20 Trendy Formal Updos for Your Next Event 2027

Formal updos have a reputation for being stiff and unapproachable, but the current trend is all about softness and movement. Curtain bangs and lived-in color are replacing the poker-straight, heavy side-swept fringe of years past, and glossy natural texture is the new goal.

This collection of 20 Trendy Formal Updos covers the full spectrum, from voluminous, textured styles to sleek, sculpted buns, and from intricate braiding to high-contrast color. Whether your hair is fine and falls flat or thick and needs a secure hold, there is a solution here. Each look is broken down by who it suits, what to ask your stylist for, and how to keep it in place all night.

Voluminous Blonde Updo With Curtain Bangs

A voluminous crown paired with face-framing curtain bangs is a design that works because it builds height without looking stiff. The middle part and those soft waves create a silhouette that balances round and oval faces particularly well. Long, thick wavy hair is the ideal starting point here; finer textures may struggle to hold the shape without serious reinforcement.

Ask your stylist for: a high, voluminous updo with soft waves and curtain bangs. A large barrel curling iron creates the waves, and a generous layer of texturizing spray keeps the structure intact through a full evening. This is not a style that survives a nap, but it will hold through dinner and dancing with minimal touch-ups.

Sleek Ash Blonde Low Bun

The side part and glossy finish read as deliberate and refined. Fine to medium straight hair at least mid-back length delivers the cleanest result. Ask your stylist for: a sleek, twisted low bun with a side part. A smoothing serum applied before styling eliminates flyaways, and a strong-hold hairspray seals the polished finish. This suits all face shapes equally well.

Honey Blonde Twisted Bun With Tendrils

How do you get a twisted bun that looks intricate without being fussy? Start with a honey blonde base and subtle highlights, then build the bun at the nape of the neck. Soft waves and loose tendrils frame the head, which is a good trick for softening square or angular faces. Medium density wavy hair of mid-back length handles the twists best.

Ask your stylist for: a twisted bun at the nape with soft waves and framing tendrils. The tendrils are the key detail: pull them out gently after the bun is secured, then set them with a flexible hold spray. This is a strong choice for weddings and formal parties where you want to look polished but not overly structured.

Romantic Brown Braided Updo With Flowers

Where a sleek low bun is all control, this braided updo with small white flowers leans into texture and movement. The rich brown base with subtle highlights gives the loose waves and braids enough depth to read as dimensional rather than flat. Thick wavy hair of mid-back length is the natural fit; the braids need density to hold their shape. Oval and heart-shaped faces benefit from the soft framing.

Ask your stylist for: a romantic braided updo with loose waves and floral accents. Fresh or faux flowers are woven in after the braids are secured with bobby pins. The structured braids and loose waves keep the style from feeling too precious.

Textured Brown Bun With Caramel Highlights

A textured bun with loose, romantic curls sounds lovely, but those curls have a tendency to loosen over the course of an evening. The caramel highlights woven through a medium brown base help the shape look intentional even as it shifts. Medium density wavy hair at least collarbone length gives the bun enough weight to stay put. Ask your stylist for: a textured bun with loose cascading curls, caramel highlights. A texturizing spray and a large barrel curling iron create the curls, which are pinned loosely rather than tightly. You may need to tuck a few pieces back in place after a few hours.

Rose Gold Voluminous Updo With Accessories

The butterfly accessories are the anchor, which is exactly the move for a summer garden party or a spring formal where the dress code says “elegant” but the venue says “outside.” This high updo uses loose curls and face-framing pieces to build serious volume, and the rose gold color with blonde roots works well without competing with the flowers in your hand. Ask your stylist for: high, voluminous updo with loose curls, face-framing pieces, and butterfly accessories. The thick, wavy texture holds the shape well, and the face-framing pieces soften a round or square face. Secure each accessory with a bobby pin, then a flexible hold spray keeps the curls soft without making them stiff.

