Kids’ wedding hair faces one test that adult hair never does: it has to look good after a four-year-old has decided she’s finished with it. Every style here is one I’d happily send a flower girl or junior bridesmaid down the aisle in, with a note on how much sitting it takes and what tends to fail. You’ll find twenty adorable kid wedding hairstyles across curls, braids, buns and natural textures, and the comfort notes matter as much as the pictures.
Three Flower Girls, Three Hair Lengths, One Look
Weddings often have flower girls of different ages, and their hair rarely cooperates. One has a long braid, another a bob, the youngest a few fine wisps. Forcing the same updo onto all three usually ends with one child in tears or one style falling out before the processional.
I match them on the details instead. A bob with a ribbon clip on the left looks part of the set next to a long side braid tied with the same ribbon on the left. Choose a style the shortest hair can manage, then let the longer heads wear a fuller version of it.
- Pick one accessory and buy a spare for each child.
- Settle which side the detail sits on, so the girls look matched as they walk.
- Style the youngest last, so her hair is freshest when she goes down the aisle.
1. Half Up Half Down With Curls
Half up, half down is the style I’d pick if you only get one attempt. The top section comes back off the face and clips at the crown, and the rest falls in curls. I curl with a low-heat wand or set rollers the night before, since children’s hair is usually finer than an adult’s and scorches faster. Clip the top with a snap clip hidden under the flower pin rather than trusting the pin alone. Medium to long hair suits it with any neckline, and a ribbon or tiny rosebuds add more if you want it.
2. Flower Crown With Loose Waves
A flower crown on loose waves suits the youngest flower girls, the ones who won’t sit for an updo. Wave the hair, then set the crown across the forehead in blooms from the wedding palette. The crown holds stray hair down without tight pinning, which is why toddlers tolerate it. My one rule: have a pair of small combs wired into the base. An elastic-backed crown rides up the moment she bends down to throw petals.
3. Braided Crown Updo
Two braids, one on each side, pinned across the top of the head. That’s the whole technique, and it holds better than nearly anything else here. Every strand is off the neck, which matters at an outdoor summer ceremony. I push U-pins through the braid itself into the base hair underneath, because bobby pins alone tend to slide on a smooth braid. Small flowers or pearl pins finish it. Medium to long hair only.
4. Low Bun With Baby’s Breath
Baby’s breath is the easiest flower to put in a child’s hair: the sprigs are light and the stems thin enough to slide into a bun without extra pins. Gather a loose bun at the nape, leave a few face-framing pieces out, and tuck the baby’s breath around it. The bun sits low enough to clear a car seat and a chair back, and both fine and thick hair hold it. One thing to know: the flowers dry out and go papery over a long day. That still looks fine, but they can shed little white bits onto a dark dress.
5. French Braid Pigtails
Energetic little ones get French braid pigtails from me. Part down the middle, French braid each side close to the head, and finish with clear elastics and ribbon bows. Because the braids start at the hairline, nothing escapes even after a sprint around the garden. Straight and wavy hair braid most easily. Very slippery, fine hair braids better if you mist it with a little water or texture spray first.
6. Fishtail Braid
I save the fishtail for older flower girls and junior bridesmaids, partly because it needs long hair and partly because it takes a while to braid. Sweep the hair to one side, braid loosely over the shoulder, then pull the edges out gently so it widens. Small flowers along the braid finish it. If the child has lots of short layers, a fishtail will spring pieces all day; a regular three-strand braid hides them better.
7. Curly Half Updo With Bow
A satin bow on a curly half updo is pure personality. Curl the hair into ringlets, or work with the child’s own curls, then pull the top half back and fix it with the bow. Bows are heavier than they look, so I secure the half up with an elastic first and attach the bow over it on its own clip. The face stays clear for big smiles, and the bow is the simplest place to bring in the wedding colors.
8. Sleek High Ponytail
A sleek high ponytail keeps hair off the face entirely and reads modern. Brush it up smooth and secure it firmly, but stop before she’s wincing; a pony pulled painfully tight is the one most likely to get yanked out by dessert. Wrap a small section around the elastic, then curl the ends or leave them straight. Every hair type can wear it, and a small flower or ribbon at the base turns it into wedding hair.
9. Twisted Halo Updo
Twisting instead of braiding makes a halo softer and much faster, which is why I use it on fine to medium hair that can’t fill out a braid. Small sections are twisted and pinned around the back and sides, with a few wisps left loose. The weak spot is the pinning. Twists unwind if they’re held at one end only, so I cross two pins in an X at each anchor point. Sparkly pins or tiny blooms suit a formal or vintage wedding.
10. Double Dutch Braids Into Bun
Two Dutch braids running back from the front and joined into a low bun is the most durable style on this list. I reach for it on thick or curly hair because the braids spread the weight evenly instead of hanging it all on one elastic. It survives dancing, sitting through speeches and being hugged by every relative. Floral pins around the bun are all the decoration it needs for a long ceremony and a lively reception.
11. Soft Curls With Tiara
Most little girls light up at the sight of a tiara, so this one wins on enthusiasm alone. Curl the hair into loose waves and set a small tiara just behind the front hairline. Look for a tiara with combs at both ends; the plastic headband-style ones press behind the ears and come off within the hour. Kept lightweight, it holds back stray hairs for you through a formal ceremony.
12. Side Braid With Ribbon
Weaving ribbon through a loose side braid gives it a handmade look. Sweep the hair over one shoulder and braid loosely, feeding a narrow satin ribbon in with one strand as you go, then tie a small bow at the end. Narrow ribbon, roughly a quarter inch, braids in neatly; wide ribbon bunches and twists. Longer straight or wavy hair suits it, and the ribbon carries the wedding colors without any fuss.
13. Messy Bun With Loose Tendrils
For a child who can’t sit still, a messy bun takes two minutes and looks deliberately undone. Gather it on top or at the back, pull a few tendrils loose around the face, and add a colored headband or small flowers. Almost any length and texture can wear it. I still mist the base lightly and anchor it with two U-pins, because a messy bun that’s genuinely loose falls out completely by the reception.
14. Milkmaid Braids
Milkmaid braids cross over the top of the head from each side and pin in place, a storybook shape that leaves the neck bare for warm-weather weddings. The difference from a crown braid is that the braids hang down first and are then lifted over, so you need longer hair; shoulder length usually won’t reach. Pin where the braids overlap and again at each end. Fresh flowers tuck neatly along the top.
15. Half Up Top Knot
The half up top knot is quick and cute. Pull the top section into a small knot at the crown and let the rest fall in waves or curls. It keeps her eyes clear, shows off the length and suits every hair type at casual or formal weddings. On very fine hair I back-comb the section lightly before knotting, so the knot has some size. A tiny bow or flower at the base finishes it.
16. Curly Afro Puffs With Flowers
Natural curls look joyful in two adorable afro puffs. Section down the middle and gather each side with covered elastics, never bare rubber bands, which snag and break coily hair. I moisturize before gathering so the puffs stay defined rather than dry by evening, and I lay the edges gently instead of brushing them flat. Flowers tuck in around each base, and the style needs almost no touch-ups through the day.
17. Waterfall Braid
A waterfall braid drops a strand after each cross, so loose hair falls through it while the braid travels across the back of the head. Start near the front, work across, secure it at the opposite side and leave soft waves below. It suits medium to long hair, and blooms along the braid add detail. I’d steer young children away from it if their hair is very straight and slippery, because the dropped strands vanish and the braid loosens quickly. On older flower girls and junior bridesmaids with a little wave, it holds well.
18. Low Side Bun
A low side bun near the ear looks a little grown-up, which older flower girls often love. Sweep everything to one side, gather a soft bun, leave a few loose strands and add pearl pins or tiny flowers. Think about which side the guests will see. I place the bun on the side facing the photographer as she walks in, which is usually the side away from the ring bearer if they walk together. Fine to medium hair holds it best.
19. Bubble Ponytail
The bubble ponytail is the one children ask for by name. Start with a ponytail, add small elastics down its length and pull each section out into a bubble. It holds on straight, wavy or curly hair and barely moves through an hour of dancing. I use clear elastics so it stays neat, with a ribbon or a flower between bubbles for the wedding. At bedtime, snip the elastics with nail scissors rather than dragging them out.
20. Crown Braid With Loose Curls
A braid wrapped around the top of the head like a headband, with the rest down in loose curls, gives you a little of both. The braid keeps hair off the face while the curls move. Medium to long hair suits it. I curl the length before braiding, so nobody has to bring a hot iron near a finished braid on a wriggling child. Small flowers in the braid make it formal enough for any ceremony.
Real Blooms in a Child’s Hair Through a Long Afternoon
Fresh flowers wilt faster in hair than in a bouquet, because they’re out of water and warmed by the head. Baby’s breath, waxflower, spray roses and small orchids tend to hold up. Soft-petaled flowers such as gardenias and peonies bruise and brown within a few hours, especially once small fingers have touched them. Ask your florist to wire and tape small stems for hair and keep them chilled until the morning. For a ceremony in full sun, I add the flowers at the very last minute and leave a few spare sprigs wrapped in a damp paper towel in a parent’s bag.
Check for allergies and anything prickly, too. Children handle flowers constantly, and sap that’s harmless in a bouquet can irritate a toddler’s skin near her face. If you’re unsure, good silk flowers solve both problems.
When She Refuses It Ten Minutes Before the Aisle
It happens. A tired or nervous child pulls out the clip, cries about a pin or simply decides she hates it. Don’t try to restyle a crying child. I take it down to something she’ll accept, a ponytail with the same ribbon or loose hair under a headband. A happy child in simple hair looks far better in the photos than an upset one in a perfect updo.
A Practice Run She Gets a Say In
Pick for comfort first and looks second; a child who’s happy in her hair leaves it alone. Do a practice run a week or two out, let her wear it for an afternoon, and let her choose the accessory from two you’re both happy with, so the look feels like hers. Keep a small brush and a few pins in your bag on the day. Any of these styles will see her through the celebration if it was comfortable at home first.
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