How to Do Wedding Updos

While planning a wedding is an exciting time, it can also be a stressful one between extensive planning and executing the finest of details. One of those details is selecting the perfect hairstyle, with updos being one of the most popular. This article will help make that process easier by discussing how to select the best updo based upon a number of factors, such as the length of your hair, your face shape, the style of your dress and your choice of hair adornments. It will also give you step-by-step instructions on a number classic and modern updos for long, medium and short hair.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Choosing and Preparing for Your Updo

1
Start by getting your hair in top form. All hairstyles will look more polished once done and be easier to create when your hair is healthy. If it's not in its best shape, start fixing that early. Start by getting a deep conditioning and an allover trim. Continue these, in addition to maintaining the necessary balance of moisture and protein in your hair, through washing and conditioning. Finally, avoid styling your hair with heat as much as possible, or ensure you use thermal heat protectant products and low heat when you do.
- You will know your hair needs more protein if it feels dry and frizzy, stretches a great deal but still breaks, feels limp when wet, or if it doesn't hold its curl or style very well.
- It needs more moisture if it breaks or snaps very easily, feels brittle or straw-like, or doesn't stretch much or at all.
- Since you may not yet know what updo you will choose, don't make any drastic hairstyle changes in cut or color before your wedding.^{[1]XResearch source}
- On your wedding day, you also don't want to overdo it on hair products. Your goal is shiny and frizz-free hair, but you also want it to look natural, not nuclear.^{[2]XResearch source}
2
Know the four foundational updos. The classic updos are the French twist, bouffant, chignon and bun. From here, there are not only subcategories such as the beehive is to the bouffant but also hundreds, if not thousands, of variations to these four classics. A number of techniques are used in these variations, such as braiding, twisting, rolling, tucking, knotting, teasing and lots of pinning hair. Below are descriptions of the fundamental four.
- A bun is typically made from a ponytail, though it doesn't have to be, that's wrapped around itself, whether twisted or braided. They can be anywhere on the head.
- A chignon technically means a low bun, but in modern terms also represents using a variety of techniques like tucking and rolling hair. They are always low on the head. ^{[3]XResearch source}
- A French twist is a created by tucking hair in a vertical row at the back of the head. A French braid is a braid woven close to the head from three sections of hair.^{[4]XResearch source}
- A bouffant is a style popularized by Audrey Hepburn, in which the hair is generally teased and arranged in a higher, rounded shape with bangs in most cases.
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3
Take your hair length and facial form into consideration. When choosing an updo, thinking about your hair length at the time of your wedding (and trial run) is critical. While there are dozens of updos for short, medium and long hair, not all work for all hair lengths.^{[5]XResearch source} Additionally, as with all hairstyles, some are more flattering on certain face shapes than others. Here are some tips for choosing an updo according to your face shape.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Oval-shaped faces can do nearly any updo, and bangs will accentuate your eyes. But don't wear too much hair in your face.
- Round-shaped faces want to add focus to the crown, so a French twist with curls on top, tousled bangs to the side, and off-center parts all work well. Avoid slick-back styles, those that add width around your face, or straight and flat bangs.
- Heart-shaped faces benefit from bangs and wisps on the side of the face and side parts but should stay away from slick-back styles and too much height at the crown.
- Oblong/rectangular-shaped faces look good with slick-back looks, side parts, fuller styles such as piled curls and bangs to shorten your face. Shy away from tight curls on top of the head, wisps around the face and center parts.
- Reverse triangle/pear-shaped faces look best with updos that add height on the crown, especially with full bangs, and updos with wisps of hair angled toward the face. Too much height, however, should be avoided as should center parts.
- Square-shaped faces do well with wisps around the face and bang areas and curly updos. Straight, flat bangs and center parts, though, aren't your best bet.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Check out this website also to help you choose a flattering updo: thehairstyler.com/hair-consultations/find-your-perfect-updo-hairstyle.
