Best Wedding Hair Trends in Southern California

Southern California weddings have their own conditions. Beach ceremonies bring wind and salt air, inland venues bring dry heat, and a lot of receptions run from bright afternoon light into evening. The looks that work here are the ones that hold up to all three and still photograph well.

Most of what makes wedding hair look good is decided weeks or months earlier, in the color and the length. Each look below comes with the prep it needs. The full schedule is in the wedding hair timeline.

1. Soft, brushed-out waves

Loose, polished waves worn down or half-up. It suits a beach setting because it is meant to move, so the breeze works with it rather than against it.

Prep: dimensional color photographs with far more movement than flat color, so a balayage or gloss a couple of weeks before is what makes the waves read in pictures.

2. The half-up, half-down

Keeps hair off the face for a windy ceremony while still showing length. It pairs well with a veil, which can anchor where the two sections meet.

Prep: this look shows length and density, so if you want more of either, extensions need to go in weeks before the wedding, not days. See how to choose an extension stylist.

3. The low, textured bun

A relaxed chignon at the nape with a few loose pieces around the face. It is the practical choice for heat, for wind and for a long day, and it holds up well into the evening.

Prep: second-day hair holds pins better than freshly washed hair. Ask whoever is styling you on the day when they want you to wash.

4. The sleek low ponytail

A polished, minimal look that suits modern venues and evening receptions. It is also one of the most wind-proof options on this list.

Prep: a sleek style shows every shade of your color, including regrowth, so time a root refresh or gloss for about two weeks before.

5. Face-framing tendrils

Soft pieces left out around the face, with almost any updo. They soften the look in photographs.

Prep: the pieces that frame your face are also the ones that show your color most. A face-framing brightening a few weeks out makes a real difference in close-up photos.

6. Hair accessories instead of a veil

Bows, pearl pins, fresh flowers and statement clips, especially for the reception. They let the same style change from ceremony to party without a restyle.

Prep: bring them to your trial. An accessory changes where the style needs to be anchored.

7. Glossy, natural-looking color

The color trend at weddings is less about a shade and more about finish: healthy, shiny, dimensional color that looks like your best everyday hair rather than a different person.

Prep: final color about ten to fourteen days before the wedding, so it has been washed once or twice and settled. Summer hair color ideas are a good source of inspiration.

8. Wedding-weekend blowouts

Not just for the bride: a blowout the day before the rehearsal dinner or for the morning after brunch makes the whole weekend easier.

Prep: see the best ways to make a blowout last, especially the part about humidity.

Beach ceremony, specifically

• Assume wind. Choose a style that looks good when it moves, or one that is pinned firmly enough not to.
• Salt air softens curls and adds frizz. A little texture is fine; a precise, smooth set may not last the ceremony.
• Sun from above is unforgiving in photographs. Dimension in the color flatters much more than flat color does.

Start with the color

Wedding-day styling is only as good as the color and length underneath it. Salon 11:11 focuses on the months before: the color plan, extensions and the blowout. Bring your date to the consultation and the schedule gets built backward from it.