As an Indian bride, your wedding hairstyle might be lower on your potentially vast list of preparations. After all, you’re likely planning several different pre-wedding ceremonies that span multiple days. Since each of those ceremonies comes with outfit and jewelry changes, your brain might be burnt out on finding inspiration once the time comes to figure out your beauty look. To give you a hand, we’ve rounded up plenty of stunning Indian bridal hairstyles to choose from with the help of two Mumbai-based Bollywood hairstylists.
- Amit Thakur is a Mumbai-based Bollywood hairstylist who created the bridal hairstyle for actress Kiara Advani’s wedding.
- Namrata Soni is a Mumbai-based Bollywood hairstylist and makeup artist.
Tips for Picking the Best Hairstyle for Your Wedding
Thakur, who worked with Bollywood actor Kiara Advani for her recent wedding, advises that you move your wedding hairstyle to the bottom of your to-do list. He tells his clients to choose their outfits, jewelry, and makeup first. “The hairstyle helps balance out the whole bridal look.”
“Traditions play a very important role when deciding hairstyles, especially on the wedding day,” says Soni. For example, for pre-wedding rituals like the Haldi (which involves covering the couple in turmeric paste) and the Mehndi (where brides have intricate henna designs applied to their hands and feet), hairstyles that don’t get in your way and that are pulled up off your face are your best bet. “The Haldi and the Mehndi functions involve everybody coming together, celebrating, and having fun,” Thakur says. For those, he typically opts for “playful, cute braids or half-tied looks because the bride’s hands are covered with henna and you can’t touch your hair to move it away from your face,” says Thakur.
For evening welcome parties and sangeets — ceremonies where friends and family come together to give speeches and celebrate — Thakur recommends a more glamorous hairstyle like Old Hollywood-inspired waves.
On the actual wedding day, Indian brides typically wear vibrant and intricately-embroidered veils called dupattas. These veils — which are worn on the head and drape past the shoulders — are also often accessorized with a maang tikka, a piece of headwear jewelry that sits on the bride’s hairline as well. “Every region has its own set of traditions and rules when it comes to the main wedding ceremony,” Soni says. “For a lot of brides from Northern India, it's quite compulsory to tie up their hair, while many South Indian brides traditionally tie their hair into gorgeous long braids.”
This last tip is crucial for the success of any bridal hairstyle, including ones worn to Indian ceremonies. Soni says it’s important to consider the environment where you plan to have your different ceremonies. “There are so many brides who love and want to do [loose] hair for their main wedding ceremony, but sometimes the weather doesn’t permit it,” she says. If you plan on having your wedding in India, Soni stresses that you’ll likely be in hot weather, “unless you are lucky enough to get married in cooler months of January and February or are having the wedding in places up north like Rajasthan or Delhi.”
Indian Bridal Hairstyle Inspiration
“Flowers are a great way to add fun, freshness, and color to a look,” Thakur says. He recommends choosing flowers that have petals that are well rooted in the bud, like roses, carnations, or orchids. To attach the flowers, he suggests using long, U-shaped hairpins. “Fold one part of the u-pin and make it like a hook,” he says. “Then, attach the flower with the u-pin hook in the bun, and this will ensure that it won't come out easily.”
Florals can act as pops of color to polished updos, like the above bun, side-bun, and chignon.
For a look that is more ornate, combine the florals with your hair jewelry. Thakur says he created this look with a color palette that complements the outfit, makeup, and complexion of the bride.
For the Mehndi and Haldi ceremonies, we see brides often choose more whimsical looks and incorporate headpieces like this pulled-back look with a floral crown to liven up their hairstyle.
Cascading waves are a classic bridal hairstyle that looks beautiful with veils and headpieces.
Thakur says the romantic style highlights the beauty of a saree, a traditional Indian outfit. “The idea of a saree is very feminine, beautiful, and delicate.”
Loose waves can also pull together a more opulent wedding look. For Advani’s sangeet, Thakur let the actor’s gorgeous gold lehenga — which consists of a gold bedazzled blouse and ankle-length skirt — be the focal point of her look. He left her hair parted to the side with big, voluminous waves.
Blowdrying your hair straight can create a subtle but striking wedding look. "Since this bride’s outfit was dark and glittery, I wanted to keep the bride’s hair slick, shiny, and straight to add sophistication to this look,” Soni says.
If you are wondering how to keep things sleek and straight all night, Soni recommends using a humidity-resistant product along with a heat protectant before blow drying. “Divide each section of hair and blow dry,” she says. “Then, run a straightener through it and put it into a velcro roller. This helps keep the hair’s body and smoothness.”
There are many reasons why you’d want your hair up: a particularly steamy weather forecast, traditional ceremonies you planned, a desire to dance the night away without anything sticking to your neck. In that case, buns, braids, and ponytails are all great choices for a look that is elegant yet practical.
The slicked-back bun is a popular choice for Indian wedding ceremonies, as it can keep your heavy dupatta and beautiful head jewelry in place.
One way to show off a high-collar wedding outfit or gorgeous earrings is by pulling your back into a ponytail. For actor Janhvi Kapoor (pictured on the right), Thakur wrapped a thick piece of hair around its base to hide the elastic and make the style feel finished.
For Advani’s Mehndi ceremony, Thakur gave the actor a gorgeous, wispy fishtail braid to keep her hair away from the henna being applied to her hands.
Can’t decide whether or not to wear your hair up or down? There are many wedding-worthy styles that fall right in the middle.
This half-up, half-down hairstyle is a classic choice for a welcome dinner or sangeet. Curl your ends for added glamour.
“In India, a pouf with a little bit of height is a very popular wedding look.” Soni says. She loves this hairstyle for its dimension and texture.
For a more playful look, you can style your hair with two mini braids swept to the side and leave the lengths of your hair in voluminous curls.
Read more about South Asian beauty:
- Kulfi Beauty Debuted at Sephora and Launched a Brand-New Concealer
- How 3 South Asian Women Learned to Love Their Curls
- Meet the First South Asian-Founded Ayurvedic Skin-Care Brand to Launch at Sephora
And now, watch Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's winged liner hack:
