Your wedding is a fabulous event that is the result of months of planning with careful thought and attention paid to every last detail.  While you cannot wait to see what all of these details finally put together will look like, everyone else is waiting to see what the bride will look like.  Why should your hair not deserve at least as much attention as the seating plan?  For one of the biggest days of your life, the look should be glamorous, not just thrown together.  Everyone knows you didn't do your own hair, so why try to look like you did?

The turn towards more glam formal styling is visible in both the fashion and celebrity worlds.  At New York fashion week this year major fashion houses such as Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs and Caroline Herrera sent their models down the runway in red-hot upstyles.  The trend towards updo was apparent everywhere.  Zac Posen models wore modern french twists swept high away from the neckline.  These looks featured volume at the back of the crown and delicate accessorizing in the front.  Both of these models here are wearing simple, braided and studded head bands to add a fun, youthful flair to the traditional french twist.  Colours are bright and vibrant, bringing out the hair's natural beauty.

Carolina Herrera gave the classic updo a modern twist.  Constructing an updo that looks like it is held together with magic is one of the most artistic accomplishments of the hairstylist.  However, at the Carolina Herrera camp this year the bobby pin was on display, front and centre, in the hairstyle.  These two styles both feature a twisted up bun with plenty of accessory detailing.  Whether you choose to have visible bobby pins, or use pearls or crystals (a little more suited to wedding style, unless you're on a runway) this shows how adding accessories is a great way to dress up a simple updo and to add your own personalization to your hairstylist's creation.

Marc Jacob's crew went with high drama this year in both hair and makeup.  While keeping with this year's updo trend, Jacobs took the look to a new level.  As always, team Marc Jacobs dazzled with their high fashion looks, and their hair was no less.  These two looks feature two very different styles while working with common elements.  One sleek and polished and the other full and soft.  Yet both give us volume and asymmetry.  Though the look is more polished than in the past, there is still room for play.  The red carpet has been overrun this year with the old Hollywood glamour that has slowly been making its reappearance over the past few years.

Kate Winslet was a perfect example of this at the 2009 Oscars.  With her hair pulled back from her face and perfectly sculpted with a little height at the crown, she looked like a starlet from well before her time.  The romance of the updo conjures images of classic screen sirens draped in diamonds and elegant wardrobe.  Timeless make-up completes the look.

Natalie Portman wowed us with her twisted up curls and a beautiful accessory, adding just the right amount of sparkle to her locks.  This hair style accentuated her long, slender neck and showcased the bare back design of her gown.  This sort of look would work perfectly with a both a simple or a heavily detailed, strapless wedding gown.  To best show off the intricate detailing of the curls in a look like this, have your stylist give you some subtle, tone on tone highlights throughout your hair.  Notice how Natalie's rich brunette shade has lots of fine, honey-coloured strands running through it.

High School Musical star, Vanessa Hudgens, made an appearance at the Oscars this year.  She shows us a playful take on the traditional updo.  While the back had every hair curled and in place, the front of the look was soft and tousled.  Long layers around the front of the hairline were left loose to frame her young face nicely.  This prevents the hairstyle from looking too 'hard' on such a small face.  Her makeup is kept light and natural to balance the look.

Taylor Swift's formal hairstyles have been favourites among grads and brides alike this year.  At both the CMT awards and the Grammys, she proved that even the youngest of faces can pull off a formal style with elegance.

Here, at the 2009 Country Music Television awards, her caramel-coloured hair with champagne blonde highlights was set in hot rollers to create waves and volume and then swept up, curl by curl, into a low chignon at the nape of the neck.  Taylor's 'do is secured slightly off centre to create a nice look, but this style could also be done directly in the centre, which would work very nicely with a halter neckline or with delicate straps, as shown.

Young or mature, blonde or brunette, short or long, the updo is the look this year.  With so many styles and colours to choose from, there is a look that fits every dress and every taste out there.  Take your time collecting photos of what you like.  Browse the internet, check out magazines and even previous brides' hairstyles.  Bring all your ideas to your stylist and he or she will be happy to discuss them with you and give you their expert opinion.  Don't forget to book yourself in for regular hair cuts leading up to the wedding day to make sure your hair is as healthy and shiny as possible for your updo.  Also make sure to discuss what colouring ideas and techniques will give you just the look you want and get it all done before the day of your updo appointment.  Above all, the style you decide on should make you feel like the beautiful bride you are.  Remember, this is your big day so let yourself be pampered!

The end of bad hair days...

Remy

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Stylist at il Destino Salon and Spa, Port Moody