How should I wear my hair for my wedding?

[Undomiel]

Hi all! :)

Just looking for some opinions on how I should style my hair for my wedding day. I'm tailbone length now (about 1/4 way to classic) and will most likely be classic length on my wedding day.

I'm getting married next October and of course as hair obsessed as I am, I've been purusing through pinterest for wedding hair ideas. I'm interested in doing a half-up or leaving it completely down. Definitely want some curls as well. Anything retro, romantic or celtic inspired (little details, i.e. braids) are looks I like. That's sort of the clothing style and "theme" of the wedding as well, though I'm mostly just saying "fall" or "red" (just because picking a main color makes things easier). Just thought I'd mention it in case that comes in to the factor with what you think would look good. Also, I'm not doing a veil or tiara or birdcage hat thingy. I considered doing a thin veil that would clip in with a half up and just go down the center of my hair but I'm not sure as a lot of the styles I like don't feature veils anyway.

Here's a few pics of what I'm thinking of going for. The barrette clipped to the side is probably my favourite at the moment.
http://i62.tinypic.com/24oopr9.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/35mps3o.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/3486n9j.jpg

So LHC, whatcha think? You guys are the super long hair styling professionals after all :)

[Undomiel]

Forgot to mention, I'm not dead set on those 3 styles I posted in the images. They're just ideas. Feel free to throw any styles at me! I'd love to see them :)

[Charybdis]

I always think half-ups are lovely -- softer than full up-dos, but they keep your hair out of your face. The keeping hair out of face thing is useful both for photos and for not getting totally annoyed with your hair when you're hugging people, cutting cake, dancing, eating, etc.

I know you didn't ask, but my three big pieces of wedding advice for brides: (1) Wear comfortable shoes. (2) Make sure you eat some of the food you paid for. If you can't get a break from people talking to you, just tell them you have to eat now! (3) Hire a babysitter or two to be at the venue to help out with the guests' kiddos if you're not having a child-free wedding. It's not a big expense, and everyone has a better time.

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials! :D

[lapushka]

I love the first option, with the free cascading curls, but then I'm prone to liking curls. ;) I don't much like N°2/3 for a wedding setting (even though: curls too).

[Undomiel]

Charybdis, Thanks for the advice :)! My mom recently got married in September and brought her ball dancing shoes with felt bottoms to change into after the ceremony. I think that was a very wise idea on her end. We're close to the same shoe size so I may try to borrow hers. And you are right about keeping hair out of the face, good point! A half-up would definitely be more practical, though if I wore it all down it probably wouldn't bother me as I don't have layers and it stays well behind my shoulders anyways.

[lapushka]

I just recommended these channels on another thread, but I think you'll find lots of ideas there:
https://www.youtube.com/user/LaDollyVita33
https://www.youtube.com/user/ladollyvita333

[Undomiel]

lapushka The baby's breath and the curls certainly are beautiful and very romantic :). Maybe I could see what sorts of delicate fall flowers would work in a style such as that.

Edit: Thanks for the links too ^_^!

[Ishje]

I think they are all gorgeous! But the second picture is my favorite. Are you going to a hairsalon or is a family member doing your hair?

[Undomiel]

Ishje Thanks :)! I think I'll probably DIY it. Only concern is what products to use so the curls last throughout the night. Did I mention I'm very frugal XD

[embee]

Good luck on the curls lasting. Mine fell out part way through the reception, with the best strongest most disgusting helmet-hair hairspray I could buy. :( For the rest of the day my hair looked like straw.

Personally, I like your style #1, it's so pretty and looks "wedding" to me. You say you liked #3 best so far, but then you say your hair stays back behind your shoulders. Part of the look for #3 is the hair in front, so you might have to think about that.

It is always a puzzle, because during the ceremony people see you from the back but during the reception they see your from all directions, but often from the front.

Also, if you have what is considered "a beautiful neck and shoulders" an updo shows that off best.

You might want to think about an option for rainy weather... when *nothing* will keep your long curls in. Probably your favorite go-to bun with your flowers/jewels/ribbons/whatever will work best there! It could even be done between ceremony and reception if it's your go-to. ;)

[Undomiel]

embee Good point on the curls LOL. It's more like wishful thinking at this point going "They CAN last right? This could be a possibility? :D".. I'll have to research and see what will last the longest I suppose. That's true about style #3. I'd have at least the right side over my shoulder for most of the day. Maybe a half-up is a better idea after all. For style 3, at an autumn wedding, do you still thing baby's breath would look nice or is that too spring? Wonder what sort of flowers would go well with that. And I'll def be bringing some hair toys for an emergency bun! It's indoors but you just know it's going to get super warm dancing, or my hair will look screwed up or something and buns fix everything :)

[SaucyWench]

What style is your gown? You hair should be along the same lines.

