Most brides who sit in my chair with a celebrity photo on their phone aren’t really asking for that person’s hair. They want the feeling of that moment: the clean bun under a cathedral veil, the glossy wave that caught every flash. The photos below are the famous wedding styles I get asked about most, from Hailey Bieber’s pearl-pinned bun to Old Hollywood waves, and under each one I’ve written what it takes to recreate it on real hair, who it suits, and where it tends to go wrong.
What Famous Wedding Hair Usually Hides
Before you fall for any photo in this list, it helps to know what’s behind it. Many celebrity bridal styles include clip-in wefts or tape-in extensions for fullness, a stylist on standby for touch-ups between the ceremony and the reception, and photographers who control the light. None of that makes the look fake. It just means your version will be built differently.
- Fullness: a sleek bun or high ponytail that looks thick in a photo often has added hair inside it. If your hair is fine, plan for wefts at your trial rather than being surprised on the day.
- Color: glossy, single-tone hair reflects light evenly. Highlights and balayage show waves better but can make a slicked style look streaky up close.
- Touch-ups: if no one will be with you after the ceremony, I lean toward secure styles like a low bun or halo braid over loose waves.
- Length: Old Hollywood waves and half-up ponytails need length to show their shape. Most of the buns here can be done on hair to the shoulders.
1. Hailey Bieber Low Bun With Pearls
Hailey Bieber wore a soft low bun with small pearl pins scattered through it and a few wispy pieces left out at the face. The trick to copying it is restraint. I set the pearls at slightly different depths so they catch light like they landed there, rather than lining them up in a row, and I place them after the bun is fully secured so none of them carry weight. Those face-framing wisps are the part that fails first; on fine hair I curl them with a small iron and leave them pinned flat until the last minute.
2. Priyanka Chopra Soft Updo With Long Veil
Priyanka Chopra paired a soft updo and loose tendrils with an extremely long veil, and that veil changes the hairstyling job completely. A long tulle train pulls backward with real force when it drags, so the comb has to anchor into something solid. I build a small braided base under the updo and slide the comb into that, never into loose curls. If your ceremony space has a long aisle or grand steps, this works. In a small room, a veil that length mostly becomes something your bridesmaids manage all day.
3. Beyoncé Sleek Bun With Veil
Beyoncé slicked her hair back into a clean bun and set her veil right on top, which let her gown and makeup carry the look. A bun this tight needs an even base: I smooth with a boar bristle brush and a little gel, then set the elastic before pinning so the pins only shape the bun and don’t hold it. It’s one of the most secure styles I do for a long day of dancing. What I warn people about is the hairline. Slicked hair shows every patch of thinning or baby hair, so a gentle edge brush and some powder at the temples are part of the job.
4. Jennifer Aniston Loose Effortless Waves
Jennifer Aniston wore her golden layers in loose waves under a simple veil, and it still gets copied for a reason: it looks like her best hair day, nothing more. That is harder to deliver than it sounds. Loose waves are the first style to drop, so I curl with a medium barrel, let every section cool in a pin curl, and brush it out only an hour before the ceremony. Layers help here; one-length hair tends to flatten into a single sheet by the evening.
5. Meghan Markle Low Chignon
Meghan Markle wore a low chignon that was deliberately a little undone, with soft pieces loosened around her face. That undone finish is built, not left to chance. I make the chignon tight first, then pull pieces free with my fingertips so the loose sections sit on top of a secure core. Brides with very straight, slippery hair should expect a texture spray and a few more pins than they’d think. This shape sits right at the nape, which is useful if your veil or headpiece needs to go above it.
6. Ariana Grande Half-Up Ponytail
Ariana Grande turned her famous ponytail into a half-up version, full and sleek on top with waves left loose underneath. Most of that fullness comes from added hair, and I’m honest about that at trials. If your hair is shoulder length or fine, clip-in wefts placed under the top section are what make this read as bridal and not schoolday. I secure the top section with an elastic and wrap a strand around it, because a half-up ponytail that slides down by the speeches is the usual complaint.
