Weddings
Bridal buns, braids and flowers. 23 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.
Weddings bring out a community's most careful hairdressing. Brides, grooms, families and guests dress their hair for the day: jasmine-wrapped buns and jewelled plaits in South Asia, the gele and aso ebi of Yoruba weddings, the traditional shimada under a white hood in Japan, the veil and chignon of a church wedding. Many families hire stylists and book trials weeks ahead.
Styles for the day
Wedding hair has to last many hours, through ceremonies, photographs and dancing, so it is usually set firmly: buns, chignons and French twists held with pins, braids that will not loosen, curls set with heat and spray. Flowers are common: jasmine and rose gajras in South Asia, fresh flowers or a flower crown at many Western weddings. Many styles are built to hold a veil, a dupatta or a headwrap.
Guests and families
At a Nigerian wedding, guests often wear matching aso ebi cloth and tie geles in it, and professional gele tiers are hired. In India, women relatives wear gajras and buns; the groom may wear a turban, the safa or pheta, tied for him by relatives. Sikh grooms wear a turban, often in pink or red. Japanese families attending a Shinto wedding wear kimono with formal hairstyles.
Famous weddings hairstyles
Further reading
🇰🇷 South KoreaBinyeo
A traditional Korean hairpin used to secure chignons and signal social status.Adorned
🇺🇸 United StatesTignon
A wrapped cloth headdress worn by Creole women in Louisiana.Wrapped · Any hair · 1786
🇻🇳 VietnamKhăn vấn
A traditional Vietnamese head wrap coiled tightly around the hair.Wrapped · Any hair · 1744
🇨🇳 ChinaChinese hairpin
Traditional Chinese hair ornaments used to secure buns and signify status.Adorned · Any hair
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreBuyao
A Chinese hairpin with dangling ornaments that sway when the wearer moves.Adorned · Any hair
🇰🇷 South KoreaJokduri
A traditional Korean silk coronet worn by women for weddings and formal events.Wrapped · Any hair
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 4 moreHead tie
A cloth head covering worn across West and Southern Africa for fashion, faith, and tradition.Wrapped
🇪🇸 SpainPeineta
Large decorative comb worn under a lace veilAdorned · Any hair · 1800
🇮🇳 IndiaPunjabi paranda
A multicoloured silk braid extension from Punjab.Adorned · Any hair
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreDastar
A turban worn by Sikhs to cover uncut hair and signify faith.Wrapped · Any hair · 1699
🇮🇳 IndiaHead shaving in Hinduism
A ritual act of head shaving in Hinduism for purification, mourning, and devotion.Shaved · Any hair
🇯🇵 JapanKanzashi
Traditional Japanese hair ornaments made from metal, wood, silk, or folded fabric.Adorned
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGajra
Flower garland worn in the hair or on the wristAdorned · Any hair
🇰🇷 South KoreaDaenggi
A traditional Korean ribbon used to tie and decorate braided hair.Adorned
🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreMantilla
A traditional Spanish lace or silk veil worn over the head and shoulders, often with a comb.Wrapped · 1500
🇮🇳 IndiaGhoonghat
A headscarf worn by married women in parts of India to cover the face.Wrapped · Any hair
🇯🇵 JapanTsunokakushi
A white silk headdress worn by Shinto brides in Japan to cover the hairline.Wrapped
WorldChignon
A knotted hairstyle worn at the nape or back of the head.Updo · Any hair
WorldBraid
Interlaced strands of hair used for style and social signalling.Braid · Any hair
🇯🇵 JapanNihongami
Traditional Japanese hairstyles characterized by elaborate updos, side wings, and wax styling.Updo · Straight hair
🇷🇼 RwandaAmasunzu
A traditional Rwandan hairstyle featuring crescent-shaped hair crests.Styled
EuropeRoman hairstyles
Ancient Roman hair fashions reflecting status and identityUpdo · Any hair
🇯🇵 JapanFrench twist
An elegant updo where hair is twisted vertically against the head.Updo · Any hair · 1940
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Binyeo: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Tignon: François Fleischbein, Public domain, source
- Punjabi paranda: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Braid: Ciell, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dastar: Photography by Harkanwal Singh., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Head shaving in Hinduism: Napoleon is back, CC0, source
- Kanzashi: Anonymous ( Japan ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Gajra: Amarnath, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Daenggi: Korean_Folk_Village-Women_in_hanbok-02.jpg : parhessiastes, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mantilla: Museu Valencià d'Etnologia, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ghoonghat: sushmita balasubramani, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tsunokakushi: Flickr user Photocapy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Khăn vấn: André Salles, Public domain, source
- Chinese hairpin: Augusthaiho, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Buyao: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Jokduri: derivative work: Caspian blue ( talk ) Korean_dance-Jinju_pogurakmu-01, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Nihongami: 都新聞社 Miyako Shinbun, Public domain, source
- Head tie: Dili Osuhor ( Teemages ), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Peineta: Hiart, CC0, source
- Chignon: www.GlynLowe.com, CC BY 2.0, source
- Roman hairstyles: Colchester Museums, Caroline McDonald, 2004-06-02 14:47:52, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- French twist: SWinxy, CC BY 4.0, source