Wedding Hair Styles

Choosing the right wedding hair style to complement both your face and your dress is more important than you may realise. That's why we got together with Clare Ferguson, senior hairstylist at one of leading hairdressing companies to bring you our Wedding Hairstyle Guide. Here you can learn about the six main styles you could consider for your big day.

Short Hair

Keira Knightly and Natalie Portman will testify that short hair can be made to look great. For weddings, short hair styles look best if they are dressed up a little with gems or flowers. Or, if you happen to be getting married during the winter season, berries will provide a complementary and seasonal look.

Hair Down (long)

When wearing your hair down you need to take into account several things. If your dress has sleeves or has a high neck, it will look better if you have your hair up. This is because the combination of a high neck and hair down will make the face look smothered and the hair will also not sit right against the material of the dress. Also, if you have a heavy fringe then you will have the same problem. A side fringe would therefore look better. Hair down works best with Corset dresses and can look great over exposed collarbones.

Half Hair Up

Having your hair half up is a good option if you are undecided between having your hair up and wearing it down. Half hair up will give you a soft natural look that will work with fringes and most face shapes. Again, make sure that the dress is not too high at the back so the hair sits nice and soft.

If you want to wear your hair straight but want something a little different you could go for a herringbone braid. This will prevent your hair from looking too flat. If you are thinking of having it wavy it will work better if you have a little height through the top, although it may not work as well for faces that are slightly longer.

Loose Hair Up

Having your hair up loose suits most face shapes. However, if you feel you have a jaw line that's more square, then this style will be particularly effective - it leaves some hair around your face, which makes it look softer. A side fringe will also help to produce this effect.

Bun Hair Up

This hair up is a neat, slick style that works well with side fringes. However, it doesn't work as well with thicker fuller fringes as it emphasises the face shape - for example, making round faces look rounder and square faces appear squarer.

If however, you are thinking of having a bun hair up and have a fringe, then a loose version would work better, such as having some pieces falling down around the face or having the bun not so neat.

Twisted Hair Up

This hair up is a good style if you want something different but also classy. This will work with soft fringes and side fringes. It will also look good if you have a bit of body through the top, unless you feel you have a long face, in which case a flatter look will be better.