Your hair and your dress are always seen together: in the mirror, at the altar and in every photograph of the day. That is why the neckline says a lot about which wedding hair will suit you best. Depending on how much neck, shoulder and back it leaves on show, some styles complement it and others compete with it. Knowing those guidelines helps you picture the whole look. Even so, they are only guidelines, and the final word always goes to how you see yourself.
Why the hairstyle is chosen with the dress in mind
Before I think about any hairstyle, I always ask to see the dress. A photograph is enough, even one sent from home, or just the name of the design, so I can look it up and see it from different angles: from the front, from the side and from the back. That way the hairstyle stops being a loose idea and becomes part of the whole look.
If you have not chosen your dress yet, I recommend waiting until you have it before looking for hairstyle ideas. The dress sets the direction, and starting earlier usually means starting twice.
Strapless, sweetheart and V-neck dresses
These are the most versatile necklines of all. They leave the neck clear and lengthen the figure, so almost any style works: a high or low updo, sleek or relaxed, a half-up style or hair worn down. With them the choice depends more on your own style than on the dress, because the neckline goes with all of them.
What hairstyle goes best with a strapless wedding dress?
Almost any. Along with the sweetheart and the V-neck, it is one of the most versatile necklines: it suits updos, half-up styles and hair worn down. The choice depends above all on your own style.
Off-the-shoulder and Bardot dresses
An off-the-shoulder or Bardot neckline leaves the shoulders bare along a soft, horizontal line. It is the neckline that best welcomes half-up styles and romantic hair worn down, because the hair falls over the shoulders and carries on the softness of the dress. A low updo suits it very well too, if you would rather keep your shoulders fully on show.
Open-back dresses
When a dress leaves the back on show, the back is part of the design, and the best choice is an updo that lets it be seen. The height depends on the back itself. If it has lace detailing, a mid or high updo gives it all the attention. If it is completely open, a low updo frames it beautifully. In both cases any updo works as long as the back can be seen, and from there your own taste decides.
Should you wear your hair up or down with an open-back dress?
Up, so the back can be seen. A mid or high updo if the back has lace, and a low one if it is completely open.
Asymmetric necklines
An asymmetric neckline already has movement of its own, and it asks for a hairstyle that follows it with the same freedom. That is where boho and relaxed updos fit best, along with hair worn down or half-up styles with very fluid waves.
Wedding hair for high-neck and halter dresses
In a high-neck or halter dress, the fabric rises up the neck and draws a vertical line. A high updo carries that line upwards and lengthens the whole figure, while a low style would cut it off at the nape. That is why, with these necklines, wearing the hair up high works best.
What hairstyle goes with a high-neck wedding dress?
A high updo. The fabric reaches up the neck, and lifting the hair continues that line upwards and lengthens the figure.
Boat-neck and crew-neck dresses
With a boat neck or a crew neck, a low updo, as clean as possible, works best. These necklines already carry a lot of fabric and detail around the neck. Add more hair and more detail, and the whole look can feel overdone. A simple updo lets the dress shine and frames the face without taking attention away from it.
Wedding hair for a square neckline
With a square neckline, an updo works best. It can be high, low or mid, as long as it keeps the neck clear and the hair away from it. This neckline draws a straight line that frames the neck and the collarbones, and hair worn down would cover exactly what the neckline shows.
What hairstyle suits a square neckline wedding dress?
An updo, high, low or mid, that keeps the neck clear.
No guideline matters more than how you see yourself
Everything above is a set of style guidelines based on theory. Theory helps you find your way, but nothing is fixed. If, with a halter neckline, what makes you happy is a half-up style and you feel beautiful in it, that is the proposal that goes ahead. A book can say what usually flatters a neckline. What really matters is how you feel when you look at yourself on your wedding day.
If you are unsure which hairstyle goes with your wedding dress, bring photographs of it to the trial. With the dress in mind, the options are tried on your own hair and it becomes clear which one flatters you most.