The middle part keeps the silhouette balanced, so the butterflies appear as a deliberate detail. This is a salon style, no question, and it works best on long hair that already has some wave or bend to it. The hold is solid for an evening, assuming you avoid wind and heavy dancing. The result is a look that feels both romantic and structured, and the butterflies can be swapped for pearls or pins for a different event.

Textured Blonde and Brown Balayage Updo

This textured updo uses intricate twists to create a woven effect that the blonde and brown balayage color transition only enhances, with the lighter pieces catching the eye along the twists. Ask your stylist for: highly textured updo with intricate twists, balayage color. Thick, wavy hair of mid-back length is the ideal starting point, and the volume sits at the back to suit all face shapes. A pomade on the twists defines each section, and a texturizing spray at the roots adds lift without flattening the pattern. The hold is strong, but this is a salon-only build, so budget for the appointment time.

Brunette Updo With Twisted Bun and Curls

How do you get a twisted bun that looks woven instead of just twisted and pinned? The trick is to curl the sections before you twist them, which gives each piece enough definition to hold its shape. Ask your stylist for: twisted woven low bun with loose cascading curls, balayage. This works on medium-density wavy hair at least collarbone length, and the balayage highlights keep the brunette base from looking flat. The drawback is that the loose curls tend to loosen faster than the bun itself, so you may need to touch up the cascading pieces with a curling iron after a few hours. The hold is moderate, but the twisted bun core stays put.

Smooth Medium Brown Twisted Low Bun

A sleek, sculpted low bun like this one is the style you compare to a polished chignon, but with more texture in the twist. The smooth finish requires a fine-tooth comb and a smoothing cream applied before twisting, which is doable at home if you have patience and a steady hand. Ask your stylist for: smooth, sculpted twisted low bun. The medium brown color with subtle highlights keeps the style from looking flat, and the straight, medium-density texture of at least collarbone length is the easiest to work with. A salon version takes about 45 minutes and guarantees a flawless finish, while a DIY version risks flyaways that defeat the sleek effect. The hold is firm, and it lasts through a full evening.

Ash Blonde Updo With Braided Detail

The braided accent here runs along the crown before the hair is gathered into a low bun, which adds structure without requiring a full braided updo. This design genuinely flatters thick, wavy hair because the volume at the crown needs density to hold the braid in place. Ask your stylist for: updo with crown volume, braided accent, and low bun. The ash blonde color with subtle highlights gives the braid depth, so each twist reads clearly. Hair that is fine or very straight may struggle to keep the braid visible, so this is one to save for when your texture has some grip. The soft waves around the bun balance the structured braid, and the hold is secure for a full evening of formal events.

Loose Medium Brown Updo With Tendrils

Those delicate tendrils look romantic in the styling chair, but they have a mind of their own once you start moving. A medium brown wavy updo with subtle highlights, this style relies on medium density hair to hold the airy shape. Ask your stylist for: loose, airy updo with soft tendrils. The trick is pulling out strands after pinning, then setting them with a light-hold spray so they sway without collapsing. A few touch-ups in the bathroom mirror before photos keep everything where it should be.

Sleek Medium Brown Sculpted Low Bun

This precise bun requires a second set of hands and a patient stylist. The medium brown hair with subtle highlights is brushed into complete submission, then wrapped into a low bun that sits flush against the nape. Ask your stylist for: sleek, perfectly smooth sculpted low bun.

Thick straight hair of at least mid-back length gives the cleanest result because coarse strands resist the flyaways that finer textures invite. A strong-hold gel or pomade is brushed through section by section before pinning, and every pin is placed so the head stays invisible. The finished shape should look carved. No bump, no looseness, no apology.

Intricate Blonde Braided Updo

How do you explain a woven braid pattern to someone who has not seen the photo? Bring a reference and use the words “intricate” and “woven” so the stylist understands the density of the weave. This blonde updo with highlights uses medium density wavy hair of back length, because shorter hair runs out of length before the pattern is complete. Ask your stylist for: intricate woven braided updo. A texturizing spray before braiding gives each section grip so the braids stay defined and do not slide apart. The back view is the focal point, so every strand has a place and no elastic is visible at the end.

