not need and understandably most people were booked up. I ended up finding someone great, but I advise other brides to have their trial BEFORE putting down the deposit.

I am really sorry I couldnt give more than 2 stars, but I did not receive what I asked for. I wanted makeup that would include a dramatic smokey eye & a half up half down hairdo. I emailed Gayle & she asked for photos of myself & pics of what I’d like done. She then put me in touch with Lyndsay, Lyndsay & I emailed and I was told the 2 services would take an hour and a half. We agreed she would be at my home at noon so I could leave by 2:00 to get to my venue for photos before our wedding began and guests started to arrive. Lyndsay was a really sweet & lovely girl, but I wasnt happy with her service. First thing that went wrong was Lyndsay’s airbrush machine did not work, secondly she didnt finish with me until 2:45! I was extremely late for photos & we were still doing them when our guests arrived at our venue. When I finally looked in the mirror I was very disappointed at the makeup. I did not get what I asked for. It looked to me like a smudgy version of the smokey eye I asked for. Also my hair only looked good for an hour. I had no curls by the time our ceremony started & my hair looked unkempt. Lyndsay made me so late & so stressed that I did my own lipstick. I even had to go over the eyeliner she applied, as it was smudgy looking & not bold like I wanted. As I was getting dressed & looking in the mirror I noticed she forgot to do my lower lashes. I told her & she ran into the bathroom with me to apply some mascara. I wanted false lower lashes, but we didnt have time to get that done. I dont know if it would have mattered if we had more time or not. I just know I did not get what I expected. I had a night time wedding & wanted a dramatic look, but I did not get that. I think I could have done a better smokey eye look. When I sent pictures of what I wanted, I thought that I would get exactly that and it did not happen. I could not recommend this service, nor would I use them again.

Fabulous!!! Sara did my makeup for my wedding along with some of my bridesmaids and she did an amazing job. I loved every aspect of my makeup and felt amazing. She comes highly recommended!

What a wonderful experience it was. Gayle joined my family at our hotel as we prepared for a family wedding. My mom and sister had flown in for the event and I thought it would be nice to have hair and makeup done. I have never done this before and was worried about being over done since I don’t wear a ton of makeup. Gayle put all my worries to rest as my sisters eyes lit up as it was coming together. My hair was exactly what I wanted and the makeup was glamorous and perfect for the occasion. I felt so pretty and comfortable. The makeup, lashes and hair stood up through the night, 14 hours and it was so much fun. Gayle also completed my moms and sisters makeup and they were also thrilled and looked fantastic for the event. Did I mention that Gayle also helped me pick the dress for the evening, I had three and this was also the right choice.
I can’t say enough about my experience and hope that others have the opportunity to work with Gayle. She was a professional yet personable and highly skilled in her craft. We utilized Pintrest to create a look book which I shared with Gayle before the event. I thought this was very helpful as I could also solicit feedback from friends to narrow it done to a single look. This along with a personal picture provided Gayle some time to process a look.
If you have the chance, treat yourself, she is worth it.

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Gayle and Sara, they were both fantastic!
Gayle took my initial information and did the scheduling for me. She was professional and responsive. She was nice to me even when I forgot to email her back :)
Sara did the actual hair and makeup for me and my wedding party. I have nothing but positive things to say about her. She did an awesome job on my trial and on my wedding day. She made me look and feel beautiful. She definitely knows what she’s doing.
Sara set the tone on my wedding day and put my wedding party in a good mood from the start. She’s friendly and up-​beat and immediately made everyone feel comfortable. She made a playlist for us to listen to while we got ready and was happy to share beauty tips with my mom and mother-​in-​law. Hair and make-​up takes a while so I’m glad I picked someone fun :)
She was really organized and stuck to her schedule so everyone was done on time. It’s comforting to have someone so organized on what can be a hectic day. She was wonderful to my family and even did my grandma’s makeup for free since my wedding was on Mother’s Day.
Thanks so much Sara! You really helped to make my day extra special.

