Being asked to be a bridesmaid in your friend or family member's wedding is a special honor. Your role as a bridesmaid is to support the bride on her big day, but it's also a special day for you as well and you want to look your best.
Below are our five tips for choosing the perfect bridesmaid hairstyle:
TIP 1- Determine the Bride's Wishes
As a bridesmaid, your job is first and foremost to support the bride, and this includes making sure that all of her wishes and desires are fulfilled. When deciding what hairstyle you will wear on the wedding day, check with the bride and see if she has any ideas or requirements for your hairstyle. The bride may want everyone to wear a particular style which may not be your first choice, but the right stylist will be able to guide you to choose a style (whether all up, half up or all down) that will flatter your face and make you feel beautiful.
Tip 2 - Consider Your Dress Design
If the bride gives you the green light to choose your own hairstyle, one of the first considerations should be your dress style and neckline. While there are no "rules", a general guideline is that the more formal the dress, the more formal the hairstyle should be. You want to make sure that your look flows and that you create a consistent aesthetic from head to toe. As far as your dress style, an updo is the perfect choice to show off a neckline that is high or detailed, while an all down or half up style will flow naturally and beautifully with a more bare or strapless dress.
Tip 3 - Think About the Season & Venue
When choosing your hairstyle, it is important to take into consideration when and where the wedding will take place. If your bride has chosen an outdoor wedding in the summer, having your hair all down may not be the best choice, as it may have more of a tendency to become limp, and it may not be the most comfortable choice in warm weather. Another thing to take into consideration is the overall look and feel of the wedding based on the season and venue. A spring wedding filled with pastel colors and a light and airy feel is going to dictate a much different look than a winter wedding with deep colors and a glamorous look and feel. Your bride has put a lot of time and effort into creating a beautiful and cohesive aesthetic for her wedding and her bridesmaids should reflect this as well.
Tip 4 - Look at Your Face Shape
While you want to feel beautiful while you are at the wedding and reception, you also want to make sure that the photos of the big day are just as beautiful and flattering of you. Most of the photos of you and the bridal party are going to be taken from the front, so you want to make sure that your hairstyle flatters your face and looks good in every picture. While every face is uniquely beautiful, the desired look is to choose a hairstyle that creates an "oval" shape. If you already have an oval shaped face then consider yourself lucky when it comes to choosing a hairstyle...just about any hairstyle will look great on you! If your face is on the rounder side, then adding some volume at the top will help create a beautiful oval shape. If your face is on the narrower or thinner side, a little volume on the top and sides as well as some flowing tendrils will create a look that is flattering and looks great in photos.
Tip 5 - Reflect on Your Personal Style
Even if the bride has given you very specific instructions as to how she wants you to wear your hair, the right stylist can help you find ways to still feel beautiful and most importantly...feel like yourself. A special occasion such as a wedding is not the best time to try something completely out of your comfort zone. The last thing you want is to be so preoccupied with NOT looking like yourself that you take the focus off the bride and you aren't able to enjoy the wedding day. If you are feeling adventurous and want to try something new OR if you are nervous that you won't be able to find a style that the bride wants AND that still feels like yourself, you may want to consider doing a trial run of your hairstyle before the big day.
Those are our five tips for choosing the perfect hairstyle as a bridesmaid. I hope you found this informative, and will consider our tips the next time you serve as a bridesmaid.
------
If you have any questions or comments about creating the perfect bridesmaid hairstyle, we’d love to hear from you! Shoot us an email at madison@mhdbeauty.com or leave a comment.