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33 Wedding Hairstyles for Black Women to Rock All Season Long

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Planning for wedding season? If the stunning dress, statement shoes and even the handbag is secured, the next step is to focus on your beauty look—aka your hair. Whether you’re the bride-to-be, the maid of honor or a guest, we found 33 wedding hairstyles for Black women to rock all season long.

30 Easy Bridesmaid Hairstyles for Any Type of Wedding


wedding hairstyles for black women high pony laverne cox
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1. High Pony

What better way to show off your long mane than with a high pony? To achieve the extra height, slick your hair up with a stronghold gel before wrapping it up at the crown of your head. Once your pony is secured, use a curling iron on the tail (and bangs) like Laverne here. 

wedding hairstyles for black women braided high pony demi singleton
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2. Braided High Pony

Speaking of high ponytails, this braided style is a great choice for the maid of honor. Grab a boar bristle brush to slick your hair up before working on the fishtail braid. (Psst, here’s a tutorial to help you brush up on your braiding skills.) 

wedding hairstyles for long hair low ponytail
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3. Low Pony

If the high pony isn’t your thing, try a low look instead. First, part your hair down the middle and brush the sides before wrapping your hair into a low ponytail at the base of your neck. Like Zuri Hall, you can leave your natural curls out and define them with a moisturizing cream

wedding hairstyles for black women curly side twist updo natasha rothwell
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4. Curly Side Twist Updo

Side parts will always be in and Natasha’s curly ‘do is proof. This heavy side bang look shows off a mix of small twists and curls for an all-out glam moment that works for any wedding theme.

wedding hairstyles for black women money piece bob michaela jae rodriguez
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5. Money Piece Bob

A voluminous bob is one thing but adding money pieces to your look will further elevate things. Tip: Don’t forget to apply a spritz of styling spray to boost shine and protect your colorful strands. 

wedding hairstyles for long hair classic blowout
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6. Classic Blowout

This winning hairstyle is a foolproof option for anyone in the wedding party. To add some flair, run your ends through a curling iron (or use a round brush and a blow dryer) to create loose, voluminous ringlets. 

wedding hairstyles for black women bedazzled high braided pony sheryl lee ralph
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7. Bedazzled High Braided Pony

You deserve to shine bright on your big day. To recreate Sheryl’s eye-catching pony, all you’ll need is a bag of gems (or a snazzy gem machine) to decorate your ‘do and dazzle the night away. 

wedding hairstyles for black women large mid bun kerry washington
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8. Large Mid-Bun

Go big or go home. This style is all about making a statement. To achieve a generously sized bun, consider adding a bundle (or two) of extensions to wrap around your natural hair. 

wedding hairstyles for black women low bun saniyya sidney
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9. Low Bun

Presenting: A classic hairstyle that works for the bride, maid of honor or any wedding guest in attendance. Gather all your hair into a low ponytail before wrapping (or braiding) the lengths around the hair tie. Tip: Leaving a few strands out and curling them adds a nice touch to the minimalist style. 

wedding hairstyles for black women fishtail high bun aunjanue ellis
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10. Fishtail High Bun

A regular bun is cool but adding multiple layers of fishtail braids to the look takes it up a notch. Once your hair is slicked back with gel, the fun part is working on multiple fishtail braids and using bobby pins to secure them into one huge high bun. 

wedding hairstyles for long hair locs high bun
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11. Locs High Bun

Whether you’re a locs veteran or just ready to switch up your hair, this style is a great option to try. To recreate Halle’s look, leave a few loose curls out from the bun.

wedding hairstyles for long hair
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12. Half Braided Half Down 'Do

If you want the best of both worlds, this half up half down ‘do lets your braids your natural curls shine. You’ll want to focus on the small rows in the front before weaving the ends together into a crown design. Use some curl cream to define your hair and give your long tresses some bounce. 

wedding guest hairstyles tousled updo
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13. Tousled Updo

A tousled updo is a chic way of showing off your natural pattern without having to take too long to get ready. Apply a texturizing gel to add dimension and shine to your locks and slick down your baby hairs like Lori to bring the style together. 

wedding hairstyles for black women afro thuso mbedu
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14. Afro

To live out your red carpet moment at your wedding, use a hair pick to create shape and size. Don’t forget to spritz on leave-in conditioner to nourish, condition and strengthen your ‘fro. 

wedding hairstyles for black women natural short cut lashana lynch
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15. Natural Short Cut

Here’s your sign to book a salon appointment for the big chop before the wedding. Use Lashana as inspo and show off your natural curl pattern along with a lighter blonde shade that truly makes the short style pop. 

wedding hairstyles for black women sleek and side swept zendaya
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16. Sleek & Side Swept

