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Why do you need wedding hair accessories for your wedding outfit?
Accessories and jewellery are designed to enhance different features of your look in ways that we will explore shortly, giving you a little sparkle to show off as you walk down the aisle towards your future. Though they may not always be necessary, accessories allow you to draw attention in elegantly subtle – or more outstanding - ways, and can in fact serve a purpose that runs much deeper than simply looking pretty on the day.
Remember the old rhyme most often associated with Brides on their big day?
‘Something Old; Something New; Something Borrowed, and Something Blue.’
Steps to choosing the right accessories
1. Start with your dress. Not only will this be the most prominent and obvious part of your outfit and overall look, but it will also influence the overall style that you are going for.
From the textures through to your chosen fit, neckline and colouring, your wedding dress is the focal point to a tone of theme that you will want to compliment across the entire wedding design, and at the heart of the design, should reflect who you are as a person. For that reason, we always suggest taking some time to figure out what you are comfortable in and what matches your everyday style. Of course, your wedding dress should be special and unique, but if you stray too far from what you know and are comfortable in, you are at risk of feeling out of place on your big day.
Let’s look at an example of a dress and how it impacts on the overall wedding design.
Take a rural boho theme for example. To create a cohesive outdoor wedding that boasts natural influences and ideas, you will likely opt for a simply designed dress in a flattering fit, with low-key accessories and a focus on natural beauty rather than obvious sparkle. A wedding held at a grand stately home, in comparison, is likely to be a far more outwardly grand affair; with a larger dress that boosts more volume, and accessories that capture the eye and accentuate the different aspects of the look.
2. Consider your hair and ideal wedding style, particularly in line with the popular accessories available this year. How do you want your hair to look, does it match the theme and tone that your wedding dress is emanating, and will it work in your hair?
Believe it or not, the final question there is often one of the largest challenges we face in the wedding accessory industry, with Brides seeking out hairstyles and accessories that are unattainable given their natural hairstyle (without opting for wigs or extension).
Tiaras have been making a real mark on the wedding accessory industry in recent years, with televised Royal weddings having a huge impact on sales of tiaras and other hair accessories, such as long veils. Having said that, tiaras are one of the most difficult accessories to manage without the right styling, leading to an increased interest in decorative hair combs, hair vines and large sparkling clips as an alternative.
Hair Down?
Wearing your hair down on your wedding day is one of the simplest ways to tone down your overall look and create a more relaxed style. Generally, a hair down style matches the outdoor, boho and naturalistic style of wedding. If you are looking to wear your hair down on your wedding day however, a tiara may not stay in place. Equally, those with not enough length of thickness in their hair may stumble when it comes to securing the tiara in place.
In these cases, the best options for adding some sparkle to your hair are clips and headbands.
Hair Up?
When considering an updo for your wedding day, it is again important to consider what will make you feel elegant and Bridal but still in keeping with your personal style. The classic chignon has been the mainstay of Bridal updo’s for years now, and shows no sign of being pipped by other options. With variations ranging from sleek perfection to more tousled and relaxed, the chignon allows you to hold your hair away from your face and neck, and expose both your exquisite makeup and the keepsake necklace or earrings that you’ve chosen to compliment your wedding look.
If you do choose to opt for one of the classic updo’s, decorative hair combs and hair vines work best when placed around the top of the do; subtly attracting attention even when your back is turned.
Lastly, we come back to the keepsakes and heirlooms discussed earlier. Including those heirlooms and sentimental items in your wedding day look is something that we know is so important to each
and every Bride, but that doesn’t mean it has to be something that you decide on at the last minute. Trust us, all those movies where the Bride is given the perfect necklace to sit on her bare skin, just before she walks down the aisle... it doesn’t really work like that. Rather, you should plan in advance and work to match your other accessories to the heirloom; allowing it to create an elegant focal point – instead of being a stand out accessory that doesn’t quite work.
Types of Hair Accessories and how to wear them?
This part of the guide is all about understanding the various hair accessories available to you, and how to style each one. Which accessory you choose should be dependent on a number of factors; not least what you personally like the look of, but also the shape of your face, the style of your dress and overall wedding theme, and your chosen hairstyle.
Tiara
We’ll start at the pinnacle of hair accessories, with the one that every young girl dreams of one day being given the chance to wear. Tiaras are traditionally associated with Royalty, and have been worn to indicate status since the time of the Ancient Greeks. Today, they are far more likely to be found on the head of a Bride rather than a wealthy woman, and have been toned down to resemble more of an extravagant headband rather than a full crown - although the Royal family still wear traditional crowns and tiaras for formal occasions.
