Tag Archives: trends in bridal headpieces

Bridal Hairdo’s … And Don’ts.

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The way you wear you hair on your wedding day is dictated by two things: Your headpiece and your personal preference. Now that I have completely narrowed it down, here are the highs and lows of up and down hairdo’s:

#1) Wearing your hair completely different (even for one day) is not as easy as it sounds. If you are used to wearing your hair down, make sure you like the way you look with your hair up before you decide this is the way to go.

#2) Wearing your hair down sounds easy but it still involves a great style and the right product. The last thing you want is for all of your curls to flatten out after the ceremony. The same goes for straightening curly hair. Also beware of changes in weather. Speaking from experience a misty rain will turn a loose curl into Tina Turner’s wig in about 15 minutes.

#3) Practice, practice, practice – Make sure you have a trial hairdo with your stylist and the headpiece as soon as possible. If you don’t like the results, try again. Keep trying until you have the hairdresser, product, and end result you feel comfortable with.

#4) Don’t experiment too close to the wedding. No one should be severely changing their hair color or style a week before their wedding.

#5) Be realistic. Not everyone is the same – so the style you imagined may not look as good on you as you thought it would.

#6) Only use trusted professionals. Because your friend or neighbor says they can do hair doesn’t mean they should.

#7) If you can’t decide if you want your hair up or down, why not try two different hairstyles, one for the wedding and one for the reception?

Most importantly, you want your look to be timeless. The last thing you want when you look back at your wedding photos is to be reminded of a popular hairstyle that didn’t transition well into the next decade. Today’s brides want soft, loose, natural looking hairstyles.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Veils, veils and more veils!

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Considering the average bride spends $275 on her wedding veil and headpiece, it only seems natural that we examine how bridal head-wear has evolved in the last 100 years.

In the 1920’s it was the cloche hat with a long, heavy lace edged veil attached.

In the early 1930’s it was an even longer veil with little or no lace edge but still attached to a smaller version of the cloche.

In the late 1930’s it evolved to a larger headpiece (not a hat at all) usually paired with a smaller, fingertip veil and no lace edge at all.

In the 1940’s the veil became less significant as women were wearing hats – decorative, embellished and grandiose!

The early 1950’s saw the return of the veil, mostly fingertip or even shorter along with a small hat (of course) and the latter part of the 1950’s was dominated by the return of the lace edge, thanks to Jacqueline Kennedy.

Along comes the 1960’s and the re-invention of the veil. BIG and short and long and wide, along with a pillbox hat or all by itself – the veil was back!

The most popular headpiece throughout the 1970’s was called a Juliet cap which sat on the back of the head with any and all kinds of veil, short or long.

The 1980’s was veil paradise – long veils embellished with sequins and the famous “pouf” which came in layers attached to the back of a headband that usually came to a point in the middle of the forehead, sometimes with a giant teardrop in the center. Or a huge bow on the back of your head with an even huger veil attached. Everything over-embellished bend your imagination.

The 1990’s brought an end to the era of big is better and more is not enough. The headpieces were streamlined just like the gowns and most of the time you would see a woman with nothing more than a silk or some kind of embellished flower on the side of her hair, low in the back with a long simple veil.

At the turn of the century, Tiaras were the headpiece of choice and veils were attached to them in  various ways, almost always so they could be removed after the ceremony and you could wear the headpiece without the veil for the reception.

The current trend in headpieces is crystal headbands and hair ornaments. Most are worn with some sort of detachable veil, some are worn without any kind of veil at all.

The veil has gone through many different changes and stood up to dozens of trends. However, brides across the board seem to agree on one thing: the veil is very important to the overall look and most don’t feel completely dressed for their wedding without it.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago