Manicures for the Bride: The Latest Trends

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Every bride makes personal decisions for her wedding day–the gown, trousseau and hair style–so it makes sense to include a stylish manicure to emphasize the hands and rings as the wedding date approaches.

Some brides choose to make a dramatic statement by using classic red or even edgier colors such as black, burgundy and indigo. Yet most brides are not looking for wild, outrageous nails, but classics from the neutral palette with a modern twist.

A neutral palette includes nudes, pinks and whites, but today’s palette might also include the lightest of mauve, blue or grey. Modern brides want a little more than the humdrum polish covering the whole nail. Trendsetting manicures use the classics only as a starting point.

Nail Art
Bridal nail art is the latest trend. Nail art has been around for years with home kits of decals plopped on the nails by teens experimenting with new looks. But, nail art has come a long way, baby! Decals are thinner and stretchy and to look real, they need expert application. Brides can expect to book up to two hours to get an appointment with an exclusive stylist who does original nail art.
White nails are beautiful for brides, but which white? There’s a stark, chalky white or a softer, creamier white. One of my favorite designs is the white nail with a thin line of glitter down the center of the nail, which elongates the nail. The line of glitter can be gold to emphasize gold rings or silver to go with platinum bands. The line of glitter can be embellished with a rhinestone at the top or left unadorned.

Geometric designs are easily achieved on the stark white base. Contrasting colors can be painted on with a very thin brush. A big pop of color will add a surprise factor to a plain look. Baby blue is a bridal favorite. Dots of stark white on a creamy white base are another easily achieved style for the bride who desires subtlety.

One of the most popular trends is the gradient glitter look. The glitter used on the nails is micro-fine and lends itself to delicate nail art. The heavier concentration of glitter is placed at the base of the nail and fades into the tip of the nail. Some prefer just the opposite! Make the heavier glitter concentration at the tip and allow it to fade into the cuticle bed. This look is good if the bride is planning a long honeymoon and doesn’t have time to redo her nails to hide nail growth.

French Nails
French nails are no longer limited to the pale nail with a thick white edge. Newer versions include the same idea but with a thinner line at the nail tip. For the purist, a white on white manicure may be the ideal version of the French manicure. Select a white base color and then a white tip color two shades darker. Voila!

The reverse French manicure is the newest flip on this elegant manicure. Paint the base coat as you normally would, then paint the white line around the cuticle base of the nail. For an edgier look, and one that emphasizes yellow or rose gold rings, use gold as your line color. Nail tips may be embellished with glitter, tiny jewels or small designs.

Emphasize squared-off nails with a white right-angle line painted on one side of the nail. Start at corner of the nail and paint to the center only for a cool right angle. If your nails are ovate, follow the shape of the nail with a narrow strip of white around the tip and a very narrow stripe above it for a double line.

Ombre Nails
Ombre nails are showing up everywhere and in all colors. Ombre nails are a layered manicure that is a seamless, blended color gradient that transitions from light to dark or vice versa. Ombre is sophisticated and possibly one of the easiest trends to achieve at home. Ombre nails can be decorated or left unadorned.

Paint the nail in your palest color. Let the nail dry completely. Then, paint parallel stripes of your other polishes on a makeup sponge allowing them to slightly overlap. Lightly apply to your nail and allow nail to dry. Reapply colors to sponge as needed to do the complete manicure. Clean the edges of each nail with a Q-tip dipped in polish remover.

Peruse the internet to narrow down your choices, save to Pinterest and carefully analyze them. If you choose to do your own nails, start practicing early so they look flawless. If you have them done in a salon, book an appointment with a stylist well before the day. Whatever you choose, a beautiful manicure is the perfect finishing touch for the bride.

Sources: brides.com, pinterest.com, goodhousekeeping.com and makeup.com.