WIN a free hair and makeup trial!

One lucky bride is going to win a complimentary hair and makeup trial at Once Upon A Bride, and it could be you!

To enter to win, just sign up for email updates about our latest discounts, salon news and the greatest hair and makeup products.

You need to love the look your artists are going to create for you on your wedding day, so I train our artists in my own protocol, which ensures that every bride has a successful trial. You will see variations of hair and makeup looks until we find the style that suits you best. Your artists will take detailed notes and photos so that they are ready to recreate the look on the day.

You are always welcome to call me for advice, because I want every bride to get the most from her trial and feel confident and relaxed that everything will run smoothly on her wedding day!


Special invitation: 25% off wedding hair and makeup trials at Once Upon A Bride

It is so important that you feel comfortable with your hair and makeup artist on your wedding day. You need artists by your side who make you feel beautiful every step of the way, giving you peace of mind from the early planning stages right up to when you walk down the aisle.

So we are offering a 25% discount on all hair and makeup trials at Once Upon A Bride until September 1. This is your chance to come in and meet New York City’s top team of bridal hair and makeup experts. Your hair artist will create two signature looks for you, plus a third variation as another option. Then your makeup artist will explore options, starting out clean and natural then moving on to a more smoky and sultry style, so you can see a transition and decide on the perfect look.

Call now and tell us about your wedding and we’ll set you up with an appointment to find the best artists for you. We have a whole team to choose from, depending on your needs and personal style. I’d like to introduce you to one of our top talents, makeup artist Karen, who recently worked on the wedding of Gillian and Noah at Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Karen is an expert at airbrush makeup. It guarantees a flawless look, because it covers imperfections while allowing the skin’s beauty to shine through. “For my brides I use only the highest quality brands, like Temptu and Kett,” says Karen. “It’s a godsend for brides who need to cover scars, tattoos, redness, very oily skin, or hyperpigmentation. And because it’s waterproof, there are never any concerns about tears or humid weather. Your look will last long through the day and a night of dancing!”

“I just have to thank Karen for making me look so beautiful the day of my wedding!” says Gillian.

“In this picture you can faintly see a rainbow. It started to rain while we were taking pictures outside, and when it stopped five minutes later, a rainbow appeared! We believe it was good luck!”

Gillian and Noah’s photographer was Frank Ammaccapane, Owner and Director of Natural Expressions.

Introducing Sofia Beskasnova — Once Upon a Bride makeup artist

It’s so important to have a great relationship with your wedding hair stylist and makeup artist. You need artists you can trust to bring out the most beautiful you and make you feel fantastic on your wedding day. So you can get to know our artists a little better, I’ll be regularly featuring them here on the Inspiration page, so be sure to check back.

Sofia Beskasnova, wedding makeup artist, Once Upon a Bride NYC

First up is the amazing Sofia Beskasnova, who has more than a decade of experience as a professional makeup artist since starting out with MAC Cosmetics. Sofia, who is Russian and was born and grew up in Latvia, studied makeup at film and television school. She learned all the skills of glamour, red carpet, special effects, and film and TV prosthetics — but her real passion was women’s beauty.

“I love to see how wonderful and confident women feel when they have the right makeup on,” she says. “Bridal makeup will always be my favorite field in this fascinating industry. It is a very rewarding and happy job, because I make brides feel their most beautiful.”

Sofia is well known at the Paris, Milan, and New York fashion weeks, where she has been doing runway makeup for the past 12 seasons. She has worked with Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Vivien Westwood, Reem Acra, and Monique Lhuillier. Sofia’s celebrity clients have included Lady Gaga, and her work has appeared on shows such as TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress and Bravo’s Miss Advised, Bethenny Ever After, and Project Runway. Her work can also be seen in GQ, Allure, and the Harper’s Bazaar runway report.

Every time I see a bride get to know Sofia during a makeup trial, the bride leaves our salon feeling absolutely confident and excited about her upcoming wedding day. Sofia becomes friends with most of her brides, and they often become lifetime clients.

When I ask Sofia what her approach is to working with brides, she says: “I always try to connect with my client first, then her face just speaks to me. I love doing wedding makeup! Natural, dramatic, sexy, extravagant — whatever fits the bride’s personality. And the biggest excitement for me is the moment when a bride smiles at me and says, ‘It’s exactly what I want!'”

When I shot my video for this website, I had Sofia do my makeup — she did an amazing job.

Sofia puts the finishing touches on a bride before she walks down the aisle

Sofia also loves doing makeup for our brides’ flower girls.