Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Schmidt.
Hi Kristen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I graduated from The Salon Professional Academy in St. Charles 15 years ago. I knew in high school that I wanted to be a hairstylist and was lucky enough to have a co-op program during my senior year at a salon. That made my dream, of wanting to become a stylist grow even bigger. Once I completed cosmetology school, I worked for a few salons at the beginning of my career, then about 9 years ago decided to go out on my own. I opened Meraki Studio 5 years ago, and Meraki Brides blossomed from that! Meraki Brides has grown leaps and bounds in the past 5 years, and I couldn’t be more grateful. We are on The Knots “hall of fame” and have won The Knots “best of” for 5 years in a row. Meraki Brides also just had our first featured shoot in St. Louis Brides magazine, an accomplishment that we are so proud of! I have 5 other amazing hairstylists and makeup artists on my team with me, and I could not do it without them.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Deciding I wanted to become a hairstylist wasn’t easy. There was such a stigma behind it that it wasn’t a “career”; you wouldn’t make money. I went to college for a year and a half to appease my parents but decided this was my life, and I was doing what I wanted. And I’m so thankful I did that. I can’t imagine doing anything else. Meraki Brides, however, did come easy. I was with a former bridal group that ended up disbanding around the time of me opening Meraki Studio. It was a no-brainer for me to go out independently and create my own bridal group. One of my greatest friends, and biggest supporter in life was on the other bridal team and is now my right hand with Meraki Brides.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Meraki Brides?
Meraki Brides is a traveling group of makeup artists and stylists that travel to brides and their wedding parties on their special day. It is so amazing to be a part of our brides wedding day, and the energy from everyone around them is epic. Our true mission is to make our brides feel their most confident self’s before they walk down the aisle to the love of their life. My team is what sets Meraki Brides apart from other bridal groups. We have all worked together as hairstylists at some point in our careers, so we are all friends! They all have the dedication to the team, and brides and their parties can feel their closeness! We specialize in boho and romantic hairstyles, and our makeup specialty is soft romantic glam. We use airbrush makeup, which is amazing for our hot summers here, and even in the cooler months, it wears all day long. To future brides, let’s chat about your vision for yourself on your day! We are happy to talk with you via email or we can set up a phone call. We hope we can exceed your expectations on your wedding day. Meraki Brides is always looking to expand our team to give more amazing brides the experience they deserve on their wedding day. If you or anyone know may be interested, please reach out via email!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Merakistudio618.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/merakibrides
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/merakibrides
Image Credits
Holly Glatt Photo Chelsea Logan Photography
