Best Wedding Hairstyles of 2016: According to the Experts

Welcome to the third installment of our four part mini-series featuring Stephanie Daga, the creative genius and hair and makeup extraordinaire behind Blush Pretty. For those of you that don’t know, not only is Stephanie an amazing artist to work with, her and her team are some of the most fantastic talent you can find here in Toronto. Make sure to check out their website for awesome hair and makeup tips!

Today, Stephanie will be telling us all about the hottest trends of 2016 and the best wedding hairstyles that her and the Blush Pretty team have recently seen on their clients. Without further ado, take it away Steph!

The team and I have seen it all over the past decade when it comes to hairstyles and doing wedding day hair! We’ve seen it up, we’ve seen it down, we’ve seen it grow more than 10 inches in a matter of minutes (thank you hair extensions!).

We definitely have our favourite looks, and while trends come and go, there is something to say about wearing your hair in a beautiful, timeless style that surpasses a lifetime of bliss. Here are our three favourite bridal hairstyles, that we think every bride should consider:

1: The Modern, Messy French Twist

It used to be that a bride wouldn’t even consider a classic french twist. Looking back, brides often associated it with being too stuffy, too stiff, and too…overdone. However, nowadays twists are twisted into perfectly imperfect rolls that are mixed with texture, volume, and softness.

The key to mastering this look and making it modern is to rake your hair back with your fingers instead of trying to gather everything by combing it back and pulling it tight. Let pieces fall as they may. Pair this with soft hold hairspray and you have a touchable, ethereal bridal look.

2: Long, Loose, Subtlety Structured Waves

Everyone seems to think bridal hair means going “up” – but that is a lie … I mean, if you’ve been growing your hair long for a year, or better yet, already living large with lush long hair – why hide it? A simple way to elevate a down ‘do for a bridal gown is to invoke your inner-Giselle and opt for waves. You’ll want them a little more structured than beach waves, but less prim than corkscrew curls. A large barrel curling iron does the trick!

Instead of clamping and curling up, take 1 or 2 inch sections and wrap your hair around the barrel starting closer to your roots instead. Mist your waves with a lightweight hairspray, and then break it up with your fingers a bit. But be careful: break it up too much and you’ll appear stringy; break it up too little, and you’ll still have bouncy curls.

Bonus tip: induce volume by setting your hair in large rollers first, and avoid weighing down your waves with shine sprays and oils.

3: The Textured Topknot

This particular style is so underrated! People think a topknot is too casual, but paired with the right princess style gown it gives a princes that perfect amount of edge. Keep in mind – we’re chatting textured topknot, and much like the chignon, we’re going with textured and NOT stiff.

Volume at the hairline and towards the crown is crucial for keeping this look bridal and not ballerina. Though, like a ballerina, the high bun will elongate your neck and give you a kick-ass profile! For the knot itself, keep it neat and round, but don’t get hung up on making it super smooth and perfect.

We definitely recommend chatting with your hair artist to see if any of the above styles can work for you. They are all classic, timeless hairstyles that will stand the test of time and are all worth trying!

Are you totally in love with all of these beautiful wedding hairstyle ideas? Don’t forget to check Stephanie and her team out at their website BlushPretty.com and say hello!

Which wedding hairstyles do you have in mind for the big day?

This blog post was originally written by Gloria Chik.