Making a full return to catwalks and accessory retailers across the world, today tiaras are fully back in fashion, with countless designs ranging from princess-cut diamond crowns through to understated tiaras and headbands.
When it comes to wearing a tiara, the first thing to consider is the height of the accessory and how it sits within your chosen hairstyle. If you are choosing a more relaxed hair style around the face, or if you have a particularly round-shaped face, a slightly taller tiara will actually give extra length to the face and enhance the line from your neck to your hairline. Paired with a statement necklace to balance the look, when styled correctly a Princess-style tiara can in fact look extremely elegant and compliment a low neckline.
Alice Band
Named for its most iconic fictional fan – Alice in Wonderland - the Alice band is essentially a thick hairband that rests behind the ears and can do anything from holding your hair back to adding a glint of sparkle around your head.
Perfect for creating an aesthetically pleasing hair do, Alice bands come in so many different styles that you won’t struggle to find one to match your wedding theme, though it is worth noting that the look created with a standard Alice band is typically traditional and quite conservative in style.
In order to create a more boho or informal look, opt for an Alice band with a thinner design or one made up of a connected pattern – rather than a solid block that encases your head in one strong line. The best way to choose a suitable band is to select your dress first, and then choose a style that compliments the dress neckline rather than stealing focus – for a lower neckline opt for a more extravagant Alice band, while a higher neckline should be paired with a more low key accessory in the hair.
Side Headband
Sitting around the top of the head much like the Alice band, side headbands are the master of comfortable headgear; providing a sparkling hairpiece with the security of a complete band that can easily be concealed by some clever hairstyling. Achieving the finish of a singular hair comb or clip, the side headband allows you to pull focus to one area of your hairstyle, without the worry of the style coming loose or shifting throughout the day – particularly when you hit the dance floor.
Side headbands are particularly popular with Brides with shorter hair, as well as those who opt for a half up-half down style and want to add a little decoration to an otherwise relatively low-key hairdo.
Hair Vine
Hair vines are a bit of a hybrid accessory, bringing together the simplicity of a hairclip and the comfort and practicality of a hairband, to create a real Bridal staple. Since growing in popularity throughout 2019, the sheer volume of hair vines available on the market ensures that there is an accessory designed to suit most styles of dress and hairdo – from delicate creations to bolder designs - suitable for positioning anywhere on the head thanks to their versatile and flexible construction.
If you’re looking to your hair accessory for a little glamour and bling, positioning a hair vine around a simple updo (such as the classic chignon) will draw attention to the elegant style, while fastening a hair vine into place on a more relaxed hairstyle will showcase a boho and natural look.
Hair comb
Hair combs have been around for centuries and yet remain one of the most popular accessories with Brides around the world – for good reason. As a wedding accessory creator, of course one of the primary selling points of hair combs is their tendency to be used in styling towards the back of the head – leaving the Bride’s frontal exterior uninterrupted and free to be accessorised with jewellery. Not only is this a selling point for accessory creators, but it also means that the hair can be styled without too much focus on any keepsake or heritage accessory items that are to be worn by the Bride.
Some of the best hair combs we’ve come across are in fact beautifully simple, focussing on either a complex design OR the inclusion of sparkles – rarely both together. Hair combs traditionally sit around the top of a chignon or bun hairstyle, or along the side of the head to sweep hair away from the face and expose the ears; though if you’re planning on wearing a veil, Bridal hair combs can be a clever disguise to hide the standard and cheap-looking plastic comb that secures the veil to your head, before being removed and repositioned as the focal point once the job of the veil comes to an end.
Top Tip; If you’re considering wearing a hair comb to pin your hair away from your face and also want to wear earrings, opt for a super simple hair comb that encompasses natural colours or a very plain design to compliment the earrings. Remember that the hair comb will be sitting close to your ears and so will be captured in the same line of sight as your earrings – and sometimes, less is more!
Hair Pins
When compared with the other Bridal hair accessories on the market, Bridal hairpins could well be considered one of the most versatile, easy to wear, and even recyclable (suitable for use after your wedding day thanks to their often less extravagant design). A timeless addition to any hairstyle, hairpins can range in design from large adornments through to delicate decoration and are often perfectly picked up by the camera in those candid close up shots.
In short, hairpins are considered a lighter and more low-key version of the hair vines and hair combs, and can be used on their own as part of a relaxed hairdo, or incorporated in a more deluxe “updo” as the perfect finishing piece. Typically, hairpins make fantastic gifts to Bridesmaids and can be designed to reflect and mirror a more extravagant hair accessory worn by the Bride; tying the Bridal party together in distinct but subtle ways.
