Wedding guest hairstyles can be a tricky one. You don’t want to steal the spotlight from the bride, but also, you want to show up and show out for your friends on their big day.
Photo: Instagram.com/lacyredway
If you’re unsure of what direction to go in, there are a few factors that can play into what style you go with. For starters, do you have a read on what the vibe is for the day? Is it boho? Is it classic? Is it romantic, beachy, OTT or understated? If you really want to represent, ask the bride (or groom) what the mood is, that way you can lean into the wedding aesthetic with a co-ordinated look.
Next, take the weather into consideration. If it’s an outside event, or destination wedding, updos and braids can help keep things looking cool, calm and collected, whatever the sun or wind decides to do.
But, if there’s no real theme specified, it’s game on. There are loads of wedding guest hairstyles that can up the ante of your outfit – and they don’t have to feel prim and traditional. In fact, we love seeing guests bring their personal style to wedding proceedings. And, since you’ve been hand-picked by the happy couple to bring the party, it makes sense that they’d want you to add a little of your own flair in there.
With weddings becoming less prescriptive, the guidebook has pretty much gone out of the window, so if you’re looking for a one-size-fits all answer to the question: “how should I wear my hair as a guest to a wedding?”, or “is it OK to wear your hair down to a wedding?” the rules are… there are no rules. Our best advice would be to check in with the nearly-weds on how formal they envision the day being – and go from there.
One way to show your support though, is to put in a little more effort than you would on a regular, off-duty day. But you can re-examine the looks you’d consider wedding-appropriate, provided you give them a little polish. Among the anti-prim hairstyles we love are slick high ponytails, ultra-sleek, ultra long plaits, braids and pigtails, ’90s loose updos worn with a modern spin, cute baby braids, mussy texture and accessories: the more the merrier.
Below, some of our favorite wedding guest hairstyles to save for later.
Sleek, simple chignon
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Messy chignon
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Waist-length braid
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Super slick bun
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Braided bun
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Side-swept curls
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Feathered bun
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Embellished braid
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Curly updo
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Ballerina bun with a modern twist
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Impeccable edges and a sleek braid
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Statement hair slide
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Ultra slick plait
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Bantu knots
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Slick spiky bun
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Curly half-updo
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Loose tumbling updo
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Accessorized buzzcut
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Loop bun
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Slick chunky bun
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Waterfall ponytail
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Immaculate braids
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Rope braid
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Stacked-up curly updo
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Half-braided ponytail
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’90s updo
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Ponytail braids
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Gift-wrapped ponytail
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Flower-studded low bun
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Pearl embellished bun
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XXL bobble braid
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Flower French twist
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Low chignon
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Ear tuck bob
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Preppy ponytail
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Originally published in Glamourmagazine.co.uk