4
Ensure your updo will work with your headpiece, veil and/or hair adornments. Not every bride chooses to wear a headpiece, veil or adornments in their hair, but if you do, it's essential to factor yours into deciding upon an updo. It will affect your options. In fact, you cannot choose an updo until you've selected your headpiece. If, however, you find an updo you fall in love with, you might consider forgoing a headpiece altogether. Here are some tips on selecting headpieces and adornments if you decide to do so.
- Stay away from headpieces that poke and prod at your head when you initially try them on; it won't get any better, and by the end of your long wedding day your head will be killing you, literally.
- Because of this, look for headpieces that require fewer pins or have fewer teeth in the combs.^{[8]XResearch source}
- If your hair is fine and straight, your headpiece will need fine-toothed combs if that's how it's attached. If you find one with wide-toothed combs that you love, ask the store if they can replace them.^{[9]XResearch source}
- Short-hair updos can greatly benefit from adornments, such as a rose tucked into the back where a bun might be if your hair were longer, for example.
- Larger, oblong hair clips work well at the mid-to-lower seam of French twists, and jeweled pins clipped on low-swept fronts and among messy curls substitute nicely for a headpiece.
5
Consider your dress and theme when choosing an updo. What word would you use to describe your look and wedding? Vintage? Classic? Glamorous? When selecting an updo, keep this word in mind and choose accordingly. For instance, if your dress is a large but simple ball gown, a dramatic updo might be most appropriate while something more subdued and sleek might be best for a dress with a more intricate design.
- Your updo should be complementary to your wedding gown, not in competition with it.^{[10]XResearch source}
6
Look at photos of updos to help in your selection. When searching for a wedding gown, you're able to try on dozens, or more. The same doesn't apply when searching for the perfect updo. Nonetheless, to find what you most want, you need to see what's out there from which to choose. Start looking through bridal magazines and websites, focusing on how various updos are paired with dresses and facial types. Also look at publications and websites in which celebrities are featured attending red-carpet events as many will be wearing updos.
- When you find updos you like, either tear them from the publication or print them. Use a sharpie to write what you like about each, and file them in a folder marked “Updos.”
- After you've collected a nice sample, go through them to see if you notice any themes, such as multiple photos of a side-swept, low bun or a particular way bangs are styled.
- From here, narrow it down to 1-2 updo styles and choose the versions of each you most like.
- If you're having trouble, remember that classic updos are timeless, ones you won't look back on in photos and regret. Trends come and they go!
7
Schedule or perform a trial run, or more than one. You may choose to do your hair yourself, or you may have a trusted friend or a stylist do it for you. Whatever you choose, don't wait until the day of your wedding to find out what your updo will look like on you – or if it will even work with your hair texture and length. If your hair is the length it will be when you wed, you can go ahead and do the trial run as soon as you've selected a gown, veil and headpiece. If not, it's best to wait until closer to your wedding day as weather affects hair, stylists move, you might change your mind and so forth.
- If you choose to go with a stylist but haven't chosen one, ask other women you know, your wedding planner, the coordinator at your wedding or reception venue, look online, talk with your wedding photographer, etc., for recommendations.
- Take your collected images with you, along with your headpiece, veil and a photo of your dress, to your trial run.
- Ask to see the stylist's portfolio, and don't be afraid to not only voice your opinion but also seek another stylist if it's just not working to your satisfaction.
“Dirty” hair holds curl longer, is easier to tease and will have more shine as the natural oils in your scalp will have had time to spread the length of your hair. When you shower, put a cap on or pull it back with a scrunchy. At most rinse, but certainly don't shampoo. And remember: Give yourself plenty of time, wear a button-down shirt or one with a very loose neck, and don't suffer for hours from hair that's pulled too tight or from pins jabbing you everywhere.^{[11]XResearch source}
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Creating Long-Hair Classics

1
Wrap a ballerina bun. Rub a pea-sized amount of smoothing serum or a nourishing hair oil like argan into your palms. Use your hands to grab your hair and slick it back into a high ponytail, and then wrap it with a clear elastic band. Next twist the ponytail around itself into a tight bun, securing it with bobby pins the color of your hair. Use a medium-hold hairspray and spray it over your head in a continuous motion, with the can held about 12” from your head.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Try tucking a flower into the bun slightly above and forward of your ear.
