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If you've chosen a retro look for your bridal ensemble, it's vitally important to match up your hairpiece with the gown so you look perfect. Of course, a period hairpiece looks just as gorgeous with a contemporary gown, so choose your own brand of retro-matches by doing a little digging into the past. Your headpiece choice will not only look great but it will also pay tribute to the styles and tastes of all of the brides on your family tree.
Hairpieces for the 1920s Bride
Brides chose head-hugging veils with caps to create their own versions of Shakespeare's Juliet during the 1920s. If you're following suit, wear a lace cloche cap with or without a veil and then trim it with real orange blossoms. Strictly follow tradition and substitute velvet leaves and wax orange blossoms, but if these are too hard to find, silk flowers and leaves will do just fine.
Hairpieces For the 1930s Deco Bride
As skirts went up, veils did too. Emulate a 1930s bride and you won't be tripping over princess-length trains and veils. Art Deco meant more than architectural design during this decade; slim, form-fitting satin gowns perfectly complemented wispy fingertip veils trimmed with fresh orange blossoms. Some brides eliminated the trim, fastening their veils with a single clip or comb to hold the tulle in place.
Hairpieces for the 1940s War Bride
Sugar and coffee were being rationed. Ditto fabric, which is why simpler wedding dresses were the order of the day. Recreate the war-era look with a form-fitting dress and top it off with a snood. Snoods were all the rage in the 1940s. These woven pieces of netting morphed into fanciful crocheted and knitted snoods that looked gorgeous on brides with long hair. Make or buy a white snood and decorate it yourself with pearls and faux gems. Attach it to a veil if you like, but if it's lavishly adorned, no veil is required.
Hairpieces for the 1950s Bride
Lavish is a great word to describe the 1950s bride planning a shindig during the post-war economic boom. Brides who had become adept at following trends influenced by Hollywood and Park Avenue mimicked scull cap headpieces seen on society pages. Popular scull caps were made of velvet and satin and featured fingertip veils measuring 18 to 27 inches. So if this is the look you're going for, you won't have problems pulling it off.
Hairpieces for the 1960s Bride
Women marrying during the era of peace signs and flower power were as likely to wear nothing but a coronet of wildflowers around the crown of their heads while eschewing other traditional wedding garb such as veils and shoes. If you're replicating this era, choose a circlet of seasonal fresh flowers or make your own crown of silks that fits snuggly on the head. Don't forget bobby pins, especially if you're marrying in a field!
Hairpieces for the 1970s Bride
Call this era the return of the princess bride. Tiaras were the stars of the wedding hairpiece industry during the 1970s. Real gems, faux gems, pearls, crystals and all manner of sparkling designs were seen on brides in fashion magazines, so if you're dying to recreate this era at your wedding, you'll have your pick of styles, prices and designs.
