Weddings
Bridal buns, braids and flowers. 38 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
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGajra
Flower garland worn in the hair or on the wristAdorned · Any hair
🇨🇳 ChinaChinese hairpin
Traditional Chinese hair ornaments used to secure buns and signify status.Adorned · Any hair
🇺🇸 United StatesTignon
A wrapped cloth headdress worn by Creole women in Louisiana.Wrapped · Any hair · 1786
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreDastar
A turban worn by Sikhs to cover uncut hair and signify faith.Wrapped · Any hair · 1699
🇪🇸 SpainPeineta
Large decorative comb worn under a lace veilAdorned · Any hair · 1800
🇮🇳 IndiaHead shaving in Hinduism
A ritual act of head shaving in Hinduism for purification, mourning, and devotion.Shaved · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaGhoonghat
A headscarf worn by married women in parts of India to cover the face.Wrapped · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaPunjabi paranda
A multicoloured silk braid extension from Punjab.Adorned · Any hair
🇻🇳 VietnamKhăn vấn
A traditional Vietnamese head wrap coiled tightly around the hair.Wrapped · Any hair · 1744
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreBuyao
A Chinese hairpin with dangling ornaments that sway when the wearer moves.Adorned · Any hair
🇰🇷 South KoreaHwagwan
Elaborate Korean ceremonial coronet for womenWrapped · Any hair
🇰🇷 South KoreaJokduri
A traditional Korean silk coronet worn by women for weddings and formal events.Wrapped · Any hair
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
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
🇯🇵 JapanBunkin takashimada
Traditional Japanese bridal updo with a high bun.Updo · Any hair · 1860
🇮🇳 IndiaAmbada
Decorated Maharashtrian bridal hair bunUpdo · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaKerala bridal jasmine plait
Long braid wrapped in fresh jasmine garlands for Kerala brides.Braid · Any hair
🇪🇹 EthiopiaShuruba
Traditional Ethiopian cornrows and braids worn by women and men.Braid · Any hair
WorldFishtail braid
A two-strand plait resembling fish bones or a corn stalk.Braid · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaPoola Jada
A floral and jewelled adornment for South Indian bridal braids.Adorned · Any hair
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBengali khopa
Traditional centre-parted bun worn by Bengali brides.Updo · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaParanda
A colourful woven tassel braided into Punjabi hairAdorned · Any hair
🇬🇧 United KingdomPsyche knot
A soft, low bun popular in the Edwardian era.Updo · Any hair · 1900
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Tignon: François Fleischbein, Public domain, 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
- Ghoonghat: sushmita balasubramani, CC BY 2.0, source
- Khăn vấn: André Salles, Public domain, source
- Buyao: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Tsunokakushi: Flickr user Photocapy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Jokduri: derivative work: Caspian blue ( talk ) Korean_dance-Jinju_pogurakmu-01, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Head tie: Dili Osuhor ( Teemages ), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Peineta: Hiart, CC0, source
- French twist: SWinxy, CC BY 4.0, source
- Gajra: Amarnath, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Chinese hairpin: Augusthaiho, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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
- Punjabi paranda: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source