I found Sara and Gayle when I was (last minute) looking for someone to do my October 2014 wedding hair and I still feel so lucky! I met with Sara for a pre-​consultation at Capelli Hair Design in Petaluma and instantly loved her. She reminded a couple times that we had plenty of time and that I could be 100% honest with her. I loved that she would remind me that I couldn’t hurt her feelings… that really helps. In the end, she tried three styles, and I loved the second style. I have very thick, long brown hair and we chose a half up/​half down style. On the day of the wedding, she syled my hair and two bridesmaids. She was on time, relaxed, well prepared, flexible, and just fun to spend the morning with. It was like having another friend in the room. My hair was beautiful and it stayed in place from 10am until after midnight. Sara was also flexible enough for me to add fake lashes to our plan at the last minute and she did them in about 10 minutes. Overall, I simply love Sara’s personality and my hairstyle.

Sara did my hair and make-​up for my July wedding on-​site in Sausalito and I could not be more pleased! She also did my Mom’s make-​up for the day. I am generally not a hair and make-​up person, I usually only wear mascara to work and maybe some lipstick to a wedding. So I was very intimidated about finding a make-​up person who could give me a natural but polished look for my wedding day. Sara did a great job! I loved the way my make-​up looked, still felt like myself, and got so many compliments on it. She also did a great job with the less traditional loose hairstyle I wanted. She listened my desires and made the process very easy for me.
What was even more important to me than the actual hair and make-​up was Sara’s personality. She was kind, funny, and personable. She has exactly the type of calm energy you want around you as you get ready for your big day! She also came to my house in SF for the trial, which made things so easy. She went out of her way at the trial to make sure I was happy with my hair style. She was punctual and thorough. She made any adjustments my mom or I requested on the day of. I couldn’t have asked for anything more!
I would recommend Sara to anyone! Don’t hesitate to book her! Prices were also very reasonable for someone who works primarily in Marin and Sonoma County.

Sara was the perfect person to take care of the makeup for myself and my LARGE wedding party in Larkspur, CA in August! My sister found her on Unilocal when we were having a hard time finding someone affordable that could accommodate 12+ people. Sara came up with a great option to have my bridesmaids pay a small fee to just have fake lashes put on along with other minor touch-​ups done. Sara was able to take care of full makeup for my mom, sister, and I, as well as the rest of the girls, in a very reasonable amount of time on the wedding day. She was also super flexible in terms of coming to the hair salon we had taken over for the morning, setting up shop, and managing to get everyone looking gorgeous in such a friendly, stress-​free manner!
The makeup on the day of looked amazing and lasted all day and night. I’m not one to wear much on my face, but trusting Sara to make me look great in pictures was one of the best decisions I made throughout my wedding planning! I honestly looked like a more polished version of myself; the makeup was super well done without being over the top. It was so much fun working with her and everyone looked flawless. She was so kind and calm throughout the whole process and helped make it a really great time. Thank you Sara!

I came upon Gale and Sara via Unilocal a few months ago when looking for someone to come to my home to get me ready to attend my brother’s wedding in the city. It went so well I called her back and had Sara come out to do my makeup for my son’s baptism. I’m new to Marin County and didn’t really have a recommendation, but saw that they both got great reviews on Unilocal… I was not disappointed! The thing is, you never know but thankfully my fellow Unilocalers steered me in the right direction!
The first thing is that makeup and hair is kind of a big deal — I mean it’s how you look all day, all evening, or afternoon, depending on the event. You really can’t have someone messing it up, right? Thankfully, both Gale and Sara get this and they really just make you look like a more glam’d up, more fabulous version of yourself.
For my brother’s wedding in July Gale came over to my house and from the start I loved her. She has a very relaxed way of being. Listens to what you like, your style and then kind of just goes for it. She did a spectacular job on my make up and hair. I never do up-do’s because I just don’t like them… but I can’t say that anymore! Gale did a great job addressing my concerns of looking to pulled back and did an amazing job. She was personable, professional and easy going. I even had to nurse my baby during the makeup session and she didn’t bat an eyelash — kind of incredible.
A month later, my son was getting baptized and I wanted to look a little more put together for the long day with friends and family. Gale couldn’t make it so she had Sara come instead. Sara was also AMAZING! Super relaxed and sweet personality. HER makeup looked great– she was easy going, funny and I just felt like I was with my girlfriend hanging out. I was able to get the day-​time look, not too much, but just a hint of glam and fab that I wanted. We laughed the entire time and honestly, I hope I have another event again soon just so I can chat with them again.
They both do a great job and you will look wonderful if you hire them!
Thank you for making me look like a better version of myself ladies :-)

I was so impressed with my recent experience with Sara! First off, her easygoing and calming nature made everything stress-​free from the start. I immediately felt comfortable and confident as she listened to my needs while offering her knowledge and experience. I ended up with GORGEOUS hair and makeup. She knows just how to keep everything looking natural, at the same time flawless and striking.

Everything you have read in previous reviews about Gayle is true and more. My daughter interviewed a number of make-​up/​hair artists before choosing Gayle and was very pleased especially after meeting her and doing a trial. Not only does she make brides and bridesmaids look beautiful and natural, but she also worked wonders for this mother of the bride as well. Our hair and makeup were just right and photographed well. A good part of a wedding budget is photos which will be around forever, so it is well worth having Gayle help you look as good as you can. She is really an artist.

Gayle is personable, professional, reliable, talented, and RELAXED.
Before my wedding, nobody had impressed upon me the importance of securing reliable, experienced, and relaxed wedding vendors. Key word = relaxed. As I went about calling various hair stylists for the big day, I found myself feeling unsettled after talking to many people who rushed me on the phone and/​or who were arrogant and seemingly scattered. Within a few minutes of talking to Gayle on the phone, I vividly recall knowing she was who I wanted to be by my side for wedding day preparations.
Gayle brings everything good that I mentioned to the table and more. She absolutely loves helping brides on their big day (personally, it sounds a big nightmarish to me) and she goes out of her way to ensure that everything meets your expectations. In the weeks leading up to the big day, I hadn’t a clue how I was going to wear my hair and so she offered a «pre-​meet» so that I could work towards envisioning a style ASAP. Finding time to get together with her was easy and she was extremely helpful during that initial meet & greet.
Gayle has EXCELLENT communication skills, and will respond to your every question in a timely manner. (And I had lots of them before the wedding). Over the course of a couple weeks, I had all kind of questions for her as there were 4 of us getting our hair done the morning of the wedding. Never once did I get a sense I was irritating her because again — she’s relaxed, calm (there’s that word again) and professional.
Gayle is also extremely flexible. While Gayle does both hair and makeup, I told her I wanted to do my own makeup after having some «trial and error» makeup counter experiences recently. Not only did she offer a «touch-​up» service for me, but she said I could decide the day of the wedding and she’d allot time for that «just in case» I wanted to take her up on the offer. So there I was doing my own makeup on my wedding day, which looked «so-​so» and hurray! Gayle to the rescue. Gayle has a very natural approach to wedding makeup and will not have you looking like someone other than yourself. (Unless you want to look like someone else-​which I know she has more than enough talent to accomplish for you). :)
The Wedding Day. Gayle arrived right on time (maybe a few min early) to our hotel, and she worked swiftly while sparing no details as she did 4 hairdos and 1 makeup «enhancement.» She successfully kept everyone on schedule throughout a very long morning. I remember feeling extraordinarily calm while I got ready and I can say with 100% certainty that Gayle played a major role in that. I have been to a gazillion weddings…(seriously…a ton) and I don’t think I’ve ever seen bridal hair & makeup prep go so smoothly. Gayle really brought an air of calmness to the room and we just chit chatted away as she worked which really kept me feeling grounded. Lastly, because I had a pre-​wedding event (Chinese Tea Ceremony), Gayle offered to come to the venue to help me replace my prickly red flower hair piece (for the tea ceremony) with small white stephanotis flowers for the wedding ceremony. She did a very smoothed down, soft curl hair style for me and I was nervous about really messing it up with these different flowers. I later found out that while I was at the tea ceremony, she helped our friends and family set up for the wedding! !!! :) !! Clearly, helping set up weddings isn’t part of her list of services, but I want to share this story because it demonstrates the kind of person Gayle is.
Not only did everyone’s hair look fantastic — modern, fresh, and super polished, but my makeup was great too. I had a couple breakouts that morning and wow-​did she work some serious magic with the concealer and a brush.
I highly encourage anyone considering Gayle for their wedding day to look no further and book her immediately. For your very important wedding day, you want to be certain that your stylist and makeup artist is «on it and then some» because as I mentioned earlier in this post, they will be by your side all morning and will play a MAJOR role on how positive (or not) your wedding day prep experience is…

