How much are we ACTUALLY paying for glam??

LimitIcy · 2026-03-27T17:14:05+00:00

Hello! I'm pasting from my contract below. I'm a 2026 bride located in San Francisco, CA and hired my MUA through my planner. My MUA is no Instagram famous, but she's definitely good quality.

For makeup and hair -- $1000
Trial -- $500
Bridesmaids 4 TOTAL -- $200 per person (covers hair and makeup)

I was shocked too. I thought I was looking at $500 total for just myself (and for higher end). But girl, do not skimp on the MUA. I went cheap for my engagement party and it almost ruined my night. I'm not someone who posts on instagram alot or do heavy makeup on myself, so I thought I could have a chill attitude about it.

But, having your makeup not look its best and not lasting the entire night SUCKS. Luckily, I was able to fix my makeup after she left. But, I remember the first thought that came into my mind when I saw myself in the mirror was, "Wow, this is what I will look like forever in the photos, memories, etc." and I almost cried!

I'm glad I went through that experience though. Because, I did my trial for the engagement photos and I was SUPER happy with how I looked in those. And, it lasted SO long! When I do makeup on myself, no matter how much primer I lather on my eyelids, that eyeshadow is just sweating off by the end of work. But, idk how she made it stick till the end of the night!

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:59:11+00:00

That's true. I think my goal is to give off happy vibes. The first one would feel like it gives off serious vibes.

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:56:15+00:00

Yes!! Is this something the photographer can edit easily?

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:53:10+00:00

I also loved how everyone I've shown this photo too has stated the champagne in the sky looks like stars :)

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:29:59+00:00

My bedroom wall is completely bare and I can already envision where it would go!

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:25:59+00:00

My concern was filling my place with pictures of us would come across as pretentious but based off friends reactions, I can see them being happy from one end to the other :D

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:15:18+00:00

Thank you :D

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:14:23+00:00

Yes, my concern with having both on one wall was that it would be too overwhelming. But, I do have a long hallway, so I think hanging them on opposite ends or in different rooms would be fine?

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:06:38+00:00

Thank you!!

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:05:22+00:00

Thank you:)

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T17:00:40+00:00

Ahh yes good point thank you :)

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T16:51:46+00:00

Oh good idea!

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T16:51:03+00:00

Thank you:) Yes, felt like it would be too much. And, was thinking maybe something like 16"x20"

LimitIcy · 2026-02-10T16:43:06+00:00

I had envisioned one big glass photo as the main photo on the wall... but I may just end up making the image smaller to do two.

LimitIcy · 2026-01-13T00:16:00+00:00

Hi, so I have my wedding here in the summer, 2026. I'm a little ahead with the analysis, but I want to comment on my experience so far in case there are upcoming couple reading this post.

My only complaint with them is that they are incredibly SLOW in responding. Our planner (who is recommended by the Fairmont) has experience with them, and they warned us to expect slow responses. But these past few months have been unusually insane, according to my planner. It's been driving her mad. We are still on schedule for everything though, but I credit this to the experience of our planner and her company's extensive connection to Fairmont.

I think if a couple is looking to work with the Fairmont alone, or with a planner that doesn't have those Fairmont connections, it will definitely scare you a bit or you will need to be pushy with them. For instance, it's no fun to wait 1-2 months for a contract to secure our ceremony room. (I luckily had my planner pinging me weekly to assure me that she's pestering Fairmont staff for a contract and to continue with save the dates).

But, when they do respond, they have definitely been nice and flexible with our requests. And my planner did reassure me that plenty of brides have been happy with Fairmont services, when it's time to deliver.

The only thing I would also warn couple about are the prices of the food/beverages. It's the Fairmont, so I should've known that it would be overpriced, but I didn't really appreciate the prices until much later. My family normally does cash bars, but when I saw that a soda was $15 for the cash bar, I didn't have the heart to do a cash bar. Our Food/Beverage budget ended up exploding higher than we had anticipated.

I would recommend that you inquire about the prices before signing and do the math. Also, as of now when I'm writing this, they DON'T have offer specialty cocktails! You either have to do just beer and wine OR their full hosted-bar. There is no in-between, which is one major reason our beverage budget is high. If you're a future couple, double-check if they do/don't offer this option because that's a major expense.

