When preparing for a wedding, after selecting the bridesmaid dresses, the next important decision involves their hairstyles. It's crucial that these styles complement their attire and the overall wedding theme. However, rather than forcing a uniform look, allowing each bridesmaid to choose a style that best suits her individual features is far more effective. This approach ensures comfort and confidence, making every bridesmaid feel truly radiant and beautiful.
To achieve this, it's advisable to brainstorm and discuss various options before the big day, confirming that everyone feels good about their chosen look and that all styles harmonize with the wedding's aesthetic. This guide provides 37 inspiring bridesmaid hairstyles, ranging from polished updos to flowing waves, designed to match diverse hair textures and wedding day outfits. Each suggestion aims to offer fresh ideas and inspiration for a perfectly coiffed bridal party.
A sleek, pulled-back updo offers a refined and cohesive appearance for the entire wedding party. Following the example from Nadine Ijewere’s wedding, using a small amount of hair product can effectively tame flyaways, ensuring a polished look that lasts from the ceremony through to the late-night celebrations.
For a romantic and soft aesthetic, particularly suited for a garden wedding, loose curls and waves are an excellent choice. To maintain a refined finish, create these waves with a wide-barreled curling iron and set them with a light hairspray.
Embrace a whimsical charm by incorporating braids into an updo and adorning it with a few carefully chosen flowers that match the wedding's color palette. Tatiana de Pahlen's wedding showcased this beautifully. While easier for longer hair, bridesmaids with shorter locks can integrate small braids into a compact bun. This intricate style often benefits from the expertise of a professional hairstylist on the wedding day.
For bridesmaids with short, cropped hair, a sleek look is effortlessly stylish. Applying gel to achieve this slicked-down effect creates a cool and sophisticated party hairstyle.
A relaxed updo featuring loose front pieces, often paired with a flower crown, creates a charming and natural look. This style is perfect for adding an unfussy touch to a more formal ensemble. The front sections framing the face enhance the soft, romantic feel.
The elegant chignon remains a timeless choice for weddings, effortlessly elevating a bridesmaid's appearance for formal occasions. For a more relaxed version, as seen at Nicole Wong's Chinatown wedding, allow a few delicate strands to peek out, adding a touch of softness to this classic updo.
Infuse a classic ponytail with an element of fun by creating a bubble ponytail. This involves strategically placing hair ties along the length of the ponytail, adding an intriguing and playful texture to the style.
Long, braided hair offers a naturally elegant and ready-made bridal party look. It can be worn flowing freely, as exemplified at Asiah James' wedding, providing a beautiful and effortless style.
For a touch of vintage glamour at formal weddings, Old Hollywood-inspired waves are perfect. At Emily Caro’s wedding, bridesmaids accentuated the volume with deep side-parts, adding an extra layer of classic sophistication.
If a bridesmaid prefers to wear her hair down, a polished look can be achieved by gently tucking back the front sections and bangs. Begin with a blowout for volume and smoothness, then secure the front pieces behind the ears to ensure the style stays intact throughout the celebration.
For a minimalist yet refined bridesmaid beauty look, allowing everyone to wear their hair down can exude a relaxed elegance. To add a polished finish, a simple blowout combined with a shine-enhancing serum will create a smooth and lustrous effect.
A half-up, half-down hairstyle strikes a perfect balance, keeping hair away from the face for photographs while maintaining a romantic flow. This versatile style, showcased by a bridesmaid at Sydney Watters’ wedding, is suitable for various hair textures, lengths, and types.
Beyond selecting bridesmaid dresses, hair accessories play a significant role. Adorning ponytails, updos, or half-up styles with a delicate hair bow can add a charming and sweet touch to the overall aesthetic.
A braided chignon offers a fresh take on the classic updo. Despite its sophisticated appearance, this style is surprisingly easy to create: simply braid the hair and then twist it into a chignon, as Nicole Richie did for her sister Sofia’s wedding.
Elevate a twisted bun by positioning it high on the crown to create a top-knot bun, ensuring it's anything but ordinary. This style is particularly resilient, staying perfectly in place with a few bobby pins, even through less-than-ideal weather or a night of enthusiastic dancing.
There's an undeniable elegance in embracing one's natural hair texture, volume, and length. Opting for an au natural look is a chic and confident choice for bridesmaids, allowing their inherent beauty to shine.
