From breakup bangs to back-to-school trims, a change in hairstyle
has long been a visual shorthand to recognize major milestones. The latest in a
lifetime of momentous haircuts? The mid-wedding chop, a hair transformation
that celebrates the start of a new chapter as a spouse.
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“There’s a rich history of hair reflecting relationship
status,” said Rachael Gibson, a hair historian based in London, adding that in
many cultures and religions, specific cuts and styles may signal that someone
is off the market. “Some Orthodox Jewish women shave their heads the day after
their wedding in keeping with tradition,” she said, “while in many African
cultures, the choice of braiding and styling techniques is used to visually
convey marital status.”
New hair, ‘who dis’
On TikTok, video clips of daring brides chopping their locks
in the time between their wedding ceremonies and receptions have amassed more
than 1.6 million views. Some experts say the wedding chop is a popular new spin
on the “second look.”
“The wedding day cut is a more modern proposition and,
unlike the popular trend for changing into a different dress for the evening
proceedings, feels like more of a symbolic gesture than a style statement,”
Gibson said.
“There’s something meaningful about stepping into your new
life with a new image, literally chopping off what went before and starting
afresh.”
Courtney Sneddon, 26, a personal assistant based in
Edinburgh, Scotland, let her hair grow for two years in anticipation of her
wedding in November. “I was counting down to when I could cut it off for my
honeymoon,” she said. But when Sneddon’s hairstylist, Christopher Laird,
offered a mid-wedding cut instead, she thought, “Why not?” Sneddon added: “It
was either this or another dress, and since I wanted a cut anyway, it was an
easy decision.”
Changing into a new hairstyle
While guests enjoyed dessert, Sneddon sneaked away with
Laird, who cut and styled her long, straight hair into a soft and wavy
collarbone-length bob in just 20 minutes. “The first thing she did after we cut
it was head to the dance floor and headbang,” Laird recalled. “She felt
amazing, fierce and really liberated.”
Olivia Lopez, 26, a labor and delivery nurse in Edmond,
Oklahoma, opted to change both her outfit and her hair for her wedding last August.
Lopez stole away for a few minutes during dinner, swapping her dress for a
white sequin jumpsuit and her long ponytail for a wavy, shoulder-length bob.
“My husband knew I was changing into a different outfit for
the reception but had no idea I planned to chop my hair off, too,” said Lopez,
adding that her husband, Luis Lopez, 28, who oversees alumni engagement and
fundraising for Oklahoma Christian University, was stunned by her
transformation. “I was completely caught off guard,” he said. “Olivia looked
gorgeous. It was such a memorable moment.”
Ali Lewis Passink, 38, works remotely as a senior private
client adviser for the fashion retailer Moda Operandi in Charleston, South
Carolina, gave her now husband, Lyle, 42, who works in produce distribution, a
heads-up about her preplanned plans for a wedding chop a few weeks before their
October 2018 nuptials in Charleston. “I am almost certain his response was
‘Sounds cool, whatever,’” said Passink, who enlisted hairstylist Patrick
Navarro to transform her full chignon into a short bob in the 15 minutes
between the ceremony and seated dinner.
Surprise! Scissors!
Not only did Angela Gulick let her husband, Chase, both 27,
know she had a wedding chop in mind, but she asked him to cut her hair himself
during their wedding, on Dec. 31. “I surprised him with scissors,” said Gulick,
a photographer based in Clyde, Ohio. “He was speechless and said he would have
been less surprised had I given him a puppy that day.”
The cut ended up crooked, she said, but not enough to be
noticeable to guests. (Her hairstylist evened things out during an appointment
the week after.) Gulick donated 11 inches of hair to Wigs for Kids, an
organization that creates free wigs for young cancer patients.
“I felt beautiful through half of my wedding day with my
long locks and also felt beautiful as we rang in the New Year as Mr. and Mrs.
with a short, fun and completely different look,” she said.
Brides who are torn between long and short hairstyles “can
have the best of both worlds” by choosing a mid-wedding chop, said Alexandra
Macon, founder of wedding e-commerce platform Over the Moon.
To ensure a seamless process, avoid using too much hair
spray or other product for the first style so the hair is primed for a dry cut,
said Alex Brown, a celebrity hairstylist in Chicago.
But Julia Gambell, a salon owner in Philadelphia, cautioned
that a mid-wedding chop may not come out perfect. “Just like an athlete plays
best on their home field, stylists do best on the home turf in the salon,” she
said.
A haircut reveal, in Macon’s opinion, is also a great way to
keep guests entertained during the reception. “The wedding chop is a daring,
double-tap-worthy moment that everyone will be talking about and will most
likely have fun capturing for social media.”
Bianca Hall, a wedding planner with Estera Events in
Chicago, agreed. “Let guests wonder where the bride is,” she said. “Turn up the
music, pass out mini espresso martinis and have the photographer ready for the
grand entrance.”
Jessica Marie Del Borrello, 30, a hair stylist in Western
Australia, described cutting her hair short during her wedding as “the best
decision” she had made. “My only regret,” she said, “is not going shorter.”
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