[Kina]

embee Good point on the curls LOL. It's more like wishful thinking at this point going "They CAN last right? This could be a possibility? :D".. I'll have to research and see what will last the longest I suppose. That's true about style #3. I'd have at least the right side over my shoulder for most of the day. Maybe a half-up is a better idea after all. For style 3, at an autumn wedding, do you still thing baby's breath would look nice or is that too spring? Wonder what sort of flowers would go well with that. And I'll def be bringing some hair toys for an emergency bun! It's indoors but you just know it's going to get super warm dancing, or my hair will look screwed up or something and buns fix everything :)

If you're going to try for curls, a wet set with plenty of hair friendly gel is your best bet to get and keep curls. That means setting your hair probably AT LEAST 24 hours in advance of styling. Depending on the size you want, you'll need to pick your curler size appropriately and do a half up, your stats indicate that your hair is probably a bit heavy? the weight will pull down any curl, but if you keep it in some form of a half up, it should last at least through the day and a good portion of the evening.

For your hair to simulate the first 2 pics, you'll need lots of mid size rollers (maybe an inch in diameter) and did I say lots? seperate your hair into sections no larger than the diameter of the roller. For tailbone length hair, I'd piggy back the rollers like so (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17a7OrcTz2k) to get consistent curls throughout the length. This will also result in a lot of root volume, which you may or may not like. I would recommend you practice it well before the big day so you know what you're hair will look like and how to manipulate it with curls.

In the video I linked to, she's using larger rollers, but that's meant to straighten out the hair, you're looking at adding curls. Also, with smaller curls, it will hold longer and as weight and gravity straighten your hair, it will loosen into waves, instead of straight.

Good luck and congratulations!

[Robot Ninja]

I like the first one. That third one is pretty but it looks like it would turn into a poufy mess within minutes. I just don't see those big, heavily styled curls lasting through a wedding and reception.

If you like baby's breath, wear baby's breath. I don't think the time of year really matters.

[AmberJewel]

Personally I like #1 and 2 best. The first one is so beautiful and romantic and the second is beautiful and intricate with a Celtic feel.

[Madora]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Manwathiel! How about a combination braid like this:

sides lace braided/joined together at back of head, then rest of hair that was used for both lace braids braided down half way. Rest of tassle curled. Remaining hair left free flowing. You could stick bits of baby's breath in thru the crossovers (in a haphazard fashion) (and secure with a bobby pin or two).

[ravenheather]

I like the first one and madora's suggestion as well. Congratulations.

[rusika1]

I also like the first one best.

For my September wedding back in the dark ages I wore my hair in a half up. The bouquet was autumn flowers like mums and asters in deep jewel tones, and the florist made me a comb/barrette with the same flowers.

[Caldonia Sun]

I like #1 the best. Fortunately you have lots of time to do trial runs and experiment with what will work best and give you the freedom of movement you'll need. Best wishes!

[Nique1202]

If you search for "Game of Thrones hair" on YouTube, the show has featured a LOT of gorgeous half-up styles with dutch and rope braids. Users silvousplaits and torrinpaige have done a number of tutorials on how to do them yourself. Congratulations and good luck picking just one style!

[Undomiel]

SaucyWench I agree with you. I haven't picked out my gown yet, but it will be vintage/retro looking, floor length, romantic and lace fabric or details on it.

Kina Thank you very kindly for those detailed instructions! I'll have to give that a go once I acquire some better rollers and post my results. :)

RobotNinja Thanks :)! The first one seems to be the hit.

AmberJewel Thanks for your opinion! My fiance likes the 2nd best. I like the celtic look as well, but the first is very romantic and free-spirited. Decisions... lol.

Madora Thank you very much :)! Your idea sounds great. I have yet to master the lace braid though. Definitely will test run that out. Good thing I have almost a year to go ;).

ravenheather Thank you :)!

rusika1 Your wedding hairstyle sounds lovely! I bet you looked stunning :).

Caledonia Sun I'm glad I have time too LOL thanks for your opinion :).

Nique1202 Thanks! Never considered the Game of Thrones as inspiration for wedding hair. I'll give that a look!

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From the advice I've been given, I think I need to "out" option 3. It may be glamorous but it's definitely impractical LOL. So a half-up in some shape or form it is!

Thank you guys so much for helping me narrow it down a bit and being the voice of reason. Funny enough, deciding on my hair for the wedding has been the thing I've been most unsure of what to do. Most brides seem to be BSL length and wear fancy buns and well, lots of us wear buns all the time so it's fun to show off the length on a special occasion :). I'll work on trying some styles out and post back here with my results, probably after the crazyness of Christmas dies down in January.

[ladyjulia]

The first picture is so soft and romantic! I also like the last one but it doesn't look as soft and natural....it looks a bit forced? If that makes sense. Like you forced your hair to do that.....I also think that over time as the wedding goes on the first on will hold up better.

[Kina]

My pleasure :)