With formal highlights hair trends taking a step back from the rigidly crafted styles of yesterday, today’s wedding hair styles are free, natural and a great deal easier to attain than they were a few years ago. But even though this is true, the bridal hair style is probably the most important style that you are going to choose for quite a while so it is best served by a little research and practice before the big day.

On your wedding day, hundreds of eyes will be on you, and your chosen bridal hairstyle can either complete the picture or detract from it. That is why it is so important to choose the perfect formal hairstyle well in advance of the big day so that you and your stylist can get it right and make custom additions to your hair. Nothing is worse than a hastily crafted coif decided upon only minutes before the ceremony.

You can begin your search for the perfect bridal (and bridesmaid) hair styles by browsing through style books that highlight formal updos and popular wedding styles. While looking, keep in mind the style of dress that you have selected and choose hairdos that compliment the style, era and cut of the dress. The same thing goes for your bridesmaids dresses.

Another important thing to consider when choosing bridal hair styles are the styles, lengths and textures of the bridal party’s hair. For example: if every member of the bridal party save one has short hair, selecting a French Twist as your only bridesmaid hairstyle would not be very feasible. But you could do a French Twist on the one member with long hair and select different styles for the rest of the party as long as it doesn’t bother you that everyone is not going to look identical.

When it comes to coordinating the hairstyles for your wedding party, you do not have to choose cookie-cutter styles for each member of the party. Look instead at styles that compliment each member’s personality, facial structure and hair texture. Let your wedding party members have some say in how they would like to wear their hair and set some practical guidelines such as whether or not the bridesmaids’ hair should be pinned up off of the neck or allowed to flow free down the back.

Then, coordinate the individual hair styles by using matching accessories and placing them in similar patterns on each member. These pointers apply for the bridal party only; the bride’s hair style should set the bride apart from the others and be more intricate and beautiful than all other hair styles chosen by members of the wedding party.