Easy and elegant rarely sit in the same hairstyle, so I’ve been strict here. These 25 styles work for a bride, a bridesmaid or a guest, and each one comes with a note on how hard it really is, what kind of hair it needs and where it can go wrong. Some you can pin in front of a bathroom mirror. A few need a stylist’s hands, and I’ll say so plainly.
Sorting These by How Much Skill They Need
When a bridesmaid asks me which style she can do herself, this is roughly how I sort them.
Ten minutes in front of a mirror
The sleek low ponytail, the braided ponytail, twisted half up, the pinned-back bob, loose waves and the accessorised ponytail. If you can curl your own hair and hold a bobby pin, you can do these.
Worth two practice runs
The low bun, the messy high bun, fishtail and bubble braids, half up with waves and side-swept curls. None of them are hard, but each has one step that’s tricky the first time, usually the pinning.
Hand these to a stylist
The French twist, finger waves, the Dutch braid updo, Greek goddess braids, the crystal vine updo and curly updos on natural hair. These depend on technique and on seeing the back of the head, which is very hard to do on yourself.
1. Half-Up Half-Down With Soft Waves
Half up with soft waves is the safest place to start. The top section is pinned, so it stays out of your face, while the lengths keep their movement. I secure that top section with two bobby pins crossed under the hair before adding any clip, because a decorative clip alone will slide by mid-afternoon. A veil comb can grip the pinned section, which makes this one veil-friendly too.
2. Low Bun With Face-Framing Tendrils
Of every style here, the low bun is the one I’d trust with a long day. It gives a veil a firm anchor and leaves your neckline clear for earrings. The tendrils are where it goes wrong: pulled out too thick, they look accidental. I take out only two fine pieces at each temple, curl them away from the face and leave the rest of the hairline smooth.
3. Messy High Bun for Boho Brides
A messy high bun looks careless but the base has to be tight. I make a firm ponytail at the crown first, wrap the hair loosely around it, then pin the outer layer and pull it apart with my fingers. Baby’s breath or small dried flowers tuck into the gaps easily. It keeps hair off a hot neck, which counts for a lot at an outdoor summer wedding.
4. Classic French Twist
The French twist rewards practice and punishes rushing. Hair is swept to one side, folded into a vertical roll and pinned from inside the fold, which is why short layers at the nape often escape. You’ll want hair at least to the shoulders. A tiara or jeweled comb sits neatly along the edge of the roll. I’d call it a stylist job for brides and an ambitious DIY for guests.
5. Romantic Loose Waves
Loose waves are the style most people mean when they say ‘easy’, and in the mirror they are. The trouble starts outdoors. voluminous curls like these hold best when you curl with a large iron, pin each curl to cool, and only brush out once your whole head is cold. Fine hair drops fastest, so I curl it a little tighter than the finished look should be.
6. Sleek Low Ponytail
The sleek low ponytail is honest work: smooth hair, one band, one wrapped strand to hide it. It’s comfortable through dinner and keeps cool on warm evenings. Its only weakness is the crown, where bumps show, so I brush with a boar-bristle brush while gathering. If your parting has a cowlick, a side part hides it better than a centre part.
7. Fishtail Braid With Loose Pieces
A fishtail looks complicated and isn’t. Split hair in two, cross a thin strand from the outside of one half to the other, and repeat. It takes longer than a regular braid but it’s very hard to get wrong, which is why I teach it to bridesmaids. Pull the edges apart afterwards to make it look fuller. Small pearl pins sit well between the stitches.
8. Chic Chignon With Pearl Pins
A chignon with pearl pins is one of the most dependable looks I know. The fold sits low and flat, so the veil comb has something firm to bite into, and the pins can go anywhere the light hits. I place pearls in a loose diagonal rather than a ring, because a ring looks like it’s holding the bun together. On fine hair I backcomb the fold lightly from inside so it doesn’t look thin.
9. Boho Braided Crown
A boho braided crown needs length. If your hair doesn’t reach past your shoulders, go for two braids from the temples that meet at the back instead of one full wrap. I pin every few inches along the braid so it can’t slip as you move. Wildflowers wilt fast off water, so tuck them in last, and pick hardy stems like waxflower or small spray roses.
10. Curly Updo for Natural Hair
Natural curls and coils deserve a stylist who knows them. I style a curly updo on hair that’s been refreshed with water and a curl cream, never brushed, and I gather the curls with large pins rather than tight bands so the definition stays intact. Gold pins stand out beautifully against dark coils. Expect it to grow in volume over the day, which usually looks better, not worse.
11. Side-Swept Curls
Side-swept curls need a hidden anchor. I pin the empty side flat with crossed bobby pins before sweeping everything over, otherwise the weight pulls the hair back to centre within an hour. It shows off one earring and an off-shoulder neckline well. If you’ll be standing on the left during the ceremony, decide which side faces your guests before you sweep.
12. Dutch Braid Updo
Dutch braids are crossed under instead of over, so the braid sits raised on top of the hair. That gives Dutch braid updos real dimension against a structured gown. They’re also secure, because pins grip braid stitches far better than smooth hair. I’d call this moderate DIY: easy if you braid often, frustrating if you don’t.
