Choosing the right hairpiece for your wedding day can be a decision almost as time-consuming as choosing the right dress. Here are a few tips to help make shopping for a hair piece fun and easy:
1. Know how you’ll be wearing your hair. I’ve known for years that my hair would be half up and half down on our wedding day. Had I been wearing my hair all up, this would have made my choices much different.
2. Get inspired by pictures. Look in magazines, books, and web sites, and pay attention to the overall picture. For example, I found this photo of my “dream dress” several years before our wedding, and I fell in love with the sophisticated hairpiece that the model has on in the photo. Though this “dream dress” wasn’t my dream when I tried it on (see my post about my dress), I ended up with a dress that was similar in style. I knew I wanted a hairpiece that would complement the glamour of my dress — a princess tiara just didn’t fit the look I was going for.
[Photo taken from Eve of Milady web site]
3. Think about your veil. Will the hair piece work well with the veil — will you attach the veil into the hair piece? Put it over the hair piece? Talk to your hairdresser about your options.
4. Narrow down by style. Do you like tiaras, combs, or pins? Do you want any flowers in your hair? Or perhaps you just want to wear a veil.
5. Look for hair pieces EVERYWHERE you go. I looked in every bridal shop in the vicinity of our home and every bridal shop I passed when I was on my way to somewhere else. I bought my hair piece at The Wedding Touch in Frazer, PA. Though I was only lukewarm about the wedding dress styles available at The Wedding Touch, I was blown away by their incredible selection of hairpieces. Don’t rule any store out based on your impression of their other products. Even Nilah, my tailor, had an amazing selection of jewelry and accessories that I fell in love with!
6. Bring a photo of your dress! This was extremely helpful to me when I found my hairpiece at The Wedding Touch. I looked at the photo of my dress alongside the hairpiece to make sure they’d complement one another.
7. Make sure you can return the hairpiece if it doesn’t look right with your dress, and then try it on during a dress fitting. This clinched it for me. The piece looked perfect with my dress!
My hairpiece was an elegant comb by Elen Henderson Designs (also called Malis Henderson). I love the sophisticated look of the piece — it’s unique and flowy, just like my dress. Though I hated to take off my gorgeous veil, the comb was absolutely beautiful in its own right, so I had fun showing it off during the reception. The comb of my veil slid right underneath the hairpiece, so no issues there! And the piece was comprised of crystals, so it perfectly complemented my dress and jewelry (both had crystals). It even had a flower that was simliar in shape to the white stephanotis flowers in my bouquet! It was meant to be!
Here are some photos of the hairpiece (and the box it came in). By the way, I requested that a new hairpiece be shipped to the store . . . I didn’t want to wear the display piece because I wanted it be brand new and in perfect condition for our wedding! Don’t hesitate to make this request — the saleswoman thought it was a great idea.
And here it is, sparkling in all its glory on our wedding day.
