With so many wedding hair ideas out there to inspire you for your big day, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed! We’ve put together 14 tips on how to choose the right style for you.
1. Your hair type.
Whether your hair is naturally straight or has a curl, some styles will work better than others, will be easier to recreate, and will hold better. Picking a wedding hair idea that works with your natural hair type means less of a battle to get the end result you’re hoping for!
2. Same old same or something different.
Is your Pinterest board filled with styles that look like how you usually wear your hair, or are you feeling inspired to try something different? Make sure the wedding hair ideas you’re considering are ones that you will feel comfortable with on the day, and that won’t make you cringe when you look back at your photos in 20 years! Decide if you want to go for something different to your normal style or similar, and use that as a base when searching for wedding hair ideas.
3. Accessories
The options for wedding hair accessories are endless. Throw the option to wear a veil into the mix, and people might not even notice your actual hair! Do you want to spend your day making sure those gorgeous bespoke clips you hunted high and low for are still in place, or do you prefer the more classic look with a simple tiara? Considering the type and style of the accessories you’re picturing yourself wearing will impact the wedding hair ideas that will work for you.
4. The season / weather / location.
Getting married on a windy cliff top in the Highlands likely requires a different hairstyle than a hot and sweaty day in Edinburgh. Think about whether you’ll be too hot with your hair down, or if you’ll end up looking unkempt rather than carefully styled, and choose a hairstyle that works for the occasion.
5. The venue and style or theme.
As well as considering the location and weather, the theme, venue and aesthetics of your wedding are just as important. If you’re going all out with a carefully planned, cohesive theme, and lots of attention to detail, researching wedding hair ideas that fit with the theme is a great place to start.
6. Your dress.
It’s likely you spent a long time thinking about your dress. You may have tried many (hundreds!) before finding The Dress. So it’s important to consider the style, shape and neckline of your dress when choosing a wedding hairstyle. Your hair should complement, not compete with, your dress. You don’t want to have all that beautiful detail on the neckline covered up by long flowing curls. Equally, a strapless dress may require tumbling waves to break things up. Don’t forget to factor in any jackets or stoles you might be wearing too!
7. The Big Day Itself.
Thinking about your plan and schedule for the day will help narrow down the vast array of wedding hair ideas out there! Your day might include wild activities, a windy photo shoot, riding a horse to your reception – the possibilities are endless! And the last thing you want is to have spent hours in the hairdresser’s chair, only for that pesky riding helmet to squash your style!
8. How long does it take?
Maybe you’re dreaming of having a few hours to yourself getting your hair styled, or maybe you know that you’ll be too busy worrying about all those last minute things that need doing. Choosing a wedding hairstyle that works with your timeline means you won’t be wriggling around in the chair desperately hoping the hairdresser is nearly done so you can get on!
9. Professional or DIY.
If you’re anything like me, you like to think you can create those Pinterest styles yourself, but when it comes to it, your hair looks more bird’s nest than styled. If you’re looking at wedding hair ideas that need to be created by a professional, do you have money in the budget and time on the day for that to happen?
10. Timeline.
We all want what we don’t have – it’s human nature! But choosing a hairstyle for long hair when you’ve only got 3 weeks to grow out your Pixie cut isn’t going to work (unless your hairdresser can work their magic with extensions!) Being realistic about your hair and the time you have between now and your big day will help eliminate wedding hair ideas that aren’t right for you.
11. People’s Opinions.
Some brides-to-be like to keep details to themselves, others choose to get opinions from the people around them when making big decisions. Creating an inspiration board filled with wedding hair ideas not only means you have everything in one place, but you can also share your ideas with friends and family to see what they think.
12. Up or Down?
One of the first decisions to make when looking for wedding hair ideas is whether you want to wear your hair up, down or half up and half down!
13. Do I need a wedding hair trial?
Whether you’re DIYing your hairstyle or having a professional create it for you, consider whether you’ll need a trial run, and how that fits in with your plans and schedule leading up to your wedding. If you opt for a professional, take a photo of your dress, as well as any wedding hair ideas you’re considering. It’s also a good idea to take your veil and accessories with you, so you can put everything together and then wear it for the rest of the day to ensure it’s comfortable and lasts. Also be open to the possibility that the style you’re hoping for might not be the one you end up with.
14. Bridesmaids
Knowing what their hair will look like, and whether they’ll do it themselves or have a professional style their hair, will help narrow down your wedding hair ideas. Would you like your hairstyle to match or compliment your bridesmaids’ hair, or do you want yours to contrast with their style?
So although there are endless wedding hair ideas out there for you to choose from, we hope these tips will help narrow them down to find the perfect look for you. We’d love to know what style you went for – let us know in the comments!