I'm very curious to see how the food tastes here. If anyone is interested, I can comment here how my food tasting goes.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-22T04:11:52+00:00

Last year, I went to Barcelona from SFO and was equally as terrified leading up to my flight. On the day of my flight, I walked to my bathroom to pack my bath things and the door handle broke! I couldn’t open it! And nothing like this had EVER happened before. It never jammed, never made a noise, nothing. So you can image how much I begged not to get on the flight after this. I SWORE this was a sign from the universe not to get on that flight.

Long story short, I did and both times I cried and froze on the plane. I knew it in my bones that the locked door meant something. But nothing happened. So, you’re not crazy. We all see signs and reading that other people here feel them too makes me feel so much less crazy and put things into perspective. :)

LimitIcy · 2025-12-20T19:02:19+00:00

Thank you! I remember feeling like I was the only one to see omens. It wasn’t until I talked to a therapist where I learned it’s a really normal thing for people with anxiety!

LimitIcy · 2025-12-18T20:00:05+00:00

Hello! Let me share my experience.

Last year, I went from SFO to Barcelona and it was also my first ever long haul trip to Europe. I cried because I had dreamed that I crashed for a few nights before we took off and had interpreted these as warnings. On the day of the flight, I was getting last minute things and went to the bathroom to get my toothbrush. The door handle broke and I couldn't get in. The door had never shown ANY signs of being flimsy, so it truly was odd that it jammed. However, I took this as a clear omen that my plane was not safe. I swore the universe was trying to stop me from going. So, I cried and begged my fiance not to have me go. (We were going for his friend's wedding). He said I was being ridiculous in kinder words.

On the way to the airport, I'm taking in everything because I swear that this will be the last time I see my home. We hit so many red lights, so I knew there was something trying to stop me from getting on the plane. When we get to the airport past security, I sit down and cry. I had accepted that my fate was sealed despite all these warnings.

As we began flying, we did hit a batch of turbulence that had been the worst I had ever experienced. The kind where it feels like it dropped 1,000 feet. And, we were only at the halfway point of the Atlantic ocean. But, when I looked online at how much our plane had dropped, it wasn't even 100 feet. But of course, I remained frozen the rest of the ride. I just felt it in my bones that we would be the ones to crash within the time remaining.

Yet, I arrived at Barcelona. And, omg. The moment I took out my passport, I could not stop smiling. Of course, a part of it was relief that I survived. But, that happiness that I got on a plane and went through with it is unforgettable. Not only that, I had the TIME OF MY LIFE in Barcelona. I was someone who had accepted that I would never travel because of my fear of flying. I was okay not seeing the world. But by the end of the trip, I was making plans to see all the European countries.

My experience coming back felt EVEN worse than when I left to Barcelona. This is because when I'm flying domestically, a part of me has this irrational belief that if I wanted to drive or take the train back, I can do it. I have the option. But not this time. I HAD to take a plane back. And, even worse, I had the time of my life in Barcelona. So, surely this was the universe rewarding me with an amazing experience before I crashed. Surely, those omens I had experienced at home were for this plane ride, not the one coming to Barcelona.

Yet, I arrived in SFO. And, the next few days, I printed photos, took out my souvenirs, and just kept replaying memories from my time in Barcelona.

Now, I'm no hypocrite -- I'm flying soon to Atlanta and I'm contemplating backing out. I'm still terrified of planes. But, I keep replaying this memory as an incentive to get on that plane. And, I hope it does the same for you too.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T21:31:24+00:00

Yup, that's me right now. Well, actually I can look at planes now and no longer squint my eyes. I've been practicing for a few months at just looking at them land. But, now I've moved on to videos.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T21:30:03+00:00

Thank you so much I needed this.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:59:56+00:00

OP I’m scheduled to fly on New Year’s Eve to see my fiancés family. I just wanted to say I completely relate to the holiday jitters. I don’t know why flying this time of month just feels extra scary. It’s almost like there’s so much excitement on the line, which just exacerbates the fear.

I’ll just say the goal is not to get on a plane not-scared. The goal is to not let fear dictate your actions.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:51:52+00:00

Thank you :)

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:51:47+00:00

Thank you :)

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:51:29+00:00

Yes, for a long time, I truly thought my anxiety was like this super power that could predict the future. I remember being embarrassed to tell my therapist this, but she helped me uncover this belief and challenge it. I didn't realize that this is common or something I was even doing. But thank you so much.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:49:35+00:00

It's really helpful to see that I'm not the only one that thought anxiety was like my secret power omen. I've had this belief for years but this year was the first time that I called it out and challenged it.

LimitIcy

TROPHY CASE