Two words: Smooth and sleek. Apply a styling gel and brush down your mane so you don’t have a single strand out of place—even as you bust a move at the reception.

wedding hairstyles for long hair silk press
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17. Silk Press

A voluminous blowout is always iconic but keeping things sleek and super straight is a total vibe, too. A flat iron (aka your secret weapon) will help smooth down any flyaways and a shine spray will keep your silk press pristine for the whole day.

wedding hairstyles for black women styled baby hairs megan thee stallion
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18. Styled Baby Hairs

Megan Thee Stallion’s low bun isn’t complete without her intricately styled baby hairs. Show some love to your edges and we promise your wedding hairstyle will turn heads. 

wedding hairstyles for black women pixie cut anok yai
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19. Pixie Cut

If you’re looking to add some layers to your short style, consider this pixie cut. Anok’s hair, mixed with her matte beauty look (do you see that impressive blush contour?), is a great reference to show your stylist. 

wedding hairstyles for black women bantu knots nnenna freelon
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20. Bantu Knots

Bantu knots are pretty versatile as is, so play around with the size or the number of knots around your head to make them uniquely yours for the wedding festivities. (To recreate Nnenna’s hairstyle, check out this step-by-step guide.)

wedding hairstyles for black women curly high bun tinashe
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21. Curly High Bun

To join the high bun train like Tinashe here, gather your locks towards the crown of your head and gently wrap them around to create a voluminous poof. And don’t worry about making it look perfect; keep a few strands loose to show off your swirls.

wedding hairstyles for black women low braided pony mickey guyton
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22. Low Braided Pony

Give a regular low ponytail a makeover with an embellished braided design. To make it wedding ready, wrapped the braid in gold tinsel (or ribbon) for the fancy reception party. 

wedding hairstyles for black women 90s beehive cardi b
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23. '90s Beehive

You can never go wrong with classic ‘90s hairstyles. Exhibit A: Cardi’s Met Gala look this year. Grab your round brush and blow dryer to add volume throughout before pining away the strands from your face to create the beehive shape. 

wedding hairstyles for black women retro pin curls denee benton
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24. Retro Pin Curls

As mentioned, when in doubt, classic hairstyles are the way to go. This vintage style combines a blowout with defined pin curls. Use bobby pins to create small circles near the hairline for a sculptural finish. 

wedding hairstyles for black women textured finger waves laura harrier
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25. Textured Finger Waves

Add some movement to your sleek style. Reach for a comb and some mousse to sweep your hair into textured waves that’ll make the beach jealous. (And of course, we found a video to help you out.) 

wedding hairstyles for black women cornrows keke palmer
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26. Cornrows

Here’s another idea: Have every bridesmaid rock different renditions of cornrows by playing with the number of rows, length and color of their braids. They can also include various accessories (like beads and gems) if they want a statement moment as they walk down the aisle. 

wedding hairstyles for black women chic headbands danai gurira
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27. Chic Headbands

Whether you’re rocking a high bun, low ponytail or a bouncy blowout, add a snazzy headband like Danai for an ultra-glam finish. 

wedding hairstyles for black women fulani braids gabrielle union
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28. Fulani Braids

Gabrielle Union is always stunning on the red carpet and the bride-to-be will be, too, with this protective style. Once your hair is parted, add rows of braids on either side to create a stylish design. 

wedding hairstyles for black women coily faux hawk viola davis
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29. Coily Faux Hawk

Show off your coils with this edgy style. Use a banana clip to bring each side together or try the pinning method to keep all the attention on the middle. 

wedding hairstyles for black women 60s flipped ponytail tika sumpter
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30. '60s Flipped Ponytail

You can take your pony up a notch by simply flipping out the ends. Use a round brush and your blow dryer to make the perfect swoop. 

wedding hairstyles for black women shaped pompadour lupita nyongo
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31. Shaped Pompadour

A styling cream is a great way to mold this Lupita ‘do for 4C girlies. Let’s not forget a statement accessory to match your wedding fit. 

wedding hairstyles for black women box braids simone biles
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32. Box Braids

Have multiple weddings coming up? This protective style can be worn in many different ways. Wear it all up or fully down (or half up) to match any wedding vibe and outfit.

wedding hairstyles for black women marsai martin in a braided bob

33. Braided Bob

Why not combine two stunning looks into one chic style? Like Marsai’s bedazzled style above, we suggest adding a touch of sparkle to the ends via crystal hair pins. You know, so you shimmer as you shimmy down the aisle. 



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Associate Editor, Ultimate Fangirl, Aspiring Beauty Guru

Chelsea Candelario is an Associate Editor at PureWow. She has been covering beauty, culture, fashion and entertainment for over a decade. You'll find her searching the internet...