The Best Vintage Bridal Headpiece Restyle Designs
Vintage bridal headpiece restyling and repurposing is a beautiful way to include family wedding heirlooms in your wedding day.
Here are ten of our best designs that will open your eyes to the possibilities of using the wedding veil your mother or grandmother once wore.
Bridal accessory design has been my love for over 25 years. My couture designs have evolved from designing contemporary one-of-a-kind pieces to becoming the leading expert in vintage restoration and restyle. While I love designing anything wedding-related, my passion is working with headpieces and wedding veils that have so much meaning for my brides..
“I have never seen a vintage headpiece, old crown, yellowed Juliet cap, wedding hat, or bridal veil that couldn’t be resetyled into something unique and special for a bride-to-be. The designs I create are magical! The added level of wedding day happiness I create for my clients is what keeps me going.”
Marie Hunt designer and owner of Headpiece.com.
Photo by Antonietta Henry Photography
10 Best Vintage Bridal Headpiece Restyles
“I have a special love for every bridal restyle I create. Capturing this important accessory’s beauty up close creates an everlasting image that marks a new time and place where love once blossomed and now continues to grow.”
1987 Pearl and Crystal Crown Restyled to a Backstyle Headpiece
Ashleigh’s dramatic restyle was created specifically for her bridal hairstyle. Her mom’s headpiece was extremely heavy and suffered hairspray damage, turning the crystals a dull, orangey-gold color. To brighten it to a wedding-day elegance, it was necessary to strip it down to the original elements and thoroughly clean it. It took great patience and expertise to create a headpiece that preserved the essence of her mom’s original crown while also making it lightweight and comfortable for her to wear for her entire wedding day.
Image by Derek K. Photography
Hair by Kristine Demaj
Her mother’s 1987 crown before restyle. Glue, discoloration, and tarnished wire were major issues.
The new design was created to be worn above a dramatic chignon hairstyle. I created it to be lightweight and flexible void of glue.
1947 Handmade Satin Wedding Crown With Beaded Sequin Trim Restyled to Floral Hairpins
Olivia’s love for her Nonna, who had celebrated her 100th birthday, made me fall in love with this project even more. Her touching relationship with her great-grandmother was the impetus for using Nonna’s crown in some way for her elopement. When I received the crown, I thought it was made of ribbon and suggested we make floral hairpins from it. After deconstructing it, I uncovered that it was made from irregular cuts of satin fabric that was badly stained. This made creating the flowers extremely challenging, but I made the most gorgeous set of hairpins for her Wyoming wedding by using expert sewing techniques. Olivia recorded showing her beloved Nonna what I created from her very old wedding crown. I will forever cherish this moment and the wisdom Nonna shared with Olivia on our Instagram Reel.
Photo by Pear Tree Photography
Hair by Danironi Hair Co
This 1947 handmade satin wedding crown showed its age with rust and dye stains from the purple netted frame underneath. Restoring the satin was an intricate process.
Olivia’s floral hairpins are the most beautiful I have created in my career. The love story behind them made this accessory design even more special.
1961 Pearl and AB Crystal Wedding Crown Restyled to a Backstyle Headpiece Worn Two Ways
Mary Kate found me with only weeks to go until her wedding. Growing up, Mary Kate was very close to her grandparents. After her grandmother passed away, she decided to wear her crown on her own wedding day. It wasn’t until she brought it to her hair trial that she realized the old, rounded frame wouldn’t work with her hairstyle. Desperately, she reached out to me, and I told her my production schedule was full and I could not help her on such short notice. Her sweet nature on the phone turned me around. I knew I was the only one who could solve her problem and make her dream come true. The results were impeccable! I cleaned the crown and made modifications to it so she could wear it with an upstyle for her ceremony and then change her hairstyle for her reception and wear it as a headband. This headpiece is my favorite in all of my years of designing accessories. See her heartfelt story on our Instagram.
Photo by TMT Weddings
Hair by Michelle Elise Artistry
Photo by TMT Weddings
This image of Mary Kate’s nanny reads classic 1961 elegance. Her grandmother wore the crown atop of her bouffant hairstyle. Mary Kate was surprised to learn that her nanny’s crown was made of Swarovski crystal.
I love accessories from the past. Often, I have to compose myself and breathe slowly as I modify older pieces. I feel in need of heaven’s permission to make changes to something so beautiful and so loved.
1991 Pearl and Crystal Headpiece Restyled to a Statement Backstyle Headpiece
Melissa and her mom came to shop for a design consultation. They had ideas to cut a section from the headpiece and affix a comb so Melissa could wear it above her bun for her wedding. I explained to them that my work is at a high level to provide my clients with couture pieces to last generations. I offered them suggestions for something beyond their imagination. Weeks later, they returned to explore the ideas I had placed in their heads that they couldn’t shake from thought. Their vintage headpiece was laced with glue and ribbon wrapping, creating a bulky, heavy crown representing the excessive 1990s bridal styles. Melissa’s headpiece restyle is among the top five in my career. Its unique and stunning wrap-around effect still captured the essence of her mom’s piece. See their Headpiece.com mother/daughter journey on our Instagram.
