Vendor Spotlight | Natasha Rae Artistry

Let me start by saying that every vendor that I have worked with in the wedding industry is beyond amazing. Every single one of them is dedicated to making sure that their brides are taken care of. When I met Natasha, with Natasha Rae Artistry, I knew that the same was true for her. She was able to step in multiple times for us, including our Pretty in Pink Styled Shoot, to style hair. What is unique about Natasha Rae Artistry is that Natasha has trained her associates to reflect her brand. Even her associates are amazing!

Tell us about yourself! 

I’m Natasha Goodlin, and I wear many hats! Wife to a very busy, driven and supportive entrepreneur husband, mom to a really busy 6 month old little boy- Noah, sister to 4 other amazing siblings, daughter of 2 very loving parents who have been married for 37 years and counting, friend, and mentor. Being an entrepreneur myself, let’s just say there’s never a dull moment.

I enjoy visiting with my friends on a patio with a glass of wine or champagne, dining out, and dancing (I LOVE dancing). I can’t dance….but I don’t even care. I was a vocal performance major in college, classically trained, whose heart belonged to musical theatre! These days my new love is just being with my husband and my son…wherever that may be! I enjoy a good puzzle and obsessed with all the holidays! I am patriotic, love the Lord, fairly certain that given a cape and tiara, I could help save the world 😉 

Talk to us about the services that Natasha Rae Artistry provides.

We at Natasha Rae Artistry offer full services of makeup application and hair styling for whatever your occasion may be. Bridal, special event/occasion, family portrait, headshots, you name it… we’re here for you! Along with makeup application and hair styling services, we work with a professional spray tan artist who works with several of our brides and clients, and offer private and/or group beauty lessons or classes. 

Tell us about your business journey.

Do we have the time?! HA! My love for beauty, specifically hair and makeup started in high school, on the stage performing. Friends started asking to do their hair and makeup for school dances, and before I got into bridal, I worked all the local proms! My first wedding was in 2005, so I have been in the bridal industry for 15 years now, although I didn’t fully immerse myself until around 2010/2011. I have worked as a featured and travel artist for Prescriptives, MAC, and locally owned So Lilly Exclusive Cosmetics. My journey has provided me with so many opportunities that I will forever be grateful for, and it’s still not over.

I have been the beauty sponsor to several Mrs. Oklahoma America and United States pageant contestants, Beauty Director for a national pageant, Beauty Director for a fitness team and lead artist for the WBFF’s Worlds Fitness show hosted in Las Vegas. My work has been featured on MTV, Pay Per View, 10th Anniversary cover of Brides of Oklahoma, 4-page spread in Pennsylvania publication of The Knot, featured artist for The Knot, as well as Best Of 2019, featured work in 405 Magazine, MOOD, So6ix, and various submissions for Brink Models. I learned along my way to say yes…just say yes and give it a shot. Especially when you’re starting out, you won’t know until you try, and you won’t grow until you try.

This industry won’t hand you work, you have to earn it, and I can’t tell you how many times I have worked for free JUST to get my name out there. I’m so proud of where I have gotten the road I took to get here. I now have a Bridal Team of 5 talented hair and makeup artists, and a goal for 2020 is grow my team and provide them with even more opportunities and education. I’ve also added the launch of Natasha Rae Cosmetics to my business journey…..see, I told you, never a dull moment! 😉 

What’s the biggest piece of advice you could give a bride?

Hmmm…do you research and have an idea of what’s important to you. Understand that if you like what your photographer has to showcase, the reason they were hired, take into consideration the beauty team behind those images. A photographer can only edit so much, and by us doing our job correctly the first time, allows the photographer to freely do their job! And make sure your beauty pro understands the time it takes to realistically perform services, and has experience in putting a schedule together.

Everyone has different budgets and desires, so a bride having a good idea of what is truly important to her, that’s a great place to start. Ask your venue, photographer, and/or wedding planner for preferred vendors…and trust them! Oh, and at the end of the day….you’re no less married. This is YOUR vision…YOUR wedding, us vendors are just simply here to help you make that vision come to life! 🙂 Together, we create magic! 

What is the benefit of investing in professional hair and make up on a wedding day? 

I understand to some it may seem like a frivolous expense, but to others it’s not. To our brides, it’s their way of knowing their bridal beauty look will come to life the way they have envisioned without any sort of worry….unless it’s tornado season..then we’re all on high alert! Brides hire us to provide them the comfort in knowing we’re going to show up, do our job, and have fun in the process. Our work lasts all day (within reason…we’re not magicians!), and it’s our job to make sure our brides are picture perfect from start to finish. It’s not daily makeup or hair we’ve been asked to do because after all, brides don’t wear daily clothes on their wedding day.

We offer HD airbrush foundation from Natasha Rae Cosmetics, along with other various HD products and techniques to ensure our work lasts. In addition, we come with full hair and makeup kits, chairs, ring lights, power strips, anything we would need to ensure our services are performed professionally and efficiently. We research the venue we will be working at, the photographer in which we will be working with. This gives us more insight on what to expect on wedding day, and the overall style of our bride. Our beauty pros are all licensed and attend continuing education classes and training as our industry and craft is every evolving. 

What sets you apart from other hairstylists and makeup artists? 

Experience. Education. I have spent the better part of 15 years in this industry researching, attending continuing educating classes, and taking on pretty much any wedding or event I could. What I have come to understand is that the little details do matter, and a bride’s experience is EVERYTHING! They are trusting us with literally one of the most personal things, their hair and makeup. We MUST take their likes/dislikes into consideration and combine it with our professional techniques and aesthetic. I tell my girls that it doesn’t matter how we would want to do our own hair and makeup, our job is to make sure THEIR hair and makeup represents who THEY are….only polished and picture perfect 😉 

You can learn more about Natasha Rae Artistry here. Make sure to follow her on Instagram and like on Facebook.