7. Ciara Old Hollywood Waves
Ciara wore cascading, structured waves with a deep middle part. Old Hollywood waves are a setting technique, not a curling one. Every section is curled in the same direction, pinned while hot, then brushed out together until the curls join into one ribbon of wave. I finish by pressing the S-bends with duckbill clips and a light hold spray. They need hair at least past the collarbone to show the pattern, and they lose their definition if anyone runs their fingers through them later.
8. Issa Rae Long Curly Ponytail
Issa Rae wore her natural curls in a long ponytail, set against a romantic South of France backdrop. For a curly ponytail, I work on hair that was washed and styled the day before so the curl pattern is settled, then gather it with a soft brush at the hairline only. Brushing the lengths ruins the definition and creates frizz. Placement matters: a ponytail set a little lower than usual takes pressure off the scalp, which counts when you’re wearing it for ten hours. A small flower or pin at the elastic covers it neatly.
9. Sofia Richie Sleek Bun
Sofia Richie’s sleek low bun became the most requested wedding style I can remember, and it’s misleadingly simple. Every strand has to be smooth, so I blow-dry the hair completely straight before I touch a bun, then use a fine-tooth comb with a light cream. Natural texture or humidity will push little hairs up at the crown within an hour if that blow-dry is skipped. It suits most necklines and leaves your earrings and the gown fully visible, which is why so many brides want it.
10. Kourtney Kardashian Relaxed Veil Updo
Kourtney Kardashian’s courthouse look was a relaxed updo in dark hair with loose pieces framing her face under a classic white veil. Dark hair hides pins well, which makes this kind of soft shape easier to keep tidy. I keep the twist loose but set the veil comb into a small hidden ponytail beneath it. That gives a short ceremony a polished result without the structure of a formal updo, and it suits a smaller wedding where you’ll be standing close to guests rather than seen from the back of a hall.
11. Grace Kelly Classic Slicked Bun
Grace Kelly wore her hair slicked back into a tight, low bun that matched the high lace neckline of her famous gown. A bun this smooth is the best base I know for a tiara or a heavy headpiece, because the hair has no loose structure to sag under weight. I’d steer brides away from it if they have a high hairline or very fine hair at the temples, since the smoothing shows the scalp. For a long day, it barely needs touch-ups.
12. Miley Cyrus Boho Braid
Miley Cyrus wore a soft, undone braid that suited a relaxed celebration. A loose braid like this needs grip, so I start with dry shampoo or texture spray through the lengths, braid firmly, then pull the edges outward to widen it. If you braid loosely from the start it falls apart. Small flowers tucked in should be wired or set on pins, because fresh stems wilt faster against warm hair. It’s a good match for outdoor and garden weddings and a poor match for a high, formal neckline.
13. Billie Lourd Braided Crown Half-Up
Billie Lourd’s half-up style had braids wrapped around her head like a crown, with the rest flowing behind. Crown braids take time; for most brides I allow close to an hour for this alone. I braid each side separately and pin them to meet at the back, which sits flatter and lasts longer than one braid wound all the way around. Thick, layered hair braids well here. Very short layers poke out of the braid, so I’d plan a little extra texture product for those.
14. Brittany Snow Effortless Low Bun
Brittany Snow’s soft low bun shows how little a wedding style really needs. The relaxed finish relies on a base with grip, so I lightly curl the hair before gathering it, which gives the bun a soft shape that doesn’t flatten. I like this one for brides who aren’t used to wearing their hair up, because it isn’t tight on the scalp and doesn’t pull at the hairline. It takes a veil, pins or fresh flowers without changing its shape.
15. Jeannie Mai Sleek High Ponytail
Jeannie Mai wore an exaggerated, sleek high ponytail that read as modern and confident. High ponytails pull at the scalp more than people expect, and after ten hours that tension often becomes a headache. I use two elastics, one gathering the hair and one set slightly lower to carry the length, which spreads the weight. Length and fullness at this height usually come from a clip-in ponytail piece. Bold makeup and statement earrings balance it well.
