Featured in Our Wedding & Prom Hairstyles Section:
Best Bridal Hairstyles for Outdoor Weddings
Wedding Hair Tips
Avoid Wedding Hair Mistakes
Preparing Your Hair for the Big Day
Beautiful Wedding Hair Timeline
The Best Wedding Hairstyles for Any Length
The Best Celebrity Hairstyles for Your Big Day
About Bridal Hairstyles
Wedding hairstyles worn by the Bride or bridesmaids require careful thought and planning beforehand to create the perfect look that will complement each individual.
Several important factors need to be considered when choosing any bridal hairstyle. These include the design of the bride’s gown, or the dresses worn by the bridesmaids, along with face shape and body shape.
Your bridal hairstyle needs to complement your wedding dress, veil or headpiece, and at the same time still reflect your personality, and flatter you.
If the Bride or bridesmaids are wearing dresses that are strapless, off-shoulder, or have very thin shoulder straps, consider choosing bridal hairstyles that let some of the hair fall onto the shoulders. Hair that’s worn down around a bare neck and shoulders can be styled with lots of bounce and body, or just trailing in soft wisps. The desired effect is so that the neck and shoulders are not left completely bare.
Up-do’s are still one of the most popular bridal hairstyles worn by the Bride and her bridesmaids. This season, a touchable, textured look is big, and this style can easily be created even with shoulder length hair.
If your gown has sleeves or a collar, up styles will show off these details the best. Again, consider a half-up, half-down look or textured contemporary up-do style.
Another rule of thumb for bridal hairstyles is that if your gown is simple and plain in design, then choose a more detailed bridal hairstyle to balance the overall look. And of course the opposite works best if your dress is more elaborate, with a simple hairstyle to achieve a balanced look.
Face shape and body shape also need to be taken into consideration when choosing a bridal hairstyle. Height and weight can be visually adjusted with hairstyle. For example, if you’re slim and tall, avoid tight, high up styles which will just add more length to your profile, instead choose a style with curls that add visual width and softness by their round shape.
While the length and texture of hair used to more or less determine the type of hairstyle that could actually be achieved, Brides today have far more options for styling their hair, thanks to the latest tools of the trade. For example, if your hair is too short or fine, extensions are an option. Modern styling products can easily defy gravity with more loft and fullness, or smooth and control frizzy, flyaway tresses.
Hairstyles that work best with the length of your neck, the size of your ears, or the height of your hairline are best visualized through the use of tools such as the one featured below. Now you can actually see for yourself what you would look like with various formal and bridal hairstyles before you ever visit your stylist!