Pin Me Up Chicago

What Pin Me Up Chicago does

Pin Me Up Chicago is a privately-held, bootstrapped on-location hair and makeup services agency founded in 2009 by Dana Fountain and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company operates a collective of 150+ freelance beauty professionals who deliver bridal hair and makeup, wedding party styling, special events and photoshoots, corporate/experiential activations, and kids/tween/adult group parties across three U.S. metros: Chicagoland, Metro Atlanta, and New York City. Service delivery combines in-salon trial appointments at five Chicago partner salons (Peer Beauty, ManeSpace, Beautyhood, LASR LAIR, Betty's Blow Dry) with on-location execution at client venues on event day, supported by structured booking through the company website and a technician coordination portal.

The company monetizes on a per-service, pay-as-you-go basis with transparent public pricing: bridal hair trials and day-of at $150 each, bridal blowouts at $225, wedding party hair at $105 and makeup at $120 (with junior pricing tiers), men's grooming at $105, and hourly artist bookings for extended events. Add-on services include pre-event facials, dermaplaning, and custom spray tans. A 20% gratuity is included on day-of services, a 5% discount applies to parties of nine or more receiving both hair and makeup, and a non-refundable deposit is collected at contract signing with balance due 14 days prior to event. There are no recurring subscriptions or enterprise licensing arrangements; revenue is transactional and event-driven.

Go-to-market is sales-led through an inquiry form on pinmeupchicago.com, supplemented by wedding marketplace listings on The Knot (Best of Weddings Hall of Fame, 11 consecutive years) and Wedding Wire, an Instagram presence (@pinmeupchicago), and earned media across NBC, FOX, WGN, Modern Luxury, Style Me Pretty, Aisle Society, and Chicago Wedding Magazine. Channel partnerships include a preferred-vendor relationship with wedding planner Wedicity, a 10-year nonprofit partnership with the Daisie Foundation, and episodic brand activation contracts with Pantene, Nike, and Vivid Seats at Lollapalooza since 2019. The company has served over 8,000 clients since founding and currently books 850+ weddings per year.

Name

Pin Me Up Chicago

Legal name

PinMeUpChicago

Website

https://pinmeupchicago.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pin Me Up Chicago is a privately-held on-location hair and makeup agency founded in 2009 that delivers bridal, special event, photoshoot, corporate activation, and group party beauty services through a collective of 150+ freelance artists across Chicago, Atlanta, and New York City.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile bridal and event beauty services

NAICS

Beauty Salons (812112)

akta.pro primary industry

Bridal Party & Group Beauty Services (HSALALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bridal Makeup Services (HSALAHAC), Bridal Beauty Packages & Bundles (HSALALAK), Updos & Formal Styling Services (HSALAAAJ)

Keywords

• Bridal hair and makeup
• On-location beauty services
• Wedding hairstyling services
• Event makeup artistry
• Mobile glam services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. On-location Hair and Makeup Services: Per-service pricing for bridal hair, makeup, wedding party services, and event services. Services are booked individually with trial appointments and day-of pricing.
2. Kids Parties and Group Events: Hourly group packages for kids events including hairstyling, makeup, and themed entertainment.
3. Corporate and Experiential Activations: Pop-up hair and makeup activations for brand events, conferences, and corporate functions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pin Me Up Chicago provides on-location and in-salon hair and makeup services for weddings, special events, photoshoots, corporate/experiential activations, and kids parties. A collective of 150+ trained niche-focused artists delivers bridal packages, wedding party styling, men's grooming, pre-event skin treatments, and party glam services across Chicago, Atlanta, and New York City.

Product overview

Pin Me Up Chicago is an on-location beauty services company offering a unified portfolio of hair and makeup services across weddings, special events, photoshoots, corporate events, and kids parties. The company operates with three core service lines: Bridal Hair and Makeup (including trials and day-of services for brides and wedding parties), Special Events and Photoshoots (covering headshots, galas, corporate activations, and media appearances), and Group Parties (spanning Mini Glow-Up parties for kids, Tween & Teen Glam Parties, and adult celebrations). Supporting these are add-on services including spray tans, facials, dermaplaning, men's grooming, and hot towel shaves. Services are provided by a collective of 150+ niche-focused hair and makeup professionals operating in Chicago, Atlanta, and New York, with both in-salon and on-location delivery options. The company does not have a technology platform or software product—services are delivered entirely through human artistry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bridal Hair Services On-location bridal hairstyling including in-salon trial appointment and day-of glam for the bride. Trial and day-of priced at $150 each.
• Bridal Hair Blowout Premium bridal blowout service with customized trial appointment and seamless day-of on-location styling. Trial $225 and day-of $225.
• Bridal Makeup Services On-location bridal makeup application with strip lashes included, offering daytime natural glam and evening showstopping options using traditional and airbrush techniques.
• Wedding Party and Attendee Hair Services Wedding day hairstyles for bridal party and attendees including updos, braids, and down styles. $105 per person for adults; $85 for junior bridesmaids ages 7-12; $55 for flower girls ages 1-6.
• Wedding Party and Attendee Makeup Services Subtle glam makeup with natural strip lashes for bridesmaids, mothers, junior bridesmaids and guests. $120 per adult; $85 for juniors age 12 and under.
• Groom and Groomsmen Grooming Services Men's grooming services including hairstyling, man-bun taming, and hot towel straight razor shave offered in-salon or on-location at $105.
• Photoshoot-Ready Hair and Makeup Package Professional hairstyling and daytime makeup for photoshoots, providing camera-ready looks with one-on-one glam time for headshots, editorial, and media appearances.
• Special Occasion Hairstyle and Makeup Event-day hairstyling (updos, half-up, braids, luxury blowouts) and fresh-faced makeup with natural strip lashes, available in traditional or airbrush foundation options for special occasions and galas.
• Experiential and Corporate Events Services On-location hair and makeup for corporate events, award ceremonies, VIP events, conferences, red carpet affairs, product launches, and brand activations. Includes pop-up hair and makeup activations with a team of 100+ artists; includes Lollapalooza partnerships with Pantene, Vivid Seats, and Nike.
• Mini Glow-Up Party Sparkly makeover party for ages 4+ featuring gentle, age-appropriate beauty services including braids, curls, buns, sparkle clips, hair tinsel, hypoallergenic makeup, themed setups (princess, fairy, mermaid), with optional mini-manis, face gems, and glitter tattoos.
• Tween & Teen Glam Party Confidence-building beauty experience for ages 8-16 including makeup lessons, skincare tips, and trending hair/makeup looks. Party themes include Spa Party (skincare routines), Learn-How Party (hairstyling lessons), and Get Ready Party (full glam for events).
• Let's Go Girls Adult Glam Party Adult party services (21+) for bachelorette parties, milestone birthdays, girls nights, concerts, galas, and VIP outings, including coordinated glam with custom looks based on theme and optional guided beauty lessons.
• Artist by the Hour Hourly artist booking for extended on-location services, providing a dedicated diverse team of beauty professionals for events requiring flexible duration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ satisfied clients served
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PanteneminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Brand activation partnership at Lollapalooza festival since 2019. Pin Me Up artists provided festival-goers with braids, glitter, and accessories.
• Vivid SeatsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Brand activation partnership at Lollapalooza festival since 2019. Festival look services for attendees.
• NikeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Brand activation partnership at Lollapalooza festival since 2019. Festival styling services.
• Daisie FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner10-year partnership providing Mother's Day Makeover events. Pin Me Up Chicago offers beauty services to non-profit organization, bringing expertise directly to foundation events. Supports the foundation's mission of honoring mothers and mother figures.
• WedicitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChicago-based wedding planning company that lists Pin Me Up as preferred hair and makeup team. Regularly refers clients to Pin Me Up services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Blo Blow Dry Bar: Blo Blow Dry Bar operates a North American franchise of blow dry and styling bars, offering both in-salon services and on-location event styling that overlaps with Pin Me Up's event hair services.
• Sephora (Beauty Services): Sephora offers in-store beauty services (brows, mini facials, custom makeup) and competes for share-of-wallet in personal care events, though it does not specialize in bridal on-location services like Pin Me Up.
• Drybar: Drybar is a national blowout and styling chain offering in-salon hair services and on-location event styling; while not bridal-specialized, it competes for the same stylist pool and event-styling budgets.

Direct peers

• BeGlammed: BeGlammed is an on-demand mobile hair and makeup platform serving weddings, special events, and corporate clients with a freelance artist collective, directly comparable to Pin Me Up's staffing and delivery model.
• Glamsquad: Glamsquad provides on-location hair and makeup services delivered by freelance artists to clients' homes, hotels, or venues, closely mirroring Pin Me Up Chicago's mobile beauty agency model across weddings, events, and corporate.
• Priv Beauty: Priv (formerly Priv Beauty) operated as a mobile, app-based hair and makeup service booking brides and events with freelance stylists, sharing Pin Me Up's on-location, artist-collective approach in the bridal and events category.

Others

• WeddingWire: WeddingWire is a wedding vendor marketplace and review platform that drives a meaningful share of Pin Me Up's inbound bookings and shapes competitive discovery for bridal beauty services.
• The Knot Worldwide: The Knot is a wedding planning marketplace and media platform where Pin Me Up Chicago is listed as a vendor; it is an indirect ecosystem player that influences lead generation and pricing benchmarks for the agency.

Regional players

• Brides by Young: Brides by Young is a Chicago-based bridal hair and makeup agency with a collective of artists serving weddings and special events, directly competing with Pin Me Up in the core Chicagoland market.

Emerging players

• Styled by Alexandria: Styled by Alexandria is a bridal hair and makeup brand serving weddings and events with on-location services, offering a comparable boutique-style artist offering to Pin Me Up's bridal-focused service line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pinmeupchicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/pinmeupchicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pin-me-up-chicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pin Me Up Chicago