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How to pick your perfect wedding hair style.

There are many factors to choosing your wedding hair style, more than you might think! Today, I am going to share some factors that will hopefully shed some light on a hairy situation! If you are anything like me, you have a pinterest board dedicated to wedding hair styles, and every single one of them look flawless! So lets get right to it and start with the hair the good Lord gave ya.

Your natural hair.

Your natural hairs texture, thickness, and length will play a big part in a hair style that will work best for you.  If your hair is long, heavy and hard to hold a curl, loose waves are most likely not going to last you the whole wedding day.  If you have problems with keeping your hair curled, an up-do or half up half down might be your best option.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can get away with a couple long cute whispys to frame your face, because these can get thrown into the wind and any curl will be sucked right out, leaving you with some weird straight strands of hair. (Just check out my homecoming photos.)  *Tip: always have extra bobby pins to make a quick fix if something falls flat during your wedding day.

 

Unnatural hair.

Don’t like your natural hair? Want to add length or thickness? Clip in extensions work wonders!  Invest in a good pair of natural human hair extensions. You can take them to your salon and have them put in and trimmed to blend with your natural hair and you can even dye them if they do not match 100%.  I used extensions and got mine from Bellami Hair Extensions.  I loved mine, because my hair was shorter, and for my wedding I wanted longer hair. I even used the extensions many times after and dyed them red.

Will your wedding hair style showcase or cover your wedding dress?

My bride Lexi had the most stunning wedding dress, and it had some really beautiful detail beading on her back. For this reason, she chose a hairstyle that was down and to the side.  This is one of my favorite hair styles, because I love the long of long hair and showing off that length, but also its not taking away from the dress!  She got her hair done here at Salon Vici located in West Des Moines.

 

 

 

Will your wedding hair style stand up against the elements?

As an Iowa wedding photographer specializing in natural light, one thing Iowa will always do is give us unpredictable weather.  You will be taking photos outside, and if you are out in an open field or in the country expect some wind to happen.  Up-do hair styles, or hair that holds a curl well are some good options.  Braids are also a great way to add beautiful texture in your hair, while also keeping it in place!

Nature is not the only element your long locks might have to face, all of everyone including your parents friends you don’t remember will give you a hug today. That is going to potentially pull on your hair, so keep this in mind and be ready to brace yourself.

Keeping your veil in mind.

If you plan on wearing a veil at all on your wedding day, your hair will and the veil will stay in best if at least some of your hair is up.  A half up half down hair style or a complete up-do will work best!  The longer and heavier your veil is, the more you will need to anchor that puppy down!  Kelli had her hair styled by Maddison from the Tease Salon in Corydon Ia.

 

Half up – Half down or… let it all hang down!

I like to think that half up half down is a great mix of both worlds when it comes to wedding hair styles. You can get your hair out of your face while still keeping the length! On the other hand, my bride Holly has an adorable bob haircut and wore her hair down and I loved how it turned out!  Short hair is cute, no reason to hide it with a curly up do!

Keeping your face shape in mind.

Do you like the way your face looks with your hair pulled back?  If not, then you might not like an up-do.  Sometimes, you can help add more shape and volume to an up-do by making sure its a more relaxed style and have your stylist add some volume so your hair is not pulled tight against your scalp.  If you are not a fan of your face shape or jaw line, your hair can really help play a part in framing your face! Hair that covers the ears and part of your cheek will give the effect of a smaller face. If you don’t like your profile, an all hair down will be a great style to consider!

 

 

Ok but I really really want a hairstyle that might not work for my hair type, my heart says yes but my hair says no! What do I do?

My dear, this is when we bring in reinforcements! So your hair is a bit hard to manage, here are some things you can do to prepare for any hair mishaps on your wedding day!

  • Test out your wedding hair style.

Go to your salon and get a trail run, you should be doing this any ways to make sure you like how it looks!

  • Bring a shameful amount of bobby pins with you everywhere you go.

I’m serious.

  • Have some backup hairspray and texturizing paste.

Texturizing paste is magic in a tub, from one limp straight haired girl to another.

  • Touch up curls before the ceremony.

Even the strongest of hairsprays cant win against the Iowa winds.

 

No matter what you choose, you are going to rock it!

 

I hope this has helped give you some ideas and thoughts into your wedding hair day.  Up or down, there are pros and cons to both, you just have to decide what you love best and what is practical for you! Have fun planning your day, no matter what wedding hair style you choose you will be beautiful!

Hair I do, or Hair I don’t. | How to Choose Your Wedding Hair Style for the Midwest Bride

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I'm Kirstie! Living in Des Moines Iowa with my hubby Todd, our son James and two dachshunds! I'm a Coffee addict and Reality TV junkie.  Working with women owned business owners is my passion and I can't wait to make some magic with you! 

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