If you're planning a morning wedding, your makeup look should appear soft and pretty to match the cool, soft morning light. Mornings are perfect for the natural girl, because it's the time of day when a bride should wear the least amount of makeup. If you are getting married inside, the photographer will be taking advantage of the natural light coming through windows rather than a lot of artificial light for the photographs.

Though a matte foundation is always perfect for photographs, a morning bride can choose to wear a foundation with a slight sheen or dewiness to it, because the light is so soft. Make sure that your skin is a nice, even tone.

If your skin tends to break out, I would not choose this time of day for your wedding, because you are going to want to wear as little foundation and concealer as possible due to the softer natural light.

Go light on the powder so your face retains its natural appearance. You want your skin to appear matte, but it does not take a lot of power to achieve this. Heavy powder can appear artificial, especially in the morning light.

Do not make bold eyeshadow color choices for your eyes if you are having a morning wedding. Choose warmer, soft shades that complement your eye color. This is the one time you will want to wear less eyeshadow because the lighting will accentuate any harsh colors or lack of blending. Make sure to definite your eyes really well at the lashline to help them stand out.

If you choose to wear eyeliner, make sure to keep it subtle and soft. You do not want anything too dark (no black) or too harsh (not too thick--keep it really close to the lashline) at this time of day.

Lip color should always be soft and natural -- nothing too bold at this time of day. If it is too bold, it will be all you see in the photos.

Everything will photograph darker than it appears to the eye, because the light is so soft, so go with the softer shade choices.

Bridesmaids' dresses should be in a soft color, and bridesmaids should also wear softer makeup shades.

Midday Bride

If you're planning a wedding in the middle of the day, be aware that the midday sun can cast shadows on your ace, which can make a difference if you're taking outdoor photos. This is the harshest light to be photographed in. Since natural light is directly above you at this time, you'll want to follow these tips to make sure you are "picture perfect"

Do not wear foundation with a sheen or dewiness to it. If there is any sheen to the face, it will look too shiny and reflective in the photographs. This is a time when you will want to wear the least amount of foundation possible, because it will show the most. A lightweight foundation and a matte powder finish will photograph beautifully.

Make sure your blush has a more matte finish, too. If it has too much shimmer, it will look too shiny in the photos.

A creme blush is a great choice for this time of day. It will absorb into your skin and look more natural. Keep in mind that cremeblush does not well on oily skin -- stick with a powder blush if you fall into this category.

Due to the midday lighting, if your eye makeup is too dark, your eyes will look like two dark holes in your photographs. Your highlight shade is the most important shadow choice at this time of day. Use a highlight with shimmer (not frost) to open up the eyes. The light-reflective participles in the shimmer will help prevent the "black hole effect." Make sure that your midtone and/or contour shade has a matte finish -- you never want to use three shades with shimmer, because the eye will look too shiny in the photographs.

If you want to wear eyeliner, keep it as close to the lashline as possible. If it is too thick, it could darken the lid more then you want, creating the dreaded "black hole effect"

Long beautiful lashes really help define your eyes without depending on heavy eyeliner.

Since the sunlight grows stronger as midday approaches, every makeup line becomes more visible. Make sure to blend your foundation, blush, eyeshadow, and powder very well. At this time of day, there is no such thing as over blending.

Late-afternoon bride and evening bride ...

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