Long before getting engaged, I started saving photos in a “Natural Hair Bride” folder. I also had a Pinterest board dedicated to formal natural hair styles, and another to women wearing their natural hair for their engagement photos. I knew I needed to be proactive.
It’s difficult for black women to find Natural Hair Bride Inspiration…
The normalizing of natural hair has come an incredibly long way. When I first started this blog, it was hard to simply find pictures of women with my curl pattern.
Now, both Instagram and Youtube are completely saturated with people showing off all types of curl patterns!
One thing we haven’t really caught up with, however, is accepting our natural hair in formal environments. When you try to search for “Natural Hair Brides” or “Formal Natural Hairstyles”, the pool of inspiration shrinks.
When looking for my own wedding, I kept coming across the same 30 pictures over and over again.
I even put a call out on Instagram. I asked people to share how they had styled their curls for their wedding. Most naturalistas who answered said they pressed it or wore a weave to save themselves the headache.
I found this incredibly interesting, but not surprising. Natural hair is a pain to manage, and we’re still led to believe that our curls aren’t professional or formal.
My Braided Bridal Updo:
I decided to wear my Natural Hair in an updo. I talk a bit about why I chose not to wear it out in an afro on my Engagement Photo post.
(Yeah, you know that Bridal Robe is a Tilda Kimono) – Photo @ Sara Joni
My mom came up with the hairstyle I wore on my wedding day. She purchased the jewelled pins about a week and a bit before. Then, a couple days later, reminding of my childhood, I sat between her legs while she experimented.
While experimenting, my mom came up with something very similar to the above pictures. We even considered having her style my hair for the big day. But then we figured it’d be better to go to a professional and avoid the added pressure.
And finally, a little bonus picture of me, my husband, and my beautiful bridesmaids. (You may recognize Courtney, from reunion #1 and reunion #2. The other three ladies are Emma, Imogen, and Sydney, my ride or dies going back to High School.)
And then because I know someone will be more interested in the dress than the hair:
And finally, follow my ever-growing Natural Hair Bride Pinterest Board:
(I may now be married, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop helping you all gather inspiration!)
https://www.pinterest.com/ComfyGirlCurls/natural-hair-bride-inspiration/
How did you style your hair for your wedding? Updo or afro? Protective Style, or Silk Pressed? Comment below!
Photos taken by Sara Joni (@Ellvonie)
Makeup by Beverly Wong of BW Makeup Creations (@Bwmakeupcreations)
Make sure to catch the latest from Comfy Girl With Curls on Social Media!
4 comments
Your hair looks so beautiful! I have a quick question. For my honeymoon, we’re headed to the beach and I was wondering how the style would fare if it got wet. I’m concerned that the braid may not dry.
Hi Clarissa, I’m sorry this is delayed! Not sure if you’ve gone on your honeymoon yet, but congrats!
For me, I prefer travelling with box braids! I kept the pictured bridal style for the first couple days of my honeymoon, but kept retwisting and braiding throughout.
If I had time before going on the HM, o would have definitely put in some sort of protective style for swimming and ease!
I have actually come across your Instagram page and then blog whilst desperately searching for natural hair style inspiration for my wedding next year. I know exactly what you mean about the same recurring photos 😞 I’m going to check out your Pinterest board 😀 thanks and you looked stunning btw!
Thank you so much! It honestly is such a struggle! Do you have any ideas your especially drawn to yet? I loved the idea of something more simple like I ended up wearing, but I also am so blown away by all the brides on Pinterest wearing their hair out! It’s so difficult, but I’m sure no matter what you choose, you’ll look amazing!! <3