I cannot recommend Kat Laskey and Absolutely Beautiful highly enough.
I really struggled to find someone I was excited about based on portfolios/websites, since the end product is so dependent on a bride's personal taste - I felt like I just ...kept seeing lots of polished curls and sleek updos everywhere I looked (which are beautiful! just not exactly what I envisioned for myself) and wasn't sure if I would be able to find someone who could make me look like a gorg, upgraded version of myself vs. just a generic beautiful bride.
As soon as I started working with Kat, all those fears totally melted away. At our trial and on the day of, she worked with me to create (and then execute) the perfect look. She was honest with me, pushing back gently when I was headed the wrong direction (for example, my initial inspiration photos were hyper glowy & highlighter-heavy and she explained that, without editorial lighting like all the models I was looking at were using, I would just end up photographing kinda greasy), but still honoring the spirit of what I wanted. I used Glamsquad for my rehearsal dinner the day before, and while those ladies did a great job, it was night and day between your average makeup/hair artist and the magic Kat worked. My makeup looked stunning, yet still totally like myself. And my HAIR you guys, my hair. It was this beautiful, boho look with beachy waves, braids and a fishtail - the type of thing you've seen and drooled over on the internet, but never in real-life.
I was beyond thrilled with how Kat made me look, but almost better was how she worked with my mom - my mom (in her mid-60s) almost never wears makeup, and has never had her makeup done professionally in her life. She looked unbelievable that day. Kat kept it a little lighter so my mom would be comfortable, but it still looked glam and beautiful. I think my mom spent more time talking about Kat that day than she did about me - and she was right to!
Not only did Kat make us all look amazing, but she was also an incredible presence. Personality-wise, she is a perfect blend of super easygoing yet still a total perfectionist. I am super high-strung, and I was unbelievably nervous the morning of the wedding. Kat could clearly sense it, and began telling stories and asking questions, and just picking up the mood and calming me down in general. Wayyyy outside of the job description, but absolutely set the tone for the rest of the day - by the time she was done, I was actually looking forward to getting up there and having everyone's eyes on me!
P.S. Kat does every wedding herself, and brings additional teammates as needed, so don't worry about going with Absolutely Beautiful based on the reviews for Kat and getting stuck with the b-team!