Gayle is my «Fairygodmother» on our wedding day! She transformed me into a beautiful bride. It is so easy to like her and she is motherly sweet, she will take care of you getting prepared for your big day with her calm attitude. I never met her before and I found her on Unilocal.We exchange emails and pictures.
I didnt have a trial but that did not meant she will not do a great job on the day of your wedding. I was surprised to see myself halfway she was putting my make up on. I have dark circles under my eyes and it has always been a challenge to work with it but gayle made me look flawless and my make up was a natural look. My friends and family would come up in my room to peek and everyone met her liked her personality. She is very accomodating to what you want and will give suggestions what she think will work better for you. Trust her, she will bring out the best in you!
She takes her time and she even stayed after my make up was done and made sure the photographer has done a few shots that my make up looks great in the photos.
She gave me a touch up kit, that was thoughtful of her. She also gave my daughter a touch up lip gloss and offered my bridesmaids touch up before we started with the photos. Her pricing is more affordable compared to 2 different artist i have inquired but her work was more than what I have paid for. Thank you very much Gayle! Definitely recommending you in my circle and to future brides, save yourself the stress and let Gayle do her magic.

i just got married in September and Gayle did hair and makeup for myself, my mother-​in-​law, my mom, and one of my bridesmaids for the big day.
gayle is amazing at hair and makeup and is very affordable. i loved working with her because i wanted to very natural look and she was very receptive to what i wanted. during my trial, she made sure that i was comfortable with what she was doing and asked for my input throughout the trial. she is also very calming and made me feel very at ease both during the trial and the day of my wedding. on the day of the wedding, she came very prepared with printouts of my trial hair and makeup, along with notes of the colors and shades she used.
she asked for photos for inspiration and approached each one of us differently, respecting our needs and different skin/​hair types.
i was so thrilled with my hair and makeup and the other women in our wedding party were happy as well. i highly recommend gayle if you want to feel and look like a goddess on your wedding day!

Gayle is fantastic and really reasonably priced especially when you consider how great a job she does! I didn’t really know Gayle but I liked the images on her website, and she was quick in responding to me. My wedding was planned in only 3 months, and since my husband and I were footing the entire bill we were trying to be very responsible on what we spent! I met with Gayle after having some email correspondence with her about the looks like liked, she went off of my pictures, and then after one meeting she said she good to go. I don’t know why but I was totally sure that she would do a great job even though I wouldn’t be seeing her again for almost two months. She was great in following up with me and confirming the event date and time that we would be meeting at the Venue.
I have to admit that I have been married once before and I didn’t want to emulate the same look from my first wedding, and Gayle delivered on that too! I LOVED my hair, and my makeup went perfectly with the style of my dress. My husband said he had never seen me look more beautiful! Gayle also did my 10-​year old step daughter’s hair for the wedding too (she has TONS of LONG THICK hair), and her hair turned out fantastically as well. Overall she was better than any other hair/​makeup artist I have seen work at a wedding, and I’d recommend her to anyone who is looking for a great and experienced stylist.

