10 Bridal Updo Hair Styles
Big, Messy High Bridal Updo
High buns are really on trend for 2026, and I’m here for it! I created this high bridal hair up, with a slightly messy, textured look on long, straight hair with medium thickness. We wanted to go big and voluminous with this bun, so I added some padding into the hairstyle to give it some extra oomph. If your hair is finer or short, you can still create this kind of style with extensions. This is one of my personal favourite bridal updo hair styles!
Textured Low Bridal Hair Style
If a lower style of hair up is more your vibe, they are absolutely gorgeous too! Here I created a low updo with lots of soft and romantic texture - perfect if you’re looking for an updo that’s not too formal. The hair style pictured was created on long hair of medium thickness, but can also be created using extensions on shorter or finer hair (if you have fine hair, you might find my blog post about fine hair useful).
Clean Low Chignon Hair Up
Here’s one for the brides who prefer a cleaner, sleeker look for their bridal hair up. These simpler looking hair styles are beautiful, very chic and classic. Don’t be fooled though, just because these styles look simple doesn’t mean they are any easier to create! This style was created on thick, mid-length, curly hair (blow dried smooth), using some padding to give the bun more structure. An absolutely gorgeous bridal hair up idea!
Cascading High Bridal Updo with Natural Curls
If you want your natural curls to be centre stage, but still wear your hair up on your wedding day this could be the style for you! For this bridal updo I left lots of my client’s beautiful curls cascading down from the top of her head - doesn’t it look stunning! You do need fairly long hair for this style, or be willing to invest in extensions that match your natural curl pattern.
Bridal Hair Up for Short Hair
If you have short hair and don’t want to invest in extensions, a bridal updo is often still an option! In this style I didn’t use any extensions or padding, and created the updo in a soft, textured style. My client had fine hair, that was just above shoulder length and as you can see we still got a beautiful bridal hair up from her hair!
Mid-Height Modern Figure of Eight Bridal Bun
Here’s another idea for those of you who want a more modern, unique feel to your bridal hair up. Think ballerina bun, but adding the figure of eight/double bun detail makes it a little more interesting. This style was created on long, thick hair that was slightly wavy, but could also be created with extensions if needed!
Low Braided Bridal Hair Up
Braids will always have their place when it comes to bridal updo hair styles, so here’s one I created in a low bun style. If you like that soft, bohemian kind of look adding a braid to your updo can really help to create that vibe. To get braids as chunky as this one you do need quite a lot of hair, so for finer hair types extensions may be needed. This style was created on thick, long hair.
Messy French Pleat Bridal Updo Idea
French pleats have also made a big come back when it comes to bridal hair ups in the last few years. Here’s my take on one in a romantic, messy, textured style. You don’t actually need super thick hair for this kind of style, but you do need a fair amount of length - so if your hair is shorter you will need extensions to get this effect!
Bridal Low Bun Hair Up with Soft Texture
The soft texture to this bridal updo is the perfect in between if you don’t want anything too sleek, or too messy. The hair still looks soft and natural, but is balanced perfectly so it still looks neat and not TOO messy. This style is also quite versatile and can be created on most hair types if your hair is medium length to long, but the more hair you have the bigger the bun will be! For those with hair above shoulder length, you would need extensions.
Modern High Bridal Hair Style
If you’re looking for a high bridal updo idea, that isn’t as messy or textured as some of these other examples, then this one could be for you! The hair in this updo is slightly more smoothed and sculpted, giving a cleaner, more modern look to the hair style. You do need fairly long hair for this style, but not necessarily thick hair - so extensions would probably only be needed on those with shorter hair. I think this is a gorgeous, modern bridal hair up idea!