Photo by Breathe Artistic
Hair by Hairstyles By Charlotte
Nineties bridal fashions had elements of grandeur. I often weigh the vintage pieces that come into the shop. The bigger, the better!
While Melissa’s backstyle was sizable, it was lightweight and fashionable. I could see her piece on a runway in Milan or Paris. The final design was noticeably striking and elegant.
1984 Bridal Cap-style Hat Restyled to a Ruffled Floral Backstyle
Caroline and her mom visited the shop with some idea of what they wanted to do with her 80s bridal hat. They relied on my ideas to expand upon theirs. They knew they wanted an accessory for Caroline to wear with her half-back hairstyle. The lace on the headpiece and the florals were the pieces they wanted to use. I told them that the flowers were quality-made and could be really beautiful for a bridal accessory. But what caught my eye was the pinch-pleated ruffle. Restructuring the ruffle to a dainty flounce would balance the size of the flower and add a unique design element. I hand-beaded the ruffle edge with frosted glass seed beads to add subtle shine and finished the sides of the piece with two pieces of vintage lace from the hat. A set of six modern hairpins accented her finished accessory and can be worn again for future events. I can’t wait to see her wedding gallery in the coming weeks.
Photo and Hair by JC Hair Design
Bridal hats were popular in the early to mid-1980s. I loved everything about this piece and am so happy they came to me to repurpose it into something gorgeous.
Restyling her mom’s hat into a soft, feminine, flouncy backstyle is the first of its kind for me. This piece made our list of the Best Restyles because of its unique bridal beauty.
1974 Lace Juliet Cap with Pearls and Pinch Pleat Ruffle Restyled to a Backstyle
Sonja met with me virtually to see if anything could be designed using her mom’s Juliet Cap from the ‘70s. She loved the beading and the lace but had no idea how it could be modernized. If she was on board with keeping elements of the original piece, I thought creating a backstyle would go beautifully with the texture and scalloped lace detail on her Willowy wedding gown. Her wedding day vibe was outdoorsy and barn-style in Washington state. Sonja is a cool and adventuresome bride who spent the summer commercial fishing in Alaska, catching sockeye salmon. Our communications were here and there during the summer months because she had to catch the Internet to chat. Her final design was natural and fun-loving, just like her!
Photo by Annalise Page Photography
Juliet caps are popular requests for vintage restyles. The ruffle on the headpiece made her mom’s headpiece different than most pieces I receive for evaluation.
Repurposing the ruffle was a must in my book. Sonja went with my idea to create a frame-style piece that would fit her natural and laid-back fashion vibe.
1988 Floral and Pearl Wreath Headpiece Restyled to Modern Vine Backstyle
Katherine sent me her mom’s headpiece from Texas. During our virtual meeting, she told me she didn’t particularly love the flowers in her mom’s 1988 bridal headpiece. I thought, “Your mom’s headpiece is primarily made up of flowers!” This didn't phase me at all. We won’t put flowers in her restyle if she didn't like flowers. Her fashion vibe was contemporary, and she wasn’t going to wear a veil. We settled on a statement headpiece, allowing me to use my magic to create a modern design using her mom’s vintage components—but without flowers. This headpiece made “The Best” list because of its unrecognizable transformation from vintage to modern. While the pearls and petals from the flowers were originally from her mom’s headpiece, her restyle is entirely contemporary.
Photo by Daniel Jireh
What do you do when a bride says she wants to repurpose her mom’s 1988 headpiece but doesn't like the primary component—flowers?
You create a stunning headpiece that only the bride and her mom know what makes it special.
1989 Beaded Leaf and Flower Wreath with Pearls Restyled to Hairpins
This vintage restyle is among “our best” because it is the most requested design style for our minimalist brides who want to use their mom’s crazy eighties headpiece. Jackie was a local NJ bride who wanted to use her mom’s headpiece but in a simple way. Her bridal accessories were just that—simple! What's not to love about this revamp of her mom’s 1989 headpiece? Her accessories are understated and fall in line with her classic hairstyle. Her hairpins can be worn again and again. Jackie can use them for her bridal brunch, honeymoon, anniversary, or formal event. We have designed many versions of this style, all inspired by her beautiful photo taken on her wedding day.
Photo by Bri Johnson Weddings
Hair by Ashley Marie Kristine
This floral wreath-style halo is typical of late 1980s headpiece design. So many brides wish to use their mom’s headpiece is some fashion, but they never want it to resemble the 80s.
There are so many options to repurpose a vintage bridal headpiece into an accessory for a minimalist bride. Jackie’s hair clips are the most requested for our restyle brides.
1989 Leaf and Pearl Bridal Headpiece with Side Spray Restyled to a Minