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The ring has been sized, the dress tailored, and the RSVPs accounted for, but you still have one major to-do: Sifting through the best wedding hairstyles to find your look for the big day. After all, the desire to express one’s whole self visually in a single hairstyle is nearly as difficult to do as it was to distill your essence into your now-defunct online dating profile.
The requirements are simple enough. The goal is something timeless and not overworked; understated glamour with ethereal panache. A look back at history’s chicest brides should be proof enough that the very best version of yourself is waiting on the other side of a sleek blowout, a romantic braid, gently tousled waves, a neat top knot, or, in the case of marrying a rock star, era-appropriate volume.
From Diana Ross’s baby’s breath-adorned chignon to Jane Birkin’s untamed floral crown, here are some of the best wedding hairstyles to ever make their way down the aisle.
1. Beach Waves
Barefoot and blissful, Crawford's laissez-faire loose waves complement her casual beachside wedding. Get the look by loosely braiding towel-dried lengths, allowing to air dry, and finishing with your favorite sea spray.
2. Tiara-Topped Braid
For a whimsical, regal twist, Margherita Missoni accentuates her classic braided updo with a glinting silver tiara. The accessory elevates the milkmaid braid to something more glamorous—and shouldn't your wedding day find you feeling like romantic royalty?
3. Braid Crown
Sweet and simple is the name of the game for this Dutch stunner. Bette Frank's braid crown is made stronger for its easy weave, the loose French furthered by romantic flyaways and natural texture.
4. Capped Curls
Ingrid Bergman's pin curls peek out from her Juliet cap in this vintage bridal style. Though this style may have been more of a standard during Bergman's 1937 nuptials, an above-neck revival offers the perfect amount of era-inspired bridal beauty.
5. Flower Crown
Flower crowns can come with a certain amount of cheese, but a well-executed floral accessory is elegant, playful, and romantic. Audrey Hepburn's dark hair provides a striking backdrop for a stunning crown of white rosettes.
6. American Royalty Bouffant
The ultimate wedding hairstyles are a slight amplification of the bride's preferred aesthetic—and for Priscilla Presley, that translates to a stylized bouffant. In case you didn't know this was an occasion, a rhinestone crown and three-foot veil top off the gravity-defying style.
7. Sweet Pixie
Sometimes, wedding day glamour is best achieved through understated elegance. Here, Mia Farrow is the poster child of gamine chic with her short pixie cut and simple white skirt suit.
8. Pinned Updo
The year was 1952, and Jacqueline Kennedy's hair was pinned in an elegant updo as she said “I do” in front of 700 guests. To update Kennedy's coiffure, keep the curls and sweetly pinned approach, adapting the silhouette to suit your style.
9. Floral Curls
Disco meets flower child in the late-70s style. Marisa Berenson frames her iconic natural curls with a handful of delicate white irises for her walk down a Beverly Hills aisle.
10. Taut Twist
Leave it to Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, to deliver one of the best wedding hairstyles of all time. The actress-turned-princess accented her taut, polished, confection of a twist with a long, lace veil to create a moment worthy of a royal wedding.
11. Winged Waves
Farah Fawcett's signature feathered waves made an extra-teased appearance at her 1970s wedding in Los Angeles, a sun hat topper making the style all the more summery, glamorous, and bohemian.
12. Bun With Baby's Breath
A sleek low know is chic and timeless, all while providing the ideal foundation for a collection of bridal accessories. Here, white flowers and a veil accent Diana Ross's raven, slicked-back wedding hair.
13. Bombshell Blonde
Come-as-you-are beauty is a surefire means of ensuring that you feel like yourself on your big day. Rather than an overwrought updo, Brigitte Bardot opted for her easy bombshell blonde for her wedding to actor Jacques Charrier.
14. Old Hollywood Waves
Lauren Bacall's deep part and polished waves epitomize Old Hollywood glamour. Retro hair is back in a big way, making the present the perfect time to recreate this soft and sophisticated style.
15. Classic Curls
Not one to stray from what works, Marilyn Monroe wears her bridal bombshell blonde chop pinned up into classically romantic curls, her coif covered with a chin-length wedding veil.
16. Brushed Curls
Bianca Jagger's bridal mane is worthy of a rockstar wedding. The party girl's hair fell in a styled cascade of brushed curls, her brunette mane peeking from beneath her Yves Saint Laurent chapeau.
17. Full Bangs
There's something to be said for simply wearing what works on your wedding day. Betty Catroux's wedding hair is identical to her everyday hair: bohemian, pin straight, and heavily banged.
18. Adorned in Daisies
Why let your bouquet have all the floral fun? Socialite Minnie Cushing wears her hair is pulled up off her face, teased into a voluminous beehive, and adorned with a sweet smattering of daisies.