13. Vintage Finger Waves
Proper sculpted finger waves are set into wet, gelled hair with fingers and a comb, then left to dry completely. That’s a specialist technique, and I wouldn’t attempt it at home the morning of a wedding. They suit bobs and shorter cuts far better than long hair, which is too heavy to keep the ridges crisp. A jeweled headband fits naturally along the wave line.
14. Twisted Half-Up Style
Twisted half up is the quick version of a braided half up. Two rope twists from the temples, pinned together at the back, take a few minutes. The catch: twists unwind, so pin each one with a bobby pin pushed in against the direction of the twist. A small clip at the meeting point finishes it.
15. Sleek Straight Hair With Center Part
Sleek straight hair with a centre part is minimal and shows everything, including split ends and uneven colour. I iron in thin sections and finish with a little serum warmed in my palms. Humidity is its enemy; at an outdoor summer wedding, this is the style most likely to frizz by evening. For a city venue with air conditioning, it’s crisp and modern.
16. Floral Crown With Loose Waves
A floral crown is floristry first and hair second. I pin the crown through the hair at several points so it won’t lift when you turn your head, and I style the waves before the crown goes on. Fresh crowns droop in hot sun, so ask your florist to use sturdier blooms, or choose silk if your ceremony is outdoors at midday. Match the colours to your bouquet.
17. Braided Ponytail
A braided ponytail combines two quick techniques and is more secure than either. Make the ponytail first, wrap a strand to hide the band, then braid the length loosely and pull it apart a little. It lasts through hours of dancing. I’d suggest it to bridesmaids with long hair who want something they can do themselves.
18. Low Chignon With Side Braid
A low chignon with a side braid adds one detail to a classic base. The braid starts at the front parting and runs back to the chignon, where I pin its end into the fold so it disappears. It suits formal and semi-formal weddings and gives a veil a secure spot. Small flowers can sit in the braid, but one or two is plenty.
19. Voluminous Curly Half-Up
Big curly half up styles are joyful, but they need volume to start with. Naturally curly hair has it; straight hair needs a set of curls and some backcombing at the crown. A decorative clip holds the top section. It’s lively and full, and in humid weather it only gets bigger, which suits some people far more than others.
20. Pinned Back Bob
A pinned-back bob is the simplest short-hair wedding look. Sweep one side behind the ear and secure it with a jeweled clip or two pearl pins. A slight bend with a flat iron keeps it from looking flat. Book a trim a week or two before the wedding so it’s neat but settled.
21. Embellished Updo With Crystal Vine
A crystal vine wraps through a twist or bun and catches the light every time you move. I weave the vine through the hair rather than just laying it on top, so it sits flat and stays put. Most vines have thin wire ends that can be hidden under a pinned section. It suits formal evening weddings; for daytime, a simpler pin is easier to live with.
22. Bubble Braid
A bubble braid is a ponytail with small elastics placed every few inches, each section pulled out into a round bubble. It’s quick and fun, and holds through dancing. I’d use clear elastics and pull the bubbles out slowly, a little at a time, so they stay even. It suits younger guests and relaxed weddings more than formal ones.
23. Soft Updo With Curtain Bangs
If you already have curtain bangs, a soft updo with the fringe left out is easy and flattering. I blow-dry the fringe with a round brush so it curves away from your face, then pin the back into a loose bun or twist. Don’t cut new bangs right before the wedding; give them at least a few weeks to settle into the shape you like.
24. Greek Goddess Braids
Greek goddess braids layer several braids that meet softly at the back, often with curls falling below. They suit garden and beach weddings and keep hair off the face. Long hair works best, since the braids need length to wrap. Gold leaf pins or a thin gold band complete it. It’s a stylist job for most people.
25. Accessorized Sleek Ponytail
An accessorised sleek ponytail is a simple base with one strong detail. A silk ribbon wrapped around the band, a jeweled cuff or a few pearl pins at the base turn a smooth high ponytail into wedding hair. Keep it to a single accessory. It’s quick, secure and modern, and it looks polished without any fuss.
One Bridal Party, Six Different Heads of Hair
Bridesmaids rarely have the same length, colour or texture, and forcing one style onto all of them is where problems start. A low bun that looks sleek on thick hair can look thin on a fine bob. I’d rather pick a shared detail and let the style vary.
- Use the same accessory, like a pearl pin or a ribbon, in different styles.
- Keep the same part, side or centre, across everyone.
- Set the same height: all low or all high, so the group photo has a clear line.
- Give the short-haired bridesmaids a pinned-back version instead of a forced updo.
Plan the order of the morning too. I usually do the bridesmaids first and the bride last, so her hair is the freshest when the photographer arrives. Give each person about 45 minutes for an updo and 30 for down styles, plus some buffer, and work from there.
Ask everyone to arrive with clean, dry hair washed the night before, no oils or heavy conditioner on the lengths, and wearing a button-front shirt. Pulling a T-shirt over a finished updo is the quickest way to undo forty minutes of my work, and it is one of the most common morning mishaps I see.
Start With What Your Hair Already Does Well
Start from what your hair already does well, and choose the style that suits your dress, your venue and how much time you’ll have that morning. Bring a few photos to your stylist, from loose waves to playful bubble braids, and ask honestly which ones your hair will hold. Personal touches like pearls, flowers or a family comb make any of these feel like yours.
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