I love Gayle! My hair and makeup turned out more amazing than I could have ever imagined. From the first time I met her, I was instantly at ease, she’s so naturally friendly, kind, and personable! On the day of the wedding, I showed up on time, but she was already there, with the room waiting for me and all of her kit set out and ready to go. And she was amazing about keeping me calm, relaxed, and smiling while fixing me up. All of my friends and family, (and new hubby most of all), were floored by the transformtion that she engineered. What Gayle delivers is worth MUCH more than the cost! Call her up today!

From the first time I met Gayle for my Bridal Hair Trial I knew I had found the right person to do my hair. Gayle arrived on time, prepared and listened to what I wanted and delivered!
Of course I hired Gayle to do my hair on the day of my wedding and she was great at keeping in contact up to the day of the wedding. Her and her assistant arrived on time and did an absolute amazing job on my hair, plus 5 Bridesmaids, Mother of the Bride and 2 flower girls. They went above and beyond to help us feel comfortable and relaxed the day of. They were flexible at listening to any changes we had the day of and even gave their professional advice, which ended up looking beautiful! Gayle had no problem keeping on schedule and even stayed a little longer to help with last minute touch-​ups before taking pictures. It was a little windy the day of my wedding, but my hair stayed flawless through the entire night! Me and my girls received so many compliments on our hair!
Thank you Gayle! I will definitely keep you in mind!

Gayle did a fantastic job…6 girls (bride and her bridesmaids) in three hours! She did every hair style exactly as the picture that each girl wanted. And because Gayle came to our hotel, the wedding day was a lot less stressful!

Gale did an amazing job with my hair. All I did was give her a picture of the hairstyle I wanted and a brief description of my hair texture.
On the day of wedding, Gayle and Sarah came to our hotel on time and began working on my bridesmaids’ make-​up, my hair and make-​up.
Gayle brought the sample photo to imitate the hairstyle. When it was done, I was amazed how my hairstyle turned out much prettier and more elegant than the sample photo!
Sarah did an amazing job on my bridesmaids’ and my make-​up. She gave our skin a perfect, natural glow that lasted the entire day.
I definitely would recommend Gale to all future-​brides nervous about their hair & make-​up!

Hair + Wedding = stress! Want to know how to tame those woes when planning a crazy wedding? SEE GAYLE NOW! It’s hard to find someone that can actually do hair that you want and travels to your location. It’s even harder to find someone that is so personable and kind to do that job. Imagine your nerves the day of your wedding and the only time you have to yourself that day is in a chair getting your hair done. I not only picked Gayle because of her talent, but because she has a calming presence.
I have a lot of expectations when it comes to hair. I’m a stylist myself — so I don’t play around.
She does her consults in her beautiful, peaceful home. She listens to what you say without that snobby, «I know what this bride needs» feel to a wedding trial run.
For my wedding, I had a lot of DIY projects. Hair was something I did not want to do myself. Imagine curling your own hair to have it fall flat before you walk down that aisle — horrible! Trust your tresses to an expert. It takes a lot more than pins and hairspray to keep a ‘do up all night.
Gayle has a keen eye for detail. She’s professional and knows what to do. I loved the way my hair looked that day. It didn’t fall flat nor did I have to worry about it all night.
When you see her, don’t forget to bring your veil. My aunt decided to make my veil and without Gayle’s help, I would have looked funny without her input on how the veil should be.
I can’t imagine how else my hair would have turned out. I trusted this wonderful lady with something I hold dear and she went over and above my expectations.
Thank you, Gayle! You’re absolutely awesome.