Vancouver grad season runs from late May through the end of June, with most ceremonies and grads happening on weekends across those six weeks. If you want to get your hair and makeup done at a salon, the honest answer is that you should book at least four to six weeks in advance, and eight weeks is not too early for popular Saturday dates.
Why It Fills Up Faster Than You Expect
Grad season overlaps with wedding season in Vancouver. The same weekends that are busy with grad ceremonies are often busy with wedding parties, which means salons are running close to full capacity on Saturday and Sunday afternoons throughout June. It is not unusual for a Friday evening or Saturday morning appointment in late June to book out weeks ahead.
The schools that tend to graduate in the same weeks also cluster appointments. If your school's ceremony is the last Saturday of June, there are likely dozens of other students from your grad class looking for appointments in that same narrow window.
What to Book and When
If you have a specific date, book as soon as you know it. Do not wait until April or May to start looking for June appointments. Stylists and makeup artists take deposits and fill their books in order of booking. First come, first served is a genuine factor here, not a sales line.
If you are flexible on the date, call or book online in March or early April and ask about availability across the weekends in your window. You may find that a Friday evening appointment is easier to get than Saturday afternoon and works just as well for your schedule.
Hair and Makeup at the Same Place
Booking both at the same location simplifies the morning significantly. At our downtown Vancouver location, we handle both hair and makeup in one appointment, which means no coordinating between two different salons, no transit between stops, and a single schedule to manage. For grad, where the morning is already busy and the timeline is tight, having everything in one place makes a real difference.
A Note on Trials
Grad is not a wedding, and most grads do not do a formal trial. But if you have a specific look in mind that you have never had done before, especially for makeup, doing a test run a few weeks before is worthwhile. It takes one variable out of an already busy day and means you are not hoping for the best when the photos are happening.
We are open to grads at both our West Vancouver and downtown Vancouver locations. If you are not sure which location works better for your day, give us a call and we can help you figure it out.
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Visit us at either of our Vancouver locations. Book online or give us a call.
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