How New York's Top Salons Do Bridal Hair
"It doesn't have to be so done anymore."
Summer wedding season is here. If you’re a bride-to- be, you know picking your hairstyle for the big day can be just as monumental as selecting your wedding dress.
Great news, brides! Just like bridal fashion, the hairstyle options are endless. Instead of the traditional French Twist and Ballerina Bun, some of the most flattering hairstyles now include soft, natural-looking styles, as seen on celebrity brides like Jennifer Aniston and Sofia Vergara, who both wore their long hair down on their wedding day; Chrissy Teigen, who flaunted a braided up-do; and Gabrielle Union, who looked every part the beautiful bride with her wavy tresses pulled up in the front and cascading down her back.
Selecting your bridal hairstyle can seem daunting. To help you decide, we consulted NY-based celebrity stylists Ted Gibson and Oscar Blandi. (These are the kind of stylists Brooke from OMO would kill to get an appointment with.)
“Most women think about their wedding day and they think their look has to be so formal. I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” said Gibson, whose celebrity clients include Brie Larson, Lupita Nyong’o, Saoirse Ronan and Priyanka Chopra.“Fashion and hair dictate each other. Wedding dresses are not as formal and as contrived. You can get them really expensive or really inexpensive and your dress dictates what kind of hair you should have. It doesn’t have to be so done anymore.”
Brides looking for a universally flattering, not-too- coiffed look may want to take a cue from Union. “Gabrielle’s hair was half up, half down—I love that look. It’s modern and sophisticated. It translates if you change your dress or not change your dress after the ceremony,” said Gibson, who used to do that style on Angelina Jolie. “And if you’re a bigger woman, it works and if you’re a smaller woman, it works because what it does is, it shows off the face.”
Not a fan of up-dos? It’s OK. Long, flowy hair is no longer a bridal faux pas. “Sofia [Vergara] opted to wear her down and that’s classic her. If she had her hair up, that would have been kind of strange. She’s not very versatile in the styles she wears, she’s versatile in the colors she wears,” said Gibson, who’s doing all the press for Kristen Wiig and the “Ghostbusters” movie. “If her hair had been up, it would have made her look older and I don’t think it would have been as flattering.”
The key is to choose a style that you feel most confident and beautiful in. “Don’t be influenced so much by your mom, your sister or your best friend,” Gibson said. “Follow your heart. If you feel like your hair should be up, wear it up. If you feel like it should be down, wear it down. There are no rules like there used to be. It’s about who you are as a woman and who you are as a bride that day.” For trendy brides who want to flaunt the latest look, stylist Blandi said it’s all about the braided chignon.
“It’s a very big trend. It’s not like what it used to be—so messy with pieces hanging out. They still want to have the hair a little messy but they want a finished look,” said Blandi, whose clients include Kelly Ripa, Faith Hill, SalmaHayek, Naomi Watts and Julianna Margulies. “I just finished a braided chignon last week. It’s beautiful and kind of messy but collected and polished. The top is high, but not too high.”
Braids make any look on-trend, Blandi added. “Today the braid is a big deal. Everybody wants to somehow incorporate the braid. It can be a fishtail braid wrapped around the ponytail or wrapped around the bun.”
Whatever style you choose, the experts say to avoid testing it out cold the day of your wedding. “You want to make sure you have two or three trials with your hair and makeup people so you’re not a bridezilla on your wedding day,” Gibson said. “You also want to make sure you have your hair colored and trimmed a week before, but don’t make any drastic changes with your color and cut right before you get married.”
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