Beautiful hairdos are another opportunity for expressing style in your Handmade Wedding.  beadifulthings, who specializes in making hair pieces, gives us the skinny on some handmade hair options. She started making jewelry after quitting her job to have a family. She "was sitting home all day with nothing to do, going quietly nuts.  When my husband came home from work, my exciting news for him would be that I cleaned out the dishwasher.  I took a beading class at a local shop and was instantly hooked." She started doing custom work for brides after she realized the beaded vines she was doing "could translate into a hair piece or tiara and the flowers could be worked on to hair pins." She's been keeping an eye out for a variety of styles for hair accessories ever since.
 
Ever looked at old photos of weddings?  Anyone who’s been in a wedding party back in, say, 1986 can tell you…what’s in today won’t necessarily be in tomorrow. My sister made us wear black Laura Ashley dresses with poufy sleeves and a large pink floral pattern.  The hair was even worse:  she had her hairdresser give me a Bride of Frankenstein ‘do and stick a floral arrangement in it.

As much as you want to save yourself the likelihood of looking back at your own wedding photos a decade later and blanching, you’ve got to be true to yourself and go for the style that’s you.  Enter Etsy.  There’s no cookie-cutter bridal “look” on Etsy.  There’s something for everyone here.  What’s your pleasure?

We've seen a trend lately on Etsy — fascinators and short veils:
Such as this one by myrakim:

Firefly Enlightened
As you can see from the number of RESERVED listings, she's quite a busy bee with her custom orders these days!

And these by cassiopia:

Tulle Short Veil with Mini Silk Flowers

 
White or Ivory French Russian Netting BIRDCAGE CAGE VEIL by SomethingBoldVeils

These retro style ones by annabronwyn:

Fleur Fatale- Real Orchid and Keishi Pearl Fascinator
She can do custom ones with white netting too.



topsyturvydesign:


This one by TheTailorsChest which doubles as a lapel ornament:

Only A Rose Fascinator

Feathery and flowers from begurple:

Feeling Frisky Beaded Feather Flower Fascinator

and Noxenlux:

Peacock Feather Fascinator
 

Go full on glamour with a tiara:

Autumn Tiara by Pavoreal

Phoenix Rising Tiara

by BlueMarmalade

gurlygirl's sterling tiara:

Hugely different styling possibilities between these glorious pieces. See more tiaras here.

Or keep it simple with a flower hair pin (perfect for a garden wedding):

Recycled Poppy Bobby Pin by foundling


White Petals by Mikiye

You have to consider your hair type when shopping for a hair piece.  Obviously, hair pins aren't going to work with short hair, but bobby pins might! Click here for more pins.

Hair vines are incredibly versatile hair ornaments:

Madreselva Hairvine by Pavoreal

Looking for a vintage or retro feel? 
The possibilities are endless:

Victorian Wedding set by OriginalsByLynette

Vintage Bridal - Brass Filigree and Swarovski Pearl Hair Pins by  beadifulthings

This one by BiancaSnow looks like a vintage find out of your cool grandmother's attic:

Spring Green Leaves


Rockabilly and burlesque glam:
mini top hats by joeireedhats:



Classic hats and headpieces:
Headpieces that have a Princess Grace feel by graceartandantiques:

and by littlehats:

Classic Pillbox Hat

I see this beauty going to the courthouse accompanied by a smart suit a la Marilyn Monroe:

Jaqueline by katieburley

Traditional clips are another option for longer hair:
Feeling preppy, Muffy?  This is for you:

Blushing Bride Barrette by pvcreations 

Feeling like a true classic? Veils are the way to go:
JeanMarieNY offers this veil:

Circle Veil with Satin Trim

The most traditional and classic look is the cathedral veil. Here's one by primrosebride:

Double Tier Cathedral Veil

and an orgainic, raw silk one by BlueSkyBridal:

My favorite story is the vine I made for a bride in France.  She was having a true handmade wedding in that she was making her own dress, her jewelry was made for her by a close friend, and she commissioned me to make her hair vine.  Throughout all this, she kept a blog that kept everyone informed of her latest developments (and there were quite a few; she ended up making herself two dresses!).  I was also, of course, pretty proud of myself for attracting a French customer; after all, don't they say that the French have impeccable taste?

I think the best thing to pair with a veil is a tiara or comb (combs come in sizes from 3/4 of an inch to 5 inches).  They're both sturdy enough to keep a veil in place.

Combs add sparkle to an updo:
Wedding Belles - Swarovski Pearl Czech Glass Bead Hair Comb:

by yours truly, beadifulthings

If you're bold and want to wear a piece of art:
You only get married once (at least, that’s supposed to be the general idea), and unless every day is dress-up day in your world, when else are you going to get a chance to wear something as fabulous as this feathery flower brooch by piperewan:

This birdcage veil from kankalinhats would be fantastic for making a colorful statement in the dead of winter:

Check out BoringSidney's shop. She does custom orders:

Couture Sculptural Headpiece 

Not finding exactly what you want?  Most sellers love custom orders. Just click through to their Alchemy page to request a custom item. I once had a bride request that I make up a hair vine with a couple of blue Swarovski crystals to take care of that pesky “something blue” on the traditional wedding must-have list.  And if you’re a total sweetie, you can send some of your wedding photos back to your hair ornament designer so she can see her creations at work. 

Up or down, long or short, there’s something out there that’s just perfect for your hair.  Go find it!
 
And practically speaking, my biggest piece of advice for brides:  always do a trial run with your hair dresser before the big day. 

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