How to Make Your Own Wedding Headpiece

Making your own wedding hairpiece is easier than it might first seem. Don't be intimidated if you think your artistic abilities are lacking. All you need is a little supplies, a picture of what you want to make (or a clear idea or drawing), and a little time in the evening to make your own stunning hairpiece for less than you could buy one.

Getting ideas

If all depends on what you want to achieve before you can start this project. Do you want a spring maiden flower wreath with ribbons? A circlet? A tiara? A crown? Or do you simply want a decorative hairpiece? In order to match your theme and dress, the hairpiece must be the last accessory. Take a look at wedding magazines and their headpieces for each type of dress. You likely wouldn't want a huge crown with a sheath dress. You also wouldn't want to detract from your hair-do, but rather give it a boost. Sometimes hairstyles are worked around the headpiece, rather than placed into position last.

You need to take all of these things into account. Pull out a photo of what you want from a magazine or draw a picture of it. The next step is to determine what it is made up of.

Materials

Most headpieces will need beads. You must first study the picture of what you want and 'decompose' the image into its essential parts. Is the base of the hairpiece a circle or a headband? Is it in a triangular shape from the base shape, like in a tiara? Does it have flowers?

If you need a circular headpiece you can use a small wreath frame purchased or made yourself by bending and securing beading wire. On the other hand, if you want a half circle type hairpiece, you will need to find a plastic or metal hair band that fits the specifications. Some hair bands have very long 'spikes' that stick out of the back that are meant to create a ripple in straight hair; these have a dual purpose when making a wedding headpiece because they can be placed with that end sticking up to create the 'skeleton' to a triangular tiara. You can purchase these at dollar stores in a three pack in case you mess up and need another one.

As far as the beading is concerned you will need to determine the size of the beads you want to use and the types. For easier reference, go directly to your local craft or beading store and take a look at their selection. You can find strands of pearls in varying colors (e.g. light pink, lavender, ivory, white), and crystal cut beads in all different sizes and colors. You can mix and match the beads to your liking, but be sure to have an idea of how many beads you will need. Do you want them just in the front of a tiara? Do you want them to form a circlet? You should purchase an extra pack of each type of bead you want just to be certain you have enough. Don't forget to pick up a wire cutter, bending tool, and some beading wire with this purchase. These are invaluable tools for beading and will make the project more professional looking.

For a flower covered wreath headpiece, you will need coordinating silk flowers and ribbons. You can purchase the silk flowers in a 'bush,' which is a bouquet, or you can buy them separately. Either way you will need a wire cutter or a good pair of scissors that are designed to cut through wire, so that you can cut off the blooms with just enough stem to work with. Floral tape is also useful to pull it all together.

Making it

Once you have all the materials you need, you are ready to get making your headpiece. Clear off a large space, and have a paper plate ready to place your working beads on so they don't roll all over the place. Work on the base first-form the circle with beading wire to desired size for a circlet or wreath. The trick to making a flower wreath is to hide all the stems into the base area and have the blooms sticking out on the top and front. Arrange the flowers on the table in the order you want them to be placed around the wreath and begin by cutting the stems of the flowers just enough so that they can be wrapped twice around the wire base. Add the next flower in front of the last one by wrapping the wire stem once around the wire base and once around the base of the flower behind it; this will connect them without having unsightly gaps between. The floral tape is for finishing. You can wrap this tape around all the stems, being sure to wrap it consistently and tightly so that all the stem ends are hidden and not sticking out. Next, take some ribbon off the spool and weave it over the floral tape between the flower blooms; do not cut off a piece of ribbon beforehand because you may have cut it too short to wrap around all the way; the other purpose in this is to ensure even ends at the back of the wreath where you can have flowing ribbon behind your head. You can attach other color ribbons to the back by cutting out even lengths of ribbon, folding them in half, securing them with a staple or piece of wire, and tacking it to the back with some floral tape. You will need to wrap it a few times to be sure you are securing the ribbon and hiding the ends at the same time.

For a beaded tiara, you will want to string beads on the beading wire. For a 'raised' look you will want to twist the wire after the spacers and cover the twist with the spacer; this will keep your beads in place for raised loops on a crown. To make the look 'seamless' you will need to cover the base of the headband with a line of beads. This serves as decoration as well as a way to affix your raised loops. You can hide the end of the wire at the ends of the headband by wrapping matching ribbon around it and gluing it into place; this will also prevent the wire from sticking out and stabbing into your scalp. You can choose to wrap the ribbon all the way around, as you would with a wreath, or just as endings.

When you form your tiara top, you will need to think about how to attach it together before you string the beads. For example, if you need three main beaded sections in the front, with two shorter on the sides and one longer in the middle, than you will need to work the middle one first. The middle one will serve as a base for the two sides; when you string beads onto the wire, you will also need to twist it around the middle one, than continue to bead them so that the finished tiara will hold its form and be sturdy enough for extended wear. You should test your tiara out as you go to make sure it is balanced on your head. If you find it is too bulky, often times you can simply manipulate the wire to make it lower on your head or more balanced in appearance. Remember that not everyone has a perfectly rounded head, and by making it yourself you can adjust your tiara so that it appears that your head is more balanced, even if this means making it a little left of center.

Embellishment

For the circlet wreath, you can add beads to the ends of the ribbon by stringing them to the ribbon, folding the cut end of ribbon over the first bead at the bottom, and putting a little hot glue to fasten the ribbon end into the hole of the bead. You can also choose to add tulle to the back and glue or sew ribbon to the edges, or fused pearls. Lace also makes a great accent instead of just ribbon. Try combining the two for a contrasting look.

For a tiara, you can also add ribbon and alternate between beads for a more elegant look. It is also easier to get in and out of your hair this way. If you want to attach a veil, purchase the needed yardage of tulle, do a running stitch at the top of the length with matching thread, pull it tightly to gather at the top. You can then attach this to the back of the top beads, by sewing it into place, or to the sides of the tiara.