When it comes to bridal beauty, everyone is talking about Big Day nails. What’s great about wedding nails is the fact that they allow brides succumb to their ‘trendier’ side without fear of looking dated in wedding pics 20 years down the line. Of course the classic French polish remains a popular choice for brides – it’s chic, clean, unfussy and timeless – however more and more brides are opting to go for a more daring look, by choosing pretty pastel shade, bold reds and even pushing the boat out with some fun nail art. “Traditional French polish, like long veils, are definitely not for every bride these days” says Ita Kelly of Polished Beauty Ireland, who shares her favourite trends for bridal nails with us today, “many brides are now expressing their personalities in all new ways including being more adventurous with their nails!” For even more ideas of how to pop some personality into your Big Day look, make sure to check out our 30 Bridal Nail Styles to Inspire.
Main image via weddingreceptionidea.co.uk
1. Reverse French Manicure
This take on the classic French manicure has to be one of our favourite nail trends for 2014 – the fact that it fits wedding style so well is the icing on the cake. Matte white became a go-to for a lot of beauty bloggers this year, its modern, minimal tone complementing this year’s fashion foray into all things clean and contemporary. For some, block matte paint can feel a little too on the heavy side, which makes this chic take on the trend a great alternative. This polish requires immaculate cuticles and strong nails so make sure you’re taking extra special care of your talons in the weeks running up to your Big Day.
Image via beautyeditor.co
2. Block Colours
Block colours are a great way to cement your wedding colour palette and make your accessories stand out. One of our favourite shades for summer nails is coral (left) which is so easy to wear and really ‘pops’ in pictures. Ita of Polished Beauty recommends going for block colours to make your nails look elegant and strong, especially for brides with short, blocky nails. “If your nail beds are short and you have a lot of natural tip then French polish usually doesn’t look great,” Ita advises, “opaque block colours really elongate nail beds and give the illusion of a longer more elegant nail.” Of course block colours don’t have to be either super bright nor dark and vampish, there are many options in between for brides who want to keep things classic. “Brides can opt for a cream, nude, taupe, or a pastel shade to match the bridesmaids’ dresses” says Ita, “as long as it is dense in pigment and not see through then these looks are a fabulous alternative to French polish. We are seeing more and more bridal parties matching their nails to their wedding flowers and theme colours of the day.”
Image via lyndsaylondonblog.com (left) Image via lovemydress.net
3. Graduated Glitter/Glitter Tips
If there’s a way to pack even more glitz into a wedding look, you can bet we’re all for it. Take these absolutely delicious glitter polishes – graduated silver on the left and glamorous gold tips on the right – which add a bit of a ‘party’ feel to nails while still being classic and chic. Glitter accents are especially perfect for a winter wedding and can be overlayed on almost any shade. Match your glitter to your jewellery and you can’t go wrong.
Image via weddingmusthave (left) Image via pinterest (right)
4. The Ring Finger
Why go for one when you can sport two nail trends at once? The statement nail is a big trend in beauty at the moment, and it fits perfectly with bridal style According to Ita, “this isn’t as strong a look but nevertheless a little daring is to do some nail art on the ring finger. A set of baby pink polished or biosculptured gel nails with silver sparkling nail art on the ring finger looks really good if your wedding band is silver, palladium, platinum or white gold, alternatively you could do the look with a nude polish and have gold sparkles on your ring finger if you have a gold ring.”
Image via coolnailstyles.com
5. Vampish
Why play it safe when you can play around with gorgeous darker colours like the Chanel polish above?! According to Ita, brides are becoming a lot more confident with the personal style, and more are opting for a bold vampy look on their big day. “Gel nails done with biosculpture gel overlays (I love #94) or shellac red nails (Wildfire is a particularly good shade), as well as burgundy polished talons are all getting increasingly popular for girls who are trying to have a vintage or Hollywood glamour feel to their wedding look,” says Ita. “Dark nails look really good with an ivory dress! Red Lips and matching red nails is a very vintage look, brides in the 30+ age bracket especially are opting for this look. This look is full of glamour and striking sophistication for a strong female personality.”
Image via barelytherebeauty.com
