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To Have And To Hold

Today's modern bride doesn't want conformist styles and traditional bridal looks - what she wants for her big day is a unique style that treads the line between on-trend and timeless, between elegant and effortless-looking. Here Westrow's Steve Rowbottom shares his thoughts on modern bridal trends.

Bespoke 
It's crucial for today's stylists to think outside of the box when looking after their bridal clients and to use recent bridal catwalk trends as a guideline. Once you're aware of the trends, it's easy to give the style a bespoke spin for the wearer, ensuring that your bride looks like herself, only better. What every bride needs is a style that looks just as incredible after a night of dancing and celebrating, as it does when she walks down the aisle. 

Enduring 
Creating a long-lasting style is non-negotiable when it comes to styling a bride for her big day, and during the heat of summer - when most bridal stylists are at their busiest - it can be challenging to get it right. 

Braids are a fashionable go-to style for brides as they have the ability to look romantic, without appearing too whimsical. Many bridal designers chose braids for their catwalk shows this year - Cymbeline and Suzanne Neville, to name just two - but my favourite was Berta's take: dramatic plaited partings that featured a sharp centre-parting bordered by twin scalp braids that fed into fierce-looking ponytails. Edgy, modern and unique, it's an interesting move away from traditional bridal styles, making it ideal for bridal clients looking to shun the usual style boundaries. If I have a bridal client travelling overseas for a destination wedding, or if we suspect that the weather might pose a threat, this is one of the first styles I mention. With hair pulled away from the face, braids are particularly suited to beach nuptials, which can get a little windswept. 

Texture 
A soft textured pony is another great modern summer bridal look that's ideal when heat and humidity threaten to ruin sleeker styles. With the ability to look elegant yet sexy, a textured pony gives off a fun and confident vibe, making it ideal for an evening wedding. With the hair off her face it allows the bride to dance the night away. 
Voluminous is currently the most on-trend way to wear a bridal pony, and for summer I recommend keeping it high off the face, holding in place with an anti-humidity hairspray to help combat the frizzing and flattening effects of humidity. A thickening spray is also necessary for adding extra volume and body if your client's hair is fine - the fuller the ponytail, the sexier it will look. For clients with extremely fine or short hair, clip-in extensions can be used to create the desired look. The finished style should be undone and the perfect version is one that will become more tousled and textured as the night wears on.