“I built Simply Elegant Bridal Beauty on something simple: the belief that how a bride feels on her wedding morning matters just as much as how she looks.”
Jessica St John
Founder/ Creative Director / Lead Make up Artist
I have spent over a decade doing work I love. Standing beside brides on the most important morning of their lives, building a team I am endlessly proud of, and growing a brand that has become one of the most recognized in the Hudson Valley. The Knot Hall of Fame. Best of Weddings. Those recognitions mean something to me, not because of what they say about my resume, but because of what they say about the standard we have held, year after year, without exception.
I am a licensed Esthetician, Makeup Artist, and Reiki Master. I specialize in regenerative skincare and I have a deep, genuine obsession with beauty longevity. The kind that goes far beneath the surface. Biohacking, cellular health, sauna rituals, skin refinement, the intersection of science and intention. I believe beauty is not just something you apply. It is something you cultivate, protect, and come home to. That philosophy lives in everything Simply Elegant does.
I started this brand because I saw what bridal beauty could be when it was done with real care. Not just technically. Energetically. The presence an artist carries into a room on a wedding morning matters. The calm they bring, the warmth they hold, the intention behind every brushstroke. I built Simply Elegant Bridal Beauty around that belief, and I have spent years finding the artists who share it.
What I have built is bigger than me now, and that is exactly the point. This brand belongs to every artist who shows up with heart, and every bride who trusts us with her day. I am just proud to be the one who started it.
“Over a decade in, and I still believe the most important thing we bring into a bridal suite isn’t a kit. It’s presence”
MORE ABOUT JESSICA
When I’m not working I may be found…
Curled up with my Siberian husky Sierra, who is, without question, my absolute best fur baby. Spending slow mornings with my husband and the people I love most. Making memories with my girlfriends — the kind that remind you why connection is everything.
Dancing. Always dancing. With friends, with my husband, or completely by myself. Dancing is my therapy. There is stillness in movement, and I believe that with my whole heart.
Exploring new places, practicing yoga, eating my way through the Hudson Valley like the proud foodie I am, and soaking up every bit of this beautiful corner of New York I get to call home.
And then there is the other side of me that my clients love to discover. I am a licensed Reiki Master, and I specialize in regenerative skincare. Beauty longevity, biohacking, sauna rituals, cellular health — this is not just a professional interest, it is a full obsession. I am endlessly fascinated by what it means to refine, restore, and care for the skin and body at every level. The science, the ritual, the intention behind it all. To me, beauty has always been bigger than what you see in the mirror, and that belief shapes everything I do.
The Simply Elegant Team Standard
Every artist on this team was chosen for three things: heart, reliability, and the commitment to always do their best. Everything else follows from that.
We are independent artists unified by something bigger than any one of us. A shared belief that this work is sacred, and the people we serve deserve nothing less than our very best.
I built this team the way I wish I'd been invited in, with honesty, warmth, and a genuine belief in what we're creating together.
The Simply Elegant Bridal Senior Artist
Founder / Lead Makeup Artist Jessica St John
Ivy D
Senior Bridal Stylist 
America B
Senior Makeup Artist 
Bridal Hair Artist Hi! I’m Leanna, a hairstylist for 8 years. I work behind the chair in salon and on location weddings. I love bridal hair and the environment it brings. It is a nice change from salon life which I love as well. I enjoy the excitement and fun behind wedding mornings and of course the amount of extra glam that goes into it. I have always been artistic and passionate about my craft it is not just a job for me it is something that’s always been in me since I was a kid. The beauty industry has always grabbed my attention and now it is how I feed my artistic side with juggling family life and my career. I’m a mom and a wife but still an artist and the peace that creating beautiful styles brings me I try to bring to every event and every person who I have the pleasure of working on!
Leanna R
“When we walk into your getting-ready space, we bring calm with us. That’s intentional. That’s the Simply Elegant way.”
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TIMELESS & ROMANTIC BRIDAL Beauty
