Ohio Wedding Makeup Artist Carly Jo Makeup

Planning a wedding can be such an overwhelming experience, right? I can just imagine having to do a ton of research to find vendors with the experience and personality to blend into your day seamlessly… That sounds like a lot. But thankfully, I’ve had the pleasure to work with a long list of the most talented and personable vendors in the wedding industry, and I love to lend a hand to my couples when putting together an incredible vendor team. I frequently recommend my wedding clients to professionals that I know are going to absolutely kill it and match the vibes. One of my very favorite recommendations when it comes to the category of “Ohio Wedding Makeup Artist” is Carly Jo Makeup.

More about Carly…

Located in Columbus, Ohio, Carly is an artist with one goal in mind: making wedding makeup worry-free. She has a pretty popular Tiktok channel and has even been featured by a variety of blogs, news outlets, and podcasts for expertise. You can also find her serving up wedding makeup tips and glam tutorials on Instagram at @carlyjomakeup and Youtube with her Carly Jo Makeup channel.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with her on more than one occasion during my career – including a 1-on-1 makeup lesson to improve my own glam skills – and I’m always impressed. There’s so many things to love; from her upbeat attitude on early wedding mornings, to her flawless application technique, to her dedication to business transparency. Carly is such an asset to any wedding day.

Here’s some images from an elegant summer wedding I photographed at Jorgensen Farms Oak Grove. Carly glammed up the bride and her wedding party for the day. It was a hot and humid day, but you’d never be able to tell by looking at the bride’s makeup application by the end of the night.

I sat down with Carly earlier this year to chat about all the things that make her great at what she does, hearing about why she’s passionate about weddings and makeup — and we definitely chatted about her pup, Stizzy.

An Interview with my fave Ohio wedding makeup artist: 

Learn a little more about Carly Jo Makeup…

How did you get into weddings?

“I got my foot in the door when I worked in Salons. The salon I worked at wanted to focus on skin care and so I was able to be the main makeup artist for their salon and really get a lot of experience there.“

How long have you been an artist?

“9 years.”

Did you go to school or are you self taught? What are the advantages of the route that you took?

“I went to the Delaware Area Career Center in high school and studied Cosmetology; then I got my license in 2017 and went to a makeup focused school in Chicago in 2019 to get my certification. Cosmetology School doesn’t teach about makeup so I wanted to expand my horizons.”

What area do you normally serve?

“Ohio, but I travel!”

Why do you like being a wedding makeup artist?

“It brings me joy – I meet amazing people. Clients and vendors alike. I get to make people feel like the best version of themselves. It’s such a rewarding job. Being the person that they trust to make them feel the way they want to feel and as confident as possible on their wedding day. It’s so rewarding. Also the energy on wedding days is very upbeat and exciting. It fuels me to be an awesome artist. And if that energy is off, it’s easy for me to shift it since I get to talk to everyone and I’m an extrovert. I love getting to know people and talking to them. When you talk to them about things they love and good things, it can really turn that energy around.”

What is your favorite thing about weddings?

“My favorite thing about weddings is when the energy in the room is up, everyone is so excited and the vibes are great. I feel good and that translates into my work.”

Do you do trials? 

“I require trials – I don’t like to go in blind on wedding days. My clients and I feel more comfortable when we meet before hand and I have an understanding of their needs and expectations and vision before the wedding day.

There are so many pros to having a trial. You get to meet your client, or artist in the client’s case, establish rapport, they get an understanding of what the vision is, get to literally trial it out and make sure it is exactly what they want, they get familiar with their skin and can advise on any changes they should make for prep”

How long does it take for application?

“I allot an hour for the bride and 45 minutes for everyone else.“

Do you suggest looks for your clients or do you prefer inspiration?

“I welcome inspiration. I can also recommend looks if you don’t know what you want.”

Is it just you on wedding days? How many different people’s makeup can you do before you have to add another artist?

“So if there’s under 8 services, it’s just me. A getting ready list of 8-12 requires another artist. But if there’s more than 12 getting ready, I recommend teams in the area because that better serves the client to have a team.”

Anything you wish all clients knew about your job?

“It’s more than just makeup for me. It’s a business too. We have to factor in everything from taxes to product cost when it comes to pricing. We also have lots of other responsibilities and need to factor that in to our processes. There’s a reason behind everything we do.

It’s also more than makeup for you. I’m doing it to enhance your natural beauty and make you feel like a bride while still feeling like yourself. We hold so much influence on confidence on your wedding day as hair and makeup artists, so it’s more than makeup. We want to make you feel your absolute best.”

Do you use airbrush?

“This is a huge debate in the makeup community. I personally don’t use airbrush and I know a lot of artists who use it well. It’s all in the application and how the artist uses it. One doesn’t really have an advantage over the other – it all comes down to the artist and what they are skilled at and preferred. If you aren’t a master in it, it won’t meet the expectation. You won’t get a Kim K look just because you use an airbrush.”

So if you’re planning your wedding and still on the hunt for a wedding makeup artist in Columbus Ohio to round out your vendor team… Make sure you head over to Carly’s website, view the bridal transformation before and afters in her portfolio, and get in touch. 

And if you’re looking for a photographer that has ALL of the vendor recommendations, from talented florists to live wedding painters to planners, you’ve found your girl and here’s my answers to all your burning questions.

Looking for other wedding vendors?

Check out the blog for more recommendations — including my other latest entry about a honeymoon and destination wedding travel agent.