Choosing a hairstyle for your daughter’s wedding can be a major source of stress to even the most calm and serene mother of the bride (MOB).  Sometimes it can be more difficult to settle on a hairstyle than to choose your mother of the bride outfit.  Use these handy tips to help you choose the perfect style for your daughter’s special day.

Many MOB’s choose to wear their regular hairstyle for the big day.  If you prefer to keep your own style, make an appointment with a professional stylist on the morning of the wedding for a polished, finished look.  Plus, it will cross another thing off your to-do list, and your hairstyle is sure to turn out perfectly.

If you do want a different look for the day of the wedding, the hairstyle you choose depends on your mother of the bride outfit and how formal the wedding will be.  Some of the most popular styles are:

Chignon – A chignon is a bun pinned at the nape of the neck.  This style highlights the shoulders and neck very beautifully.  If you think those are your best features, or your mother of the bride outfit has an open neckline or is off the shoulders, a chignon would be the perfect hairstyle for you.  If you’re planning on wearing a hat or fascinator to the wedding, a chignon would work well with it.

French Twist – A French twist is the classic updo and very versatile.  This style is perfect for women with medium length to long hair.  By changing your part, adding bangs, pulling back all your hair or adding tendrils, you can easily change and adapt the look of the French twist to match any outfit and occasion.  You can also add in pretty beaded or jeweled hair pins, flowers or accessories to personalize this style.

“Messy” Updo – Simply curl small sections of your hair in soft spirals and then pull it all back, pinning it into a loose bun.  Depending on the look you’re going for, you can create your bun higher up on your head, or lower down near the nape of your neck.  This style would work well for a more casual event, perhaps an outdoor or beach wedding.

Half-Up & Half-Down – Always a beautiful style, this hairstyle was recently made even more popular when Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge wore it as she wed Prince William, Duke of Cambridge last year.  This hairstyle is wonderful for women who like the look of their long hair, but don’t want hair in their face all day.  Just pull your hair back on both sides of your face, from your ears back, and secure it with a pretty hair accessory.  To make the look a little “messy,” pull some hair free on the sides of your face.  Create tendrils by making loose curls.  This is another style that would work well with a hat or fascinator.  Remember how beautiful Kate’s hair looked with her headpiece?

Finding the right hairstyle for your daughter’s wedding day doesn’t have to be a stressful event.  Take some time to practice these styles well in advance of the wedding and you’ll be sure to find the perfect look for your daughter’s big day.

Yvone Kon has over 11 years of experience in event planning, marketing and sales.  She is the author of the blog EventSpiration - providing inspiration and ideas for weddings, parties and holidays.  She also writes three columns for Examiner.com: National Wedding Planning, Pittsburgh Event Planning and Pittsburgh Animal Advocacy.  She is passionate about animal advocacy, rescue and adoption. She believes adopting “used” dogs is always better than buying new, and shelter dogs are the best breed.  She spends her time blogging and writing with her two rescued dogs sprawled across her lap.