A funny little fact that you might not know about me is that I was a traveling wedding hair dresser for 12 years before I started this blog. I love wedding hair and it was my favorite to work on behind the chair. So today I’m sharing my professional hair tips with you on wearing braids in your hair for your wedding! Braids are romantic, soft, bohemian and if done right they are gorgeous. A bit temperamental in the fact that the more you move and touch them, the more they can fall out and get frizzy – but it’s totally worth it. If you start with the right foundation, use strong products and have a great stylist, your wedding braid will look lovely the entire day!
Hair Style + Image Credits
1 LEFT: Hair Style: Hair & Makeup by Steph // Image: Troy Grover Photographers // Found on: Wedding Chicks — 1 RIGHT: Hair Style: Unknown // Image + Found On: Tessa Barton — 2 LEFT: Hair Style: Gabbi Baker // Image: Coco Tran Photography // Found on: Style Me Pretty — 2 RIGHT: Image + Tutorial Sea of Shoes — 3 LEFT: Hair Style + Tutorial: Lindsey Pengelly // Image: Danielle Rose Cooke // Found on: Free People — 3 RIGHT: Hair Style: Hair & Makeup by Steph // Image: Alix Loosle // Found on: Utah Bride Blog — 4 LEFT: Hair Style: Brenna Mader // Image: Amy Nicole Photography // Found on: Ruffled — 4 RIGHT: Hair Style + Found on: Hair and Makeup by Steph // Image: Ciara Richardson Photography
What Type Of Hair Works Best:
No matter if you have long, medium or short hair, braids just work. They are one of the most versatile ways you can wear your hair. There are endless options and combinations of styles that it’s almost overwhelming. You can wear braids all the way up, half way in between, in a pony, with your hair down and just as accents. Braids create the perfect foundation for lovely little hair jewels and such. If you have thin hair, braids aren’t the ideal look but your stylist can make it work with lots of backcombing and hair spray. To make a long braid look gorgeous and full like some of these pictured here, you might want to think about adding a few of the clip-in type extensions for extra volume.
What Hair Color Looks Best:
For a braid to really shine – you need dimension in your hair color! If your hair color has a very solid, one-color look, the braid won’t show up as well as it would with an ombre for example. Which in my opinion is why the braid has made such a crazy comeback this last year. With everyones gorgeous dimensional color, braids of all shapes and sizes are looking amazing – from running errands to your wedding day. If you like your solid color, just have your stylist put a few baby highlights maybe a shade or two lighter than your original color, across your crown so that they will peak through your braid and give you that sun kissed look.
When looking for the perfect braided wedding hair style, my best advice is to search for braids within your hair color! ie. if you have blonde hair, search “blonde wedding braid” or “blonde braid”. This will give you a much better idea of how it will actually look in your hair.
Getting the Look:
Although I like to think of myself as the DIY wedding queen — as an ex-hair professional, I do not recommend DIY wedding hair styles (unless you are a professional!). Styling your own hair for your engagement party, bridal shower and bachelorette party on the other hand is totally acceptable and these braided looks would be perfect!
Dirty hair is a must. One or two days dirty will give you a better foundation for your style. Start with dry shampoo , it adds volume, removes grease and will give you more texture for your braid. Add a few blasts here and there of a working hair spray as you go, it will help hold things in place but has enough give that you can continue to work with your style. If you want to accentuate certain strands use a dry wax to piece them out. Once you are happy with your design, finish with a firm hold hair spray . Try not to move too much or touch your hair before portraits are complete, after that any movement will only embellish your boho look. It’s always good to keep a few bobby pins in your pocket in case stray pieces start to fall.
If you have a specific wedding hair style that you want Jen to discuss, please leave it here in the comments and maybe you’ll see it next month!!
Hair Style: Hair & Makeup by Steph // Image: Alix Loosle // Found on: Utah Bride Blog
