Why you shouldn’t wear your hair up on your wedding day | wedding hairstyles
I’ve never asked a bride why she chose to wear her hair up for one of the most important days in her life when she normally wears it down – but lots of women choose bridal hairstyles that are different from anything they’ve worn before. Is it really wise?
Personally, I can’t think of many occasions, as a wedding photographer, when a bride has looked more attractive (than normal) because she had her hair in an up-style.
As a wedding photographer, I sometimes second shoot which tends to mean that I meet the bride (and future spouse) for the first time on their big day.
Thanks to social media, I’m not usually going in completely blind – I’ve probably seen a picture, sometimes several pictures of the bride as she normally looks (on holiday or on a night out) but that was really the trigger for this blog because so often when I pitch up for photos, the bride I meet looks very different from the person I saw on social media, and not necessarily in a good way.
Here are some observations I’ve made about wedding hairstyles as a wedding photographer along with a few suggestions for getting amazing photos of your special day.
When it comes to bridal hairstyles, it’s worth remembering that up-styles don’t suit everyone
With wedding hairstyles, it sometimes seems like brides feel they have to put their hair up in order to look special on their wedding day. That’s just not true.
What’s more, if you’ve never worn your hair up, have you considered that perhaps it’s because you don’t think it suits you?
When you’re looking for wedding hairstyles, why not choose something that makes you feel beautiful but still looks like you.
Most women look younger with their hair down
If you’re over 25, putting your hair up will almost certainly make you look older in your wedding photos. Try it, take some selfies of up and down-styles and ask friends; better still ask your future spouse how they prefer you to wear your hair. After all, this is the person you’re doing it all for, isn’t it?
I’d be extremely surprised if they don’t have a view on how they like your hair worn best. And if you are going to show them some selfies with different up-dos, you don’t have to show them the actual wedding hairstyles you’re considering.
Wearing your hair down doesn’t have to mean doing nothing with it at all. Half up half down wedding hair is all the rage now and don’t forget you can add flowers, veils, tiaras and other hair accessories to a down style too. I just wouldn’t recommend the Holly Golightly look unless like Audrey Hepburn you look about 19.
Up-dos make a thin face look thinner
Surely looking thinner can’t be a bad thing, I hear you say. Well, not necessarily.
Even young and beautiful brides will struggle to look their best if they appear too thin and, when it comes to your wedding photography, nowhere will this be more apparent than in the face.
If you have a thin face, having half up half down wedding hair to frame it will help to soften any lines and add width for photos, particularly if you’re a mature bride. Of course, you can still have some of it up. I just wouldn’t recommend wedding hairstyles that take all of it off your face.
An up-do will draw the eye to a bad complexion
Not in the case of this beautiful bride (above) of course but if you don’t have a great complexion, please bear in mind that more of it will be on show in your wedding photographs if you choose wedding hairstyles that involve you wearing your hair up.
Most wedding photographers don’t mind Photoshopping a couple of images but if the whole album needs fixing, it’ll probably cost you more than all of your wedding photography put together. Half up half down wedding hair will certainly help to disguise a bad complexion.
Up-dos can make a curvy bride look matronly
Don’t get me wrong, curves are fabulous, I love them but you do need to be careful, when you’re choosing wedding hairstyles, that your normal youthful bloom doesn’t make you look like Queen Victoria with your hair up.
And remember – nothing shows off a double chin like an up-do. Up-dos on people with double chins make it difficult for any photographer to get a flattering shot unless you’re face-on to the camera and even then you have to push your forehead towards the camera to diminish the chins.
So, if like many brides today, you prefer candid documentary style wedding photography rather than posed images, this is one to avoid.
Instead, why not go for half up half down wedding hair; choose a style that lifts at the cheekbones but leaves some hair at the back, that can also be brought round to the sides; this is likely to be far more flattering and elongate the neck if you have a fuller face.
Ultimately, it’s your day and these are your wedding hairstyles – and this is an emotive subject
In fact, the last time I brought this subject up, it got an impassioned response from a few brides that felt you should do what makes you feel pretty and not care what anyone else thinks. I agree with the sentiment but I would say that you won’t feel too pretty when you look at your wedding album if you don’t actually think you look pretty in the photos as well.
Of course, if you’re not entirely happy with your choice of wedding hairstyles when you see your final wedding album, you really can have your photos retouched. I personally think that, where possible, prevention is going to be better than cure.
If this blog post has arrived too late for your choice of wedding hairstyles, my retouching services include face slimming, blemish removal, skin smoothing and wrinkle removal. You can find pricing information for my photo retouching services here.
For more bridal hairstyles take a look at my wedding photos gallery.
