Bride Goes Viral for Wedding Glam Gone Wrong. 'When I Saw the Look I Was Horrified' (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Alexandra Geahlen went viral after sharing the inspo photo for her wedding makeup, and the "horrible" look she got instead

• "I called my mom and sister, fiance at the time, and best friend. Everyone was in shock at how horrible the trial was," she adds

• Geahlen revealed that the incident happened in 2021, about one year before her actual nuptials and she was able to find another makeup artist before the big day

Bride Alexandra Geahlen couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the results of her trial wedding glam.

Geahlen shared a TikTok on Dec. 12, 2025, showing off the before-and-after makeup look that has since gone viral, garnering nearly 750,000 views and 30,000 comments.

She kicked off the TikTok with a photo of her before the makeup with the words, "when someone talks about bad bridal trial makeup like idk ball…" She then shared the inspo picture that she had given the makeup artist, which featured a smokey-eye, and glowy foundation.

Then, in her last slide, Geahlen shared a photo of the glam she actually got. A far cry from the glam she was going for.

Geahlen noted in the caption that the incident happened in 2021, but she still thinks about it "regularly." She shared the details of how the look unfolded with PEOPLE, explaining that she had opted to do a makeup trial for her wedding at the same place where she was getting her hair done at the time.

"I loved my haircuts, so I thought the makeup artist would do a similarly good job," she told PEOPLE. "In hindsight, judging how well a makeup artist would do makeup based on my experience with my hairdresser wasn't the brightest, but I trusted them so much with my hair, I really just figured they would have equally adept people hired for makeup."

When she showed the makeup artist the photo of the look she wanted, they "seemed completely confident" they could do it and asked her the "appropriate follow-up questions," including if she wanted fake eyelashes too. "I also reiterated that I wanted a full coverage, glam look for my wedding to match the vibe and style I thought my wedding dress had," she says.

Geahlen explains that the makeup artist turned her chair around as she was applying, so she wasn't able to see how the look was unfolding. "I really thought everything was okay until she handed me the mirror," she says. "When I saw the look I obviously was horrified."

"But I am a people pleaser, and lived and worked in the same small town as the salon. I was nervous to express my displeasure and be judged for it, so I didn't say anything negative, thanked her, and left."

She notes that she had been so "shocked" by the look, she didn't know what to do or say next. She recalls, "Once I left the salon, I was half crying at how bad it looked because I was afraid someone would see me walking to my car or driving home, but mostly laughing at the situation because it really was awful."

"I called my mom and sister, fiance at the time, and best friend. I think I SnapChatted every person on my friends list, too. Everyone was in shock at how horrible the trial was," she adds.

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Geahlen notes. that she did pay for the service, but luckily, it was only a trial, and happened about a year before her wedding. In the months following the trial, she was able to find another makeup artist, Lauren Updike from Soto Salon in Perrysburg, Ohio, who created the "flawless" look she wanted for her big day on July 9, 2022.

Geahlen tells PEOPLE that she was glad she got to share her makeup trial horror story and that it resonated with so many people online. 

Several commenters shared their own horrible trial wedding makeup looks and agreed that the makeup did not live up to the expectations. One person wrote, "[the makeup artist] was like "no eyeliner for you" 😂." Another said, "As a bridal makeup artist the lack of blending is sending me 🥴."

"I definitely did not expect the TikTok to go viral! I like making TikToks as a working mom to a toddler for fun, and this post was just a little silly one I made in ten seconds one day," she says.

"I wasn't expecting it to get so much traction, but I loved how it gave other brides the opportunity to commiserate in the comment section. So many brides have had similar experiences. Some of their bad trial photos made me giggle, just like I hope mine did to others!"

Read the original article on People