Choosing a hairstyle for a special occasion is a real headache for many people. And we’re not just talking about the bride here!
Hairstyles for wedding guests? Yes, this is also an important topic, as many female guests attending the big day are at a loss as to which formal hairstyle would suit them best. Should we style our hair at home or go to a hairdresser? What suits our face shape? Should we go for a wedding updo or wear our hair down? What types of formal hairstyles are there, anyway? Should we add some kind of decoration?
In this article, we aim to provide some guidance on these issues, to make choosing and styling your wedding hairstyle as easy and stress-free as possible.
A general look at casual hairstyles
What types of casual hairstyles are there?
Bun
The most common hairstyle for special occasions. It can be styled with short, medium-length or long hair. You can also add a pretty accessory to it, which will really enhance the look of the wedding updo.
Braid
Braids are another great classic, and a very popular choice for special occasions. There are an almost endless number of braid styles. They’re easiest to create with medium-length and long hair, but there are also lovely braided styles for short hair.
Copf
This is another popular wedding hairstyle. Once your hair is loose, it’s perhaps the simplest of all the special-occasion hairstyles to create. There are both straight and curly plaits, and you can also add a little braiding at the top and a pretty hair accessory to finish off the look.
Loose hair
Fully or half-loose hair. Simple and stunning. Easy to achieve, yet very pretty. It’s less eye-catching than the styles listed so far, so it’s a good idea to wear a hair accessory as well.
Wedding hairstyles, by length
Whether your hair is long, medium or short, you can create a truly beautiful casual hairstyle with any of these lengths. Below, you can browse the most beautiful, elegant hairstyles, categorised by hair length.
Wedding hairstyles for long and medium-length hair
Long and medium-length hair are the easiest to style! It looks great worn loose, in a large or medium bun, or in a plait – and, of course, you can create some absolutely gorgeous braids with it! Skilled hairdressers can create some truly stunning hairstyles! Let’s take a look at a few examples.
You can try these out at home too, but a few paragraphs further down, there’ll be ideas and videos that are much easier and specifically designed for doing at home!
Special-occasion hairstyles created by a hairdresser
Bun
These elegant, braided and twisted buns are absolutely gorgeous. With a special-occasion hairstyle like this, everyone is sure to have their eyes on the wearer!
Copf
Long hair can be styled into beautiful twists, plaits and other styles created using techniques with names we’re not familiar with. They really are lovely! And, unlike wedding updos, they’re quite relaxed too. If you’re after a more casual, effortless hairstyle that doesn’t involve pinning 50 hair clips to the top of your head, then these plaits could be a great option
Braid
You can create incredibly imaginative casual hairstyles using braids. And there are so many braiding techniques, it’s almost impossible to count them all! You’re sure to look absolutely stunning with one of these braided masterpieces!
Wedding hairstyles for short hair
Many of us might think that there are fewer casual hairstyles you can create with shorter hair. However, this is a misconception. You can create loads of creative and very trendy casual hairstyles with short hair too. Just look how lovely the following styles look when paired with a beautiful wedding dress!
Braids
These braids are just as fabulous as their counterparts made from longer hair!
Buns
They’re really creative – and they’re not tiny either! Lots of people rule out short hair buns because they wonder, ‘What on earth is that little thing on top of your head?!’ But look – that’s not true at all; you can create buns like these with shorter hair too!
A special-occasion hairstyle at home
Many people don’t want to go to a hairdresser and pay for a wedding hairstyle, and instead look for tips on casual hairstyles they can do at home. The good news is that simple buns and other easy-to-create, understated, relaxed hairstyles are becoming increasingly popular these days. With the help of YouTube and a friendly vlogger, we can create most of them at home, and they’re perfect for wearing to a wedding!
Before we get started, here’s some important information! You can only style hair properly if it’s well-groomed! So:
- Make sure you wash your hair before you start!
- Blow-dry your hair straight using a round brush. If you want a „wavy hairstyle” like the ones you’ll see a little further down in the first video, then after blow-drying with the round brush, you’ll also need to run a curling iron through your hair, to create those lovely curls that you can then start styling.
- Never skip the first two steps! The end result will only really look like what we see in the videos if we use the right products! Let’s take the time to prepare our hair for styling!
What tools might you need when creating a casual hairstyle?
- Hairdryer, curling tongs, straighteners
- Round brush (for drying hair)
- Wave clips (You’ll need plenty of these, ladies!)
- Styling comb (For parting and backcombing hair)
- Hairspray (You do, of course, need hairspray, but poor-quality hairspray – especially when used in large quantities – can really dry out and damage your hair. If you can, try to get hold of a slightly more expensive but less damaging hairspray.)
In this video, we can learn the tricks for creating three casual hairstyles, all of which can be styled on both medium-length and long hair. Let’s take a look:
We don’t want to leave out ladies with really short hair either, so let’s look at a few examples of this as well:
A simple, casual hairstyle
Not everyone can be a hair stylist, and it’s understandable if you don’t have time to spend hours fiddling about with a special-occasion hairstyle before a wedding. Let’s take a look at a few wedding hairstyles that are really easy to do yet still look lovely. Even if you only have 15 minutes to spend on this project, you can still turn up with beautiful hair – as the following videos prove!
Inspiration
There are loads of YouTube channels and blogs on this topic online. What follows is a list of a few of my personal favourites, whose ideas might come in handy when we’re thinking about our wedding look.
AURORABRAIDS – The world of fantastic braids
What these girls are doing is breathtakingly beautiful and ingenious! Please note that recreating the styles seen in the videos using your own hair is recommended for women with very thick and very long hair.
Kayley Melissa – Beautiful hair, made easy at home
Your friendly hairdresser from next door – that’s how Kayley introduces herself, and that’s exactly how she comes across! She explains things in a very simple and friendly way, so everyone is sure to understand how to recreate the hairstyles. Her videos might be of interest to women with medium-length and long hair.
Sarah Angius – Beautiful Hair and Make-up
This hairdresser and make-up artist showcases some really beautiful hairstyles and make-up looks – and not just for special occasions! It’s well worth picking up some make-up tips from her!
Abby Smith – Easy-to-create hairstyles for every occasion
There are loads of different hairstyles; women with medium-length or long hair in particular can find inspiration here – you won’t find any videos featuring very short hair.
Confessions of a Hairstylist – A professional hairdresser’s fantastically inventive hairstyles
‘Confessions of a Hairstylist’ – Jenny Strebe’s YouTube channel – is absolutely brilliant. Jenny specialises mainly in creating buns and plaits. This channel is really aimed at women with long hair.
Milabu – Simple casual hairstyles, brilliantly presented by a funny girl
Milabu is really cute, funny and a brilliant explainer! On her channel, you’ll mainly find tips aimed at women with short hair!
