Even though at every wedding the spotlight is, of course, on the bride, there is no denying that her mother needs to shine as well. The mother of the bride holds a special place at the wedding party, perhaps even among everyone else.
That is why, if you find yourself in this position, you need to look modern, chic, elegant, sophisticated, but stay true to your style and own sense of fashion as well. So here are some incredible mother of the bride updos to make the choice that much easier to make!
1. The Classic Bun
You might recognize the first entry on our mother of the bride updos list as a party favorite when it comes to hairstyles. It’s a classically coiled or coiffed bun with a side part and a string of pearls to match. This one falls in the classic category of wedding updos.
2. The Loose Bun
In case you want to go for something a bit more versatile that can get you through the night, you can opt for this loose version of the classic bun. It guarantees that you won’t get any headaches. Plus, you can adjust it yourself as the party rages on.
3. Mother of the Bride Updos with Flower Headband
You might be tempted to think that this is a fascinator. You would be wrong because, in reality, this is just a glorified headband that has been updated enough to make it fit for a wedding. But we do have fascinators as well so keep scrolling.
4. Pixie Cut Mother of the Bride Updos
Many women over a certain age decide to go for a pixie haircut. However, even though this is a common haircut, you will need to dress it up for the big day. Think about getting some highlights or having your hair blown up.
5. The Shaggy Bob
Bobs are fantastically popular as mother of the bride hairstyles. That’s why we decided to include a variety of bob options in this article because we know how important they are to you. Here is a shaggy, medium-sized bob hairstyle.
6. Wavy Mother of the Bride Updos
If you happen to have naturally wavy hair, the best thing to do is to enjoy it. Go for a half up half down hairdo that will flaunt your natural curls and frame your features. You can even match your hairstyle with your daughter.
7. Medium-Length Mother of the Bride Hair
If you are the type of mother that simply dotes on her daughter and wants to let her shine in all her glory on her big day, then we suggest you get the simplest hairstyle possible. Straighten out your hair and wear it hanging down your shoulders. Simple but elegant!
8. English Bob Mother of the Bride Updos
This white honey English bob is absolutely to die for. It comes equipped with a set of bangs and a fascinator to match, plus you have a huge flower piece that balances out the fascinator and gives you a bit of color.
9. Simple Mother of the Bride Updos
Here’s a very simple ponytail that you can do at home. It’s a fantastic solution if the wedding is on a budget or if it wasn’t but you still want to style your hair yourself. Let go of the stylist and create this masterpiece at home.
10. Jazzy Mother of the Bride Updos
Shine on with this one of a kind hairstyle and outfit. It’s a simple bob in the back that has a set of layered bangs in the front. The accompanying fashion is made up of a dazzling red sequin dress and theatrical earrings.
11. The Camilla Parker Bowles
She may not be the mother of the bride herself, but she is definitely the most famous mother in law in the world. Camilla Parker Bowles is mother in law to both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.
12. Mother of the Bride Updos with Fascinator
Fascinators are all the rage this year (and the previous one, and so on) thanks to the royal marriages of Princes William and Harry. Billions of people tuned in on television and were all over the internet to watch the royal wedding hairstyles with fascinators and to get inspired.
13. No Parting Mother of the Bride Updos
Another major trend of the past couple of seasons has been the no parting hair. It started off with supermodels the likes of Gigi Hadid wearing it on the red carpet, and it quickly spread to all walks of life.
14. Mother of the Bride Updos with Hat
You can also wear a hat on the big day if you want to add a touch of elegance and refinement to your outfit. It will protect you from the sun and make sure that your makeup remains on par throughout the day.
15. 2000s Mom of the Bride Hairstyles
Here’s a hairstyle that was very popular back in the 2000s. It’s a puffed-up bob with side-swept bangs and just a few curls. You can get them using your old hair curler and trying out some YouTube tutorials.
16. Classy Mother of the Bride Updos
Nothing says classy quite like rows upon rows of pearls lavishly set on your decorated three-piece suit and stunning wedding makeup. You can get a bracelet and a pair of earrings to match, and your look will be complete for your daughter’s big day.
17. Beautiful Mother of the Bride Updos
This is an overgrown pixie cut in a gorgeous beige blonde that will highlight your eyes, no matter what color they are. Choose an appropriate eyeshadow depending on their shade, such as gold for blue eyes, purple for green, and red-based for brown and dark.
18. Salt and Pepper Mother of the Bride Updos
This natural hair color is called salt and pepper because the white and black resemble the condiments. You can get it naturally by allowing your hair to gray or you can get it done at the salon.
19. Simple Yet Gorgeous Mother of the Bride Updos
You can wear any color you want at your daughter’s wedding, save for white and black. Don’t dress in white so as not to upstage the bride and leave the black clothes at home in exchange for something more festive.
20. The Kris Jenner
Here’s a very famous mother all around the globe. She’s the matriarch of the Kardashian and Jenner clans, the woman who frogmarched all her daughters’ careers.
She’s seen plenty of weddings in her day and has been mother of the bride more times than we can remember. With all the hair and makeup specialists at their disposal, she always looked picture perfect.
21. Natural Mother of the Bride Updos
If your hair has gone naturally gray, there’s no need to dye it. The color is as beautiful as is. Invest in some high-quality hair care products that will leave it looking and feeling smooth, silky, and nurtured.
22. The Helen Mirren
You can also base your mother of the bride look on different Hollywood celebrities. Dame Helen Mirren is as good a source of inspiration as any. Her overly long silver pixie cut is light, feathery, and layered.
23. The Ellen Burstyn
We are absolutely in love with this two-toned pixie cut. It’s chestnut brown in the back and has a good dose of white in the front so that it can lighten up your features and highlight your eyes and cheekbones.
24. The Maye Musk
Elon Musk’s mother is a supermodel and a fantastic source of inspiration. Her white hair is poised and elegant and her outfits always look as if they were put together by the biggest designers in the world. This is the perfect mother of the groom updo for medium length hair and short hair alike!
25. The Emma Thompson
This British actress is beauty personified. No wonder she starred in Beauty and the Beast. We love her subtle smoky eye makeup which works perfectly with her blonde hair. The long pixie cut has been parted to one side and the bangs have been ruffled a bit.
So you are all ready now, but what about your daughter, the bride? Is she all hairstyle-ready for the big day? If not, take a look at this list of great wedding updos for extra style points!
26. Modern Mother of the Bride Updos
What kind of hairstyle do you wear when you’re not a typical mother? When chignons and buns, twists and braids simply won’t do the trick for you? Here’s the solution. You go for this messy silver pixie cut!
27. The Morgan Fairchild
You may remember Morgan Fairchild as Chandler’s mom on Friends. She may not have been the mother of the bride there, but she surely made an impression on everyone when she showed up and stole the show in that golden gown at Chandler and Monica’s wedding.
28. The Meryl Streep
Does it get better than Meryl Streep? She played the mother of the bride in Mamma Mia!, of course. This hair is perfect for a beach wedding because there’s no risk of its going all over the place. And all you’ll need is a hairpin – possibly the most versatile of hair accessories.
29. The Bette Midler
Is it possible for Bette Midler to go on a world tour and play everyone’s mother of the bride? The definitely looks the part, is funny, witty, charming, and surely has the pipes to belt out your favorite wedding song.
30. Layered Mother of the Bride Updos
This hairstyle is the perfect solution for women with thin hair. Layers always help give the illusion of volume in case you have fine hair and you wish to make it seem more voluminous on the big day.
31. Stylish Mother of the Bride Updos
The star of this hairstyle are the wispy bangs. They are the perfect length, which is that spot between your eyelids and eyebrows. Ask your stylist to give your bangs a trim in case you notice they are longer then they should be.
32. Curly Mother of the Bride Updos
Here’s another classic hairdo and one which is beloved by mothers all over the world. It’s a half up, half down hairstyle where the back has been curled into sweetheart locks.
33. Upscale Mother of the Bride Updos
This is the perfect hairstyle in case you are wearing a low-cut dress or one with a sweetheart neckline. The idea is that if your dress bares your shoulders, you will want a beautiful chignon to highlight that.
34. The Simple Twist
Here’s another idea which you can try at home – after you have practiced it a little, of course. Twist your hair sideways in a horizontal line across your head and use as many bobby pins as necessary to secure the twist in place.
