Prices, timing and a skin plan that suits Chennai.
Peak: Muhurat-driven, with heavy months from November to February and April to June. Quiet: Aadi month, usually mid-July to mid-August, when weddings stop almost entirely.
Tamil Brahmin and non-Brahmin families with nichayathartham, kasi yatra and muhurtham, plus Telugu and Malayali families.
Hot and very humid, nearly all year. This is the hardest city in India for makeup to survive.
Hard and often saline, especially in summer when tankers supply the city.
A Tamil muhurtham is usually between 5 am and 8 am, in a hall with harsh tube light. Heavy base looks grey in that light. Insist the trial happens in the same light, in the morning.
Kalyana mandapams in Mylapore and T Nagar, and hotels on the ECR belt.
Bride's own makeup and hair on the wedding day: about Rs 12000 to Rs 65000. Family or party makeup: about Rs 3500 to Rs 12000. A full pre-bridal package: about Rs 5500 to Rs 24000. These are ranges people actually pay, not quotes.