Loose, beachy waves are an ideal choice for seaside celebrations or rustic nuptials, as seen at Patrick Schwarzenegger and Abby Champion's Idaho wedding. This style enhances natural texture, with extra hydration ensuring frizz-free strands throughout the day.
To unify diverse bridesmaid hairstyles while accommodating individual preferences, consider using floral accents. At a Portugal wedding, real flowers were woven into each bridesmaid's hair, creating a beautifully cohesive and charming look that tied all the styles together.
A casually elegant “messy” updo, with a few front pieces gently framing the face, offers a relaxed yet sophisticated look. This style is ideal for events with a black-tie optional or cocktail dress code, provided it is securely styled to last throughout the evening.
At Vogue editor Naomi Elizée's wedding, some bridesmaids opted for voluminous, bouncy curls, adding a glamorous touch to their ensembles. Large-barreled curling irons are excellent tools for achieving this sophisticated and full-bodied style.
While each bridesmaid at Temi Otedola’s wedding sported a unique hairstyle, a consistent aesthetic of smooth and sleek looks was maintained, creating a cohesive and elegant bridal party as they celebrated with the bride.
For bridesmaids’ hairstyles with significant volume, as showcased at Chioma Adeleke’s wedding, extensions can be utilized to craft elaborate and intricate chignons and bouffants, delivering a glamorous, retro-inspired vibe.
To ensure a polished look for all members of your bridal party, hiring a dedicated hair and makeup team is an excellent strategy. While individuals can still choose their preferred styles, professionals can guarantee a perfectly coordinated and refined appearance for everyone.
Wrapped updos offer a refined touch to any hairstyle, whether it’s a chignon, a small bun, or a ponytail, by adding extra definition. The bridesmaids at a Tennessee wedding beautifully exemplified this by incorporating artfully wrapped hair into their varied updos.
For younger bridal party members, don't shy away from playful styles. Messy chignons perfectly capture the joyous spirit of little attendants as they scatter petals down the aisle, adding a delightful charm to the ceremony.
A slick-back bun can be made even more distinctive with a clearly defined part. At Meeka Hossain's Los Angeles wedding, her bridal party wore sleek chignons with precise parts, a style also perfect for incorporating forehead jewelry like a tikka.
Bridesmaids with bob cuts or other short hairstyles can achieve a polished look for the wedding by using gel to slick back their hair. Tucking hair behind the ears ensures it stays off the face, maintaining a neat appearance throughout the day.
A ponytail can be a perfect choice for bridesmaids when styled correctly. To achieve a polished look, ensure the hair is thoroughly blown out first. Consider using an invisible clear hair tie and wrapping a section of hair around the base for an elegant finish.
The French twist is a timeless and secure hairstyle, perfect for keeping strands impeccably in place throughout an evening celebration. Both bridesmaids and flower girls can gracefully wear this elegant style, complementing their bridal party attire.
Another method to create a unified look among bridesmaids with varying hairstyles is to incorporate a consistent element of curl. Using a curling wand on the lengths, bangs, or ponytails can beautifully bring all the styles together, adding a cohesive and polished finish.
Instead of a traditional ballet bun, a woven chignon offers a dynamic and voluminous shape by artfully weaving hair around the base. This sophisticated style is particularly well-suited for bridesmaids with longer hair, as it provides the necessary length to hold the intricate design.
While a high party ponytail is a popular choice, a low ponytail can also be an exceptionally elegant updo option. This sophisticated style, often featuring a hair-wrapped elastic and polished waves in the loose strands, creates a refined and chic look.
When opting for a half-up style, consider pulling the secured hair into a small chignon at the crown of the head instead of letting all strands fall loose. Lana Condor’s bridesmaids showcased this chic approach beautifully.
For bridesmaids throughout the wedding weekend, a ponytail adorned with a charming, on-palette ribbon offers a stylish and elegant choice. This chic accessory was beautifully featured at an Italian welcome party, adding a refined touch to the ensemble.
For bridesmaids with bangs, there are several versatile styling options for an updo. They can be left loose to frame the face, swept elegantly to the side, or completely pinned back, as demonstrated by Madeleine White’s bridesmaids.
Whether for a mature bridal party member or a young flower girl, a beautiful hair barrette featuring an accent like a flower or rhinestones can effortlessly complete their wedding day look, adding a touch of sparkle and charm.
A hair pin serves as another sophisticated accessory to incorporate into bridesmaids' hairstyles, lending an elegant shimmer to classic updos like a chignon or French twist.