Bridal hair: 6 ways to wear your hair loose on your wedding day

Whether you’re deciding between a wedding dress that's more traditional or modern, or makeup that's more subtle or statement, at least there’s one thing that the A-list can help you with when it comes to your final look: wearing your hair down can look just as good as wearing it up.

From soft waves and tight curls to beachy texture and hair extensions, the key to mastering camera-ready hair lies in the preparation.

We asked bridal hair and Get The Gloss expert Emily Kent for her top tips for creating the perfect canvas at home. Click through our gallery to see our top wedding hair ideas for loose hair that will have you happily leaving the up out of your wedding do of choice.

TIP 1: THE PREPARATION

“The secret to great looking hair down on your wedding day is the prep - right from the word go with your shampoo,” she explains. “Hair needs to be super clean and able to hold as much body as possible, so a double shampoo is a must, followed by a light conditioner. Try L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Pure Resource, £10.99 and Paul Mitchell Keratin Cream Rinse, from £8.50 (find your nearest stockist here)."

TIP 2: THE BLOWDRY

“On to the blowdry, this really being the imperative step - think of this stage as giving the style guts,” says Emily. "The products you build up through the hair at this stage will give the style the hold which in turn will give you the longevity it needs as hair down is very, very difficult to keep looking good all day long.”

TIP 3: THE STYLING PRODUCT

“My favourite mousse is the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Full Form Mousse, £21.50. It adds a really nice level of volume with absolutely no stickiness at all. Dry this into the hair using a large ceramic brush in sections, then leave the hair in rollers for an hour or so as the first step to achieving good volume and hold.”

Celebrity Inspiration

Poppy Delevingne.

How To Create Her Hairstyle

Her Waves

“Creating a soft yet uniform wave can be done with a wand, my favourite is The Wand from Cloud Nine, £119.95,” recommends Emily. “The key is to plan how the waves are going to sit and follow that same pattern across the head. Curl in small sections at a time and pin up to allow them to cool into this position. Brush through with a bristle brush and hey presto!”

Her Veil

“The veil is positioned low, probably just to be worn for the ceremony. A simple section of backcombing underneath the top layers would give enough hold for a light veil such as this, and wouldn't be too difficult to remove after the veil comes out,” says Emily.

Top Tip

“Before you start waving, mist the hair with L’Oréal Elnett Hairspray, £6.60, allow to dry and then brush through. Do this a couple of times and then there will be no need for more spraying after the waves are complete, meaning the hair retains natural movement rather than becoming one solid block.”

Her Hair Colour

Poppy’s colour was done by Jack Howard, International Colour Director at Neville Hair & Beauty. For her look he used his Balayage hand-painting technique blending different blondes to give her hair a sun-kissed effect. Jack says, “I use L’Oréal Professionnel Platinium for her highlights and Inoa for her lowlights using the Balayage method; colour is lightly hand-painted throughout to imitate the way the sun would touch and lighten the hair. It’s the perfect sun-kissed look.”

The Hair Accessories

For a finishing touch that’s both elegant and slightly more quirky too, we love these Dipali Hair Pins from Anthropologie, £20. If you'd like to make a bit more of a statement though, try this ASOS Beaded Hair Garland, £12 instead.

Celebrity Inspiration

Kate Middleton.

How To Create Her Hairstyle

Her Curls

“Kate featured a soft updo in her hair and slightly more formed curls. This is mainly to support the tiara she has worn as well as to give the veil somewhere to be anchored into,” says Emily. “It works well to keep it soft and flattering by combining this structure with long curls.

“A medium barrel tong would be perfect for creating this look through the lengths and ends. Try the Babyliss Boutique Hair Tong, £24.99.”

Her Tiara

"The key to giving the style stability, especially when there is an adornment to be held in place, is backcombing. The hair needs some roughness to it in order to grip, so it doesn't start moving about throughout the day and night. Wearing a tiara also serves as a brilliant focal point from which the veil can extend.”

The Hair Accessories

Try this beautiful (aptly) named Rosantica Principessa silver-dipped pearl headband, £280 on for size.

As Seen At

Dolce & Gabbana SS14.

Get The Look

To ensure this look appears more wedding day-demure than festival chic, it’s worth investing a little bit more in buying something that really stands out from the crowd. Cue this beautiful floral-embellished headband by Eugenia Kim, £195 complete with crystals interspersed between the georgette flowers and you'll have all the makings for the perfect wedding ensemble fit for a midsummer’s eve.

Celebrity Inspiration

Kim Kardashian.

How to Create Her Hairstyle

Her Sleek Straight Hair

“I really love how simple Kim's hair is. Nothing flashy or over the top, just a sleek centre parting tucked behind the ears and a barely there wave,” says Emily.

“Getting the top of the hair full yet perfectly smooth can be done by combining a great full bodied blowdry and then perfecting with irons. The ghd Eclipse, £145 is incredibly efficient and effective for this.

“Jumbo heated rollers will help add a super subtle bend to the ends of the hair as worn by Kim, and my favourite set are without a doubt The O from Cloud 9, £199.95. The large rollers give a fantastic soft wave hard to achieve with tongs.”

Hair Extension Savvy

“I love the Halo system for hair extensions. These work really well for brides who already have longish hair and want to increase length and thickness in one piece. They're incredibly subtle and easy to wear.”

Celebrity Inspiration

Kate Moss.

How to Create Her Hairstyle

Her Supermodel Texture

“Want to know how to perfect 'anti-wedding' wedding hair? Sea salt spray,” recommends Emily. “Creating a soft barely there wave is all good and well, but that polished edge needs to be taken off in order to look more effortless."

Top Tips

“Once the loose waves have been created with a large barrel tong, very gently mist the hair with a sea salt spray such as Paul Mitchell Texturizing Sea Spray, £6.50 and on a low speed setting, gently dry through into the hair with a dryer. This adds a bit of strategic roughness to it and immediately gives a more lived in feel. At the roots, Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish spray, £9.50 is my ultimate weapon for creating perfectly under-done hair. I swear by it.”

Her Veil

“The veil Kate wears here is a real nod to times past,” notes Emily. “But it’s very easy to wear, almost like a little hat with securings at the side. All the more important to get the prep right, as when this is removed, all that texture will jump back to life with a quick 'juj' (technical term for getting your fingertips into your scalp and giving everything a quick perk up).”

As Seen At

Donna Karan SS14.

Get The Look

To add a touch of vintage glamour to your wedding dress of choice, accessorize your loose hair with a subtle barrette to keep pesky flyaways at bay. We particularly like this simple weaved chain design barrette from Accessorize, £7 and this truly eye-catching Jennifer Behr Swarovski crystal embellished hair comb, £445 for making maximum impact with minimal effort.