Blonde Updo With Pearl Hairpins

A low textured bun with soft waves and small pearl and gold hairpins lands somewhere between bridal and black-tie. The blonde hair with highlights provides enough contrast that the pearls read clearly against the base color. Ask your stylist for: low textured bun with soft waves and pearl hairpins. Thick wavy hair of at least collarbone length gives the bun enough body to anchor the pins without them slipping. This style suits a winter wedding or a formal evening event where the light catches the pins during conversation. The pins do double duty as decoration and structure, so place them where the bun needs the most support.

High Contrast Twisted Updo

The high contrast between dark brown roots and blonde highlights makes every twist in this updo read clearly, which is the point. Thick wavy hair at mid-back length or longer is twisted into visible sections that show the color variation with each turn. Ask your stylist for: twisted updo with high contrast color. The same contrast that looks striking today will show root regrowth faster than a blended balayage, so expect to book a touch-up every four to six weeks. A texturizing spray before twisting helps the sections hold, and a finishing spray keeps the volume from deflating during the evening.

Light Blonde Messy High Bun

This light blonde updo relies on loose, textured strands and defined curls at the nape to prevent a rushed look. Ask your stylist for: loose, textured messy high bun with framing curls. Thick wavy hair gives the best grip for this shape. Pull out strands gently after securing the bun, then lock everything in with a flexible hold spray. Too little product makes the style look sloppy rather than polished.

Voluminous Dark Blonde Bun

Can a bun actually command attention? Yes, when it sits high on the head with dark blonde hair and lighter highlights creating visible dimension. Ask your stylist for: high, voluminous bun with loose face-framing tendrils. Long thick wavy hair is the starting point here, fine hair tends to deflate the volume before the first photo is taken.

The tendrils soften round or square face shapes, while the height adds presence for anyone with a longer face. This is a salon situation, not a fifteen-minute DIY. Backcomb the crown before wrapping the bun, and pin tightly enough that the structure holds through an evening.

Blonde Updo With Twisted Bun and Highlights

This is not a simple twist-and-pin situation. The bun is built from multiple sections of blonde hair twisted and sculpted into place, with the dark and light highlights making each turn of the twist visible. Ask your stylist for: intricately twisted bun with dimensional color and loose nape strands. Thick wavy hair at mid-back length or longer gives the stylist enough material to work with. A texturizing spray creates grip so the twists stay put, and every pin needs to anchor into the base, not just the surface layer.

Deep Brown Sculpted Voluminous Updo

The design is architectural: a deep brown updo with significant volume smoothed into an intricate shape at the back of the head. Ask your stylist for: deep brown, voluminous and sculpted updo. Thick straight hair of at least mid-back length holds this polished finish best. This is a salon-only style, DIY attempts usually produce a bumpy silhouette instead of the clean, dramatic line visible here. The sculpted volume depends on strong-hold hairspray and precise teasing at the crown, applied section by section.

Sleek Blonde Low Twisted Bun, Mid-Back

A sleek low twisted bun demands smoothness from root to nape, and thick straight blonde hair with highlights delivers that clean line. Ask your stylist for: sleek, smooth low twisted bun. A smoothing cream and fine-tooth comb are the tools for application. The honest drawback is that this style shows every flyaway and dent, so a touch-up spray is needed before any event photos. It also tends to flatten at the crown after a few hours of wear, requiring a quick re-pin to restore the polished silhouette.

Final Thoughts

For fine hair, braids and twists at the crown create the illusion of volume without backcombing. For thick hair, a low, sculpted bun lets natural weight do the work. Choose an updo that makes you feel confident and elegant.

• Schedule intricate styles or color at least one week before your event.
• Use a texturizing spray on dry hair before styling for grip and hold.
• Secure pins and accessories carefully to avoid slipping throughout the event.
• Consider a finishing spray that offers flexible hold to maintain movement.
• For color maintenance, use color-safe shampoos and conditioners.