16. Soft Brushed-Out Waves With Center Part
Brushed-out waves with a center part have become one of the most requested down styles in my chair. They’re polished waves that fall naturally on either side of a clean middle part, close to a very good blowout. A center part is less forgiving than a side part if your face isn’t symmetrical, so I check both options at the trial before we commit. If your taste runs to quiet luxury, this is the softest way to wear your hair down, and it sits well with or without a veil.
17. Halo Braid For Natural Texture
The halo braid wraps a braid around the crown, and on curls and coils it’s one of the most secure bridal options I know. Natural textured hair grips itself, so the braid holds with fewer pins than it would on straight hair. I braid on stretched, moisturized hair and smooth the edges last. It keeps everything off the face and neck for a long celebration and works with small flowers tucked into the braid. The one thing I watch is tension at the hairline; it should feel snug, not tight.
18. Hollywood Glamour Waves With Side Part
Voluminous, structured Hollywood waves with a deep side part have moved ahead of casual beach waves for many brides. The deep side part does a lot of the work, creating a sweep over one eye that frames the face. I’d only recommend it if you’re comfortable with hair on one side of your face during the ceremony, because that’s where the volume sits. The waves need a curl that has properly cooled before brushing, or they collapse into loose curls by the reception.
19. Sleek Twisted Half-Up Style
A twisted half-up style pulls back the top section with soft twists and leaves waves falling behind. The twists hold better than a single clip because they spread the grip across the head. I pin each twist with crossed bobby pins so it doesn’t slip, which is the main risk on straight hair. On wavy hair it holds well without extra product. Small pins or a short veil sit neatly over the join. Of all the half-up shapes here, this one handles a full day best.
20. Vintage Bouffant With Soft Curls
The vintage bouffant borrows from Brigitte Bardot, with lifted volume at the crown and soft curls falling below. I build the height with backcombing in small sections near the root and smooth the top layer over it, so the volume holds but the surface stays glossy. It’s a poor match for a long, heavy veil anchored at the crown, as the comb crushes the lift. A headband or fresh flowers at the base of the volume suit it much better.
Turning a Red-Carpet Photo Into a Trial Brief
When a bride brings me a celebrity picture, I ask for two more: one of her own hair on a good day and one of her dress neckline. Those three images tell me far more than the famous photo alone. Here’s what I’d prepare before your trial.
- Pick the one feature you love most in the photo. It might be the shine, the placement of the bun, or the loose pieces at the face. That becomes the part we protect if something else has to change.
- Bring photos from the side and back if you can find them. A bun that looks low from the front can sit at the crown from behind.
- Bring your headpiece, veil comb or a stand-in of similar weight. A heavy veil changes where a bun needs to sit.
- Arrive with hair washed the day before unless your stylist asks otherwise. Many updos hold better on hair with a day of natural grip; curly hair is often best styled on its usual wash schedule.
- Take photos in daylight and with flash before you leave. Red-carpet shine comes partly from a finishing spray, and you’ll want to see how it reads in both.
How These Styles Hold Up From Ceremony to Last Dance
In my experience the sleek buns, the slicked chignon and the halo braid barely move all day. Half-up styles and loose waves are the ones that need a plan. I give brides with down styles a small kit: a few bobby pins, a travel hairspray and a fold-up brush, plus a reminder to keep hands out of curls during the cocktail hour.
Heat and humidity are the biggest threats. If you’re marrying outdoors in summer, I’d usually move you toward a pinned style and save the loose waves for a cooler or indoor wedding. A high ponytail can also start to ache by evening, so I’ll set it slightly lower than the photo if you plan to keep it in past midnight.
The Celebrity Photo Is a Starting Point, Not a Blueprint
Every one of these styles was done on a specific person with a specific hair density, often with a team and added hair. Use them to show your stylist the mood you want, then let the trial tell you how it adapts to your own hair. Book that trial a few months ahead, bring your veil or headpiece if you have it, and wear the style for a few hours afterward. If it still feels like you by dinner, you’ve found your look.
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