2
Tease your way to a French twist. Start on the top of your head and tease ½ - 1” sections of hair to the scalp all the way around your head before using your fingers to gently break up the teasing on the surface of the hair only, making it smooth. Next create a gentle side part and smooth the smaller section to the center back of your head, securing it with 2-3 large bobby pins in a vertical direction. Take the other side of your hair (or in sections) and use your hands or a fine-toothed comb to smooth it to the center and fold it over the exposed bobby pins. Secure the twist with 3-4 large French hairpins, or open pins, horizontally.
- Smooth over your hair with your hands before finishing with a medium-hold hairspray.^{[13]XResearch source}
- If you have long, thick and straight hair, try this: Pull your hair into a ponytail between the crown and the nape of your head, twist the ponytail around itself twice, tuck the ends into the twist, secure them with bobby pins and finish with a flexible-hold hairspray.
3
Go chic with a chignon. Tease your hair at the crown and create one tight ponytail just beneath the middle of your head, securing it with a clear elastic band. Wrap a 2” piece of hair from the ponytail around it and the band, more than once if needed, and secure underneath with 2 bobby pins. Split the ponytail into two sections – top and bottom – and tease the bottom well while you smooth the top. Smooth the top section over the teased bottom and roll it under, toward the nape of your neck, and pin at the base of your ponytail. Use your hands to gently widen each side of the roll.
- Rub a natural oil between your palms and run your fingers through your hair before spritzing on a medium-hold hairspray.
- For a messier chignon, divide the ponytail into four sections, twist and wind each to the ponytail's base. Secure with bobby pins, leaving the ends out.^{[14]XResearch source}
4
Fashion a bouffant. Flat iron your bangs to the side and then use a small-toothed comb to tease your hair, starting at the crown in horizontal sections and moving forward to the bangs. Then smooth the surface of that hair back and gather the rest in a mid-low ponytail, wrapping it in a clear elastic band. Twist the ponytail upwards in a clockwise direction, tucking hair into the twist. Use bobby pins or French hairpins to secure as you go. Smooth the sides and the twist with your hands or the comb.
- Set it in place with at least a medium-hold hairspray.^{[15]XResearch source}
- Headbands go well with bouffants and help to hold stray hairs in place.
- You can also try corkscrew pins, which work particularly well if you have curly hair.
- Always use a thermal heat protectant before using a flat iron to protect your hair from potentially irreversible damage.
5
Make either maiden or milkmaid braids that wrap around your head. Create a center part, section hair to either side of your head and braid each into thick, loose pigtails. Wrap each braid over your head, so they are slightly overlapping, and secure each at the nape of your neck with bobby pins. You may need to add bobby pins elsewhere as well. If you have extra hair, tuck it under and pin or continue winding and pin.^{[16]XResearch source}
- Alternatively, you could begin by winding each braid beneath your head and securing them at the top.^{[17]XResearch source}
6
Look sweet in upswept curls with soft, side bangs. Flat iron bangs to the side and curl the rest of your hair with whatever size iron you prefer your curls to be. Then spray them with a light hold or working hairspray and allow them to cool. Section off your bangs from the hair going from ear to ear and tie it into a high ponytail with a clear elastic band. Use bobby pins to arrange your curls in the ponytail in your preferred pattern, securing them into the base of the ponytail. Grab curled sections from the bottom part of your hair, lift them to the ponytail and pin.^{[18]XResearch source}
- Mist with a medium-hold hairspray for hold but yet enough bounce.
- Tuck a flower behind your ear to add to the softness.