19. Air-Dried Texture
Yoko Ono's white felt hat is the ideal topper for her freewheeling mane, worn for her wedding to John Lennon near Gibraltar, Spain. Here, air-dried texture and a want of Mod are the styling stars.
20. Low Bun
This slicked updo is forever. Vanessa Traina's picture-perfect bun is pinned just above the nape of the neck, covered (and elevated) by her cascading (and custom-made) Givenchy tulle bridal veil.
21. Loose Lob
Jane Birkin's bangs are iconic and render any superfluous additions entirely unnecessary—even on her wedding day. A loose lob and subtly flipped out ends make for jaunty, celebratory wedding hair.
22. Piled-High Updo
The early ‘80s demanded drama, as demonstrated by this piled-high style worn by modern Pat Cleveland. This textural updo functions as an elegant addition while keeping the hair out of Cleveland’s face.
23. Rose-Pinned Updo
A pinned, slapdash updo gets a surrealist addition by way of an unexpected addition. A rose in full bloom is tucked into the Nouvelle Vague's Anna Karina's banged and curled style, the floral accessory making a major, surprisingly funky statement.
24. Textured Chignon
Caroline Trentini's textured, raked-back chignon is effortlessly chic. With a few loose pieces of hair framing her face and a low-positioned veil, the style feels timeless, Old World, and relevant.
25. Sleek Bun
Jemma Kidd, the Countess of Mornington, opts for a classic, center-separated bun. Though a standard for the style set, the sleek option doubles as a wedding hairstyle fit for English nobility.
26. Half-Up With Flowers
Delicate florals are tucked into Zosia Mamet's easy half-up style for a touch of appropriately bohemian whimsy. Loose face-framing bangs lend to the wedding hair's effortless nature.
27. Chignon Bun
A simple low-slung style can make a major visual impact. Serena Williams's amber-tinted lengths are woven into a generous nape-of-the-neck knot, the twist positioned to one side to romantic effect.
28. Teased Tie-Back
Actor Nazanin Mandi's updo hinges on just the right amount of tease at the crown and a set of side-swept tendrils, making the case for a modernized bouffant. When in doubt, opt for ease and volume.
29. Sleek Knot
Hailey Bieber is one for a pared-down trademark look—and when it comes to her hair, that look is a slicked, center-parted knot. As such, it's unsurprising that she selected the same style (though veil-topped) for her wedding day.
30. Asymmetrical Updo
With its deep side part and a panel of loose waves, Paris Hilton's platinum updo showcases the beauty of little asymmetry. Plus. the perfectly polished finished is in keeping with Hilton's ever-perfect styling.
31. Half-Up With Curtain Bangs
Nicola Peltz wears a half-up with wispy curtain bangs, the look inspired by a 1990s-era Claudia Schiffer. Brunette roots and the bohemian bang team to make the classically romantic wedding hair feel cool and of-the-moment.
32. Side-Parted Knot
True to her penchant for all things chic, understated, and relaxed, Alexandra Daddario's scraped-back knot is both practical and elegant. A deep side part adds the perfect amount of elegant drama to the otherwise simple style.
33. Updo with Fresh Florals
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas celebrated their nuptials across over a series of celebrations. For this ceremony in New Delhi, fresh florals adorned both the sides of Chopra's updo. Fragrant and fanciful.
34. Matching Headband Ensemble
Beanie Feldstein's summer camp-themed wedding weekend had tons of personal and gorgeous touches—and for the welcome party she greeted guests in this silken floral dress with a matching headband.
35. Bedhead Blond
In custom Chanel
36. Modern Middle-Part Updo
Hairstylist Serge Normant created a classic modern loose chignon for Meghan Markle's wedding day.
37. Loose and Romantic
Taylor Hill's multi-day wedding came with a variety of styles, but the ceremony saw her brunette left loose and romantic, pinned gentle at the sides to lift lengths off of her face.
38. High and Tight Updo
For her Portofino, Italy, wedding Kourtney Kardashian selected a veil-bedecked updo defined by tightly swept back hair so you could focus on the joy in her face.
39. Long with Large Barrel Curls
America's Olympian sweetheart Simone Biles's bridal beauty look included mermaid waves, made with a large barrel curling iron.
40. Half-Up Waves
Joey King's romantic and tousled blowout is made stronger through the subtle half-up styling. Rather than a full-tilt partial updo, King's pin-up comes from two small sections secured at back.
41. Finger-Raked Knot
Quiet luxury is partially due to Sofia Richie's nuptials, for which she wears a chic, raked-back midi knot—an ideal blend of sleek and textural.