35. The Stacked Twists
Building on the above, use the same principle, but this time stack them up to add a little more pizzazz to your hairstyle. Divide your hair into several strands and twist them up as advised above. Stack the twists using hair colored bobby pins.
36. Messy Mother of the Bride Updos
This hairstyle is perfect if your daughter is having a bohemian or a garden wedding and if you got curly hair. It means that all stuffiness is literally out the window and you can relax as far as style and fashion are concerned.
37. Updo with Side Swept Bangs
If you have a square face, an angular chin or a strong jaw, you will benefit from a set of long and side-swept bangs. They will geometrically cut the angles of your face and sweeten it up a bit so that you can look more feminine.
38. Mother of the Bride Updos with a Beehive
Who doesn’t remember beehives? They have been with us since the 40s and 50s, and women simply can’t seem to shake them off. Although they are no longer a staple of everyday wear, beehives still crop up as formal wear at weddings and functions.
39. Wedding Hair Embellishments
If you have a simple or understated dress, you can immediately add some flair to it with a stunning hairpiece or hair jewelry. Choose colorful ones that have scores of rhinestones or any other element and stone of choice!
40. The Sally Field
We love how actress Sally Field opted for a pop of color with her makeup here. Seeing that both her eyes and hair are dark brown, she decided to spice things up by using some purple eyeshadow and just a touch of baby pink lipstick.
41. Teased Up Mother of the Bride Updos
The tease up can be similar to a beehive, depending on how high you wish to tease up your hair. It typically refers to the back of your hair after you have put it up in a bun or a classic French chignon.
42. Bridal Hairstyles
If you come to an agreement with your daughter, you can even wear the same accessories in your hair and, thusly, create a seriously cute and endearing mother-daughter moment that you will cherish for years to come.
43. Sleek Mother of the Bride Updos
Remember that you need a hairstyle ready for the camera at all times. You should also keep in mind that times have changed since you were a bride. Most of the pictures you take will end up on Instagram for everyone to see.
44. Feathery Mother of the Bride Updos
A feathery short bob is ideal for a summer wedding. It’s a very fresh haircut with a lot of bounce and life of its own. That means it won’t require too much hairspray and it will move along with you as you party with your daughter and her guests.
45. The Wedding Lob
The bob is definitely the haircut of the season as you might have noticed, and the lob or long bob hairstyle is just one of its versions. This is a gorgeous platinum lob that has been styled in accordance with the rest of the outfit, in shades of soft gold and champagne. And it works for all hair types!
46. The Jane Fonda
Actress Jane Fonda has been sporting the same haircut for a long time now, and we applaud her for her tenacity. It’s an overgrown pixie cut with frizzy and outturned ends, full of blonde highlights that illuminate her blue eyes.
47. Mother of the Bride Updos with Pearls
Minimalist pearl insertions are even better than simply draping yourself in rows of this natural gem. Why be Holly Golightly when you can be Grace Kelly and shine like royalty for this very special and important occasion?
48. The Sharon Stone
Always the picture of perfection, Sharon Stone has now crossed the 60-year mark and is here to give us all a lesson in how to age with grace and dignity. The actress has not lost a single ounce of her magnificent beauty which she flaunts shamelessly wherever she goes.
49. The Raquel Welch
If you haven’t gone for the big crop yet and you still have long or medium hair, actress Raquel Welch can be your inspiration. She wears a fiery shade of copper spiked with red, brown, and blonde highlights.
50. The Julie Bowen
She hasn’t been the mother of the bride yet neither in real life or as Claire on Modern Family. But she has been the best person for her on-screen brother’s wedding to his beloved Cam in an episode that we will never forget.
Conclusion
As the mother of the bride, you will have roughly one thousand things to do on the big day ranging from helping her put on her veil and finishing touches to waving goodbye to the last guests. And you must look flawless through it all because you will be in every picture right there beside her.
Therefore, put some extra thought into your look and choose from these unforgettable mother of the bride updos! Come back after the big day and tell us just how well it went, especially as you had such a great hairstyle!
Thelma Ewart
Thelma Ewart started painting and drawing as a hobby when she was young. She pursued arts which eventually lead her to the fashion industry. She is now a hairstyle artist that considers all of her projects as a work of art. Pursuing creativity is what drives her to become the best in what she does.