- Make sure you've used a thermal heat protectant prior to using the flat iron.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making Updos for Medium-Length Hair

1
Create a loop chignon. Divide hair over your crown and clip the lower section off with a crocodile clip, or other large clip. Secure the rest of your hair in a clear elastic band as if you are making a ponytail, just above the lower section of hair – but don't pull your hair all the way through. Form a loop instead and use bobby pins to tuck in hair that's sticking out from the end of the ponytail that has been looped. Wrap the lower section around the ponytail as many times as required to end at the bottom. Secure with more bobby pins.
- Finish with a medium-hold hairspray or spray some in your hands, rub them together and smooth over your hair.
- You can also pull out pieces of hair around your face to soften your features.
2
Make a messy updo. Create ringlets by winding 1” sections of hair around a 1-to-1 ½” barrel curling iron, held vertically, and then loosen them with your fingers after they cool. Next take 1” sections of hair on the top of your head and sides and twist them inward, securing each with a bobby pin to add volume to the top of your head. Separate the back of your hair into two sections and loosely tie the top with a clear elastic band. Tease the bottom to create a messy bun by grabbing it into a mass, wrapping a clear elastic band around it and stretching it vertically and horizontally. Then take the top half of your hair and wrap it around the bun and secure it with bobby pins at the bottom.
- You can pull some pieces of hair down around your head or use a blow dryer to go around your head for a more windblown look.
- Finish with a medium-hold hairspray and a light spritz of shine spray.^{[19]XResearch source}
3
Try a reverse French twist. Use a fine-toothed comb to tease your hair all over. Smooth the surface of your hair only using your fingers before creating a gentle part and grabbing a 2” section of hair near your temple from the side of your hair that you've parted. Pull it to the center of your head, smoothing it as you go, and secure with first one bobby pin and then another crossing it. Continue doing this to the bottom. Move to the other side and do the same, ensuring the hair covers the crossed bobby pins, and secure these sections with vertical bobby pins hidden underneath. Push the tail that's left under the twist and slip bobby pins underneath to hold it in place.
- If you want a little more volume on the top, gently use your fingers to pull the hair up at the top of your head.
- Spray a medium-hold hairspray all over your head to set.
4
Whip out a braided bun in no time. Gather all of your hair into a low center ponytail and secure with a clear elastic band. Braid the ponytail and twist it around itself. Secure it with either bobby pins or French hairpins, depending upon how thick your hair is.
- For a more relaxed feel, pull out a few strands of hair around your face and loosely curl them with a curling iron before creating the ponytail.^{[20]XResearch source}
- Rub a pea sized amount of smoothing serum or a natural oil like argan between your palms and lightly smooth your hands from your front and side hairlines to the bun for a sleek and shiny look. Set it with a light-hold hairspray.
- You can also position the bun to the side of your head by creating a low side ponytail or at the top of your head by creating a high ponytail.
5
Recreate a romantic, Edwardian-era Gibson tuck. Create a gentle part and twist 1-2” sections of hair over themselves, starting at the top of your head, continuously grabbing more sections of hair to pull out and over the ones before until you reach just below your ear. Secure the twined hair in place with a clip before doing the same to the other side. Next combine both into a low ponytail at the nape of your neck and work your fingers into the hair just above the ponytail band to create an oblong pouch. Bunch up the hair from your ponytail and tuck it inside the pouch, securing with bobby pins pushed downward into the pouch.
- If you want the roll that's produced to have more volume, tease and then smooth the surface of your ponytail before tucking.
- Smooth all over with your hands and finish with a medium-hold hairspray.^{[21]XResearch source}
- If you have bangs, you can twist them in as you start at the front or leave them out, manipulating them to the side with a flat iron or wearing them straight down.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Crafting Short-Hair Updos

1
Style a poofy-front ballerina bun. Create three sections of hair – one in the front from ear to ear, one over your crown, and one with the rest of your hair – and tie each with a clear elastic band to form a row on top of your head. Hairspray and tease the bottom two ponytails. Wrap the middle one around the back of the bottom one, and secure it with a bobby pin. Next wrap the bottom one around the front of the now-forming bun and pin. Take out the front ponytail band, tease the hair, smooth the top layer, pull it back to the bun, pin it, and wrap the rest around the bun, securing it with a bobby pin or two tucked underneath.
- Before pulling the front section back, you can use a small amount of pomade to smooth the bun, and use pins to tuck in stray pieces.
- Give it a good, all-over misting with a medium-hold hairspray to complete the look.^{[22]XResearch source}
2
Frame your face with a faux bob. Create a deep side part and use either a 1-2” barrel or triple-barrel curling iron to create waves, section-by-section, throughout your hair before letting your hair cool. Gently pull back the hair from just above your crown down to your ears and secure it with a clear elastic band into a loose ponytail just above the nape of your neck. Pull the band down so there's space between it and your scalp and tuck the tail and the band underneath your hair, holding it in place with bobby pins.
- Use a light or medium-hold hairspray and lightly spray all of your hair so curls don't become weighed down.^{[23]XResearch source}
- You can loosen the curls in the front by carefully running one or two fingers through them.
- For more volume in the front, finger tease the curls at the root and then set with hairspray.
3
Design a romantic chignon. Wind 1-2” sections of hair around a 2” barrel curling iron held vertically to create large curls for texture all over your head. Let them cool and then tease the hair at your crown. Take a 1-2” section of hair at both temples and pin them at the lower part of your head with bobby pins. Continue pinning back sections randomly – you're going for loose, not stiff and tight. Curl any strands that fall out at the bottom and any long pieces in front to frame your face.
- Finish with a light-hold hairspray.^{[24]XResearch source}
- Make sure you apply a thermal heat protectant to your hair before brandishing the curling iron.
4
Work wonders with a short-hair French twist. Tease the top of your hair, smooth it, twist it in the direction you want the twist to go, push up on it for volume, and secure it with a bobby pin. Take all the hair on the other side, pull it to middle of your head, and secure with a vertical row of crisscrossed bobby pins. Take 1-2” sections of hair from the other side, starting at the top, and smooth each over in a curved fashion to cover the bobby pins before securing each with a bobby pin hidden underneath the twist. Create a small bun from the remaining tail hair, tuck in the ends and pin it against your head.^{[25]XResearch source}
- Spray hairspray on your hands or rub a dab of smoothing serum or argan oil between your palms and run them other the front and sides of your hair to smooth.
- Add a hair clip to the seam of the twist to glam it up or to hide areas that are a bit short and aren't cooperating.
5
Incorporate a wedding headband into a tucked chignon. Curl the ends of your hair using a 1-1¼” barrel curling iron to keep them from popping out of the tuck. Then apply a very small amount of a light-hold styling cream to the ends for extra hold. Position an elastic headband 1-2” behind your hairline and pin it in place. Starting on on one side in the front and moving down, take 1-2” pieces of hair, twist them back and up, tuck them into the headband, and secure each with a bobby pin if needed. Do this all the way around your head.
- Spray well with a medium-hold hairspray.
- You can also lightly tease and then smooth hair before twisting and tucking if yours is particularly fine.^{[26]XResearch source}
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Expert Q&A

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Question
What are your favorite wedding updos?
Nine Morrison
Beauty Consultant
Nine Morrison is the owner of WedLocks Bridal Hair & Makeup, the largest bridal beauty company in Colorado. Her work has been featured in Brides Magazine, The Knot, and by Moroccanoil, and her company replicates this standard across 400+ weddings per year. She has been in the beauty industry for over 10 years, and also travels as a beauty educator and business consultant.
Nine Morrison
Beauty Consultant
Expert Answer
All of my favorite updos for brides have a tone of texture and movement to them. Lately, some popular trends we've been seeing are low buns and buns that are placed at about the middle of the head. Also, I think ponytails should be more popular. You can make them so elegant, and there are a lot of fun ways to style them that I think are underutilized.
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Question
Are there any good styles for natural hair?
Community Answer
Yes, a bun is a go-to style, or a ponytail. Or, if you like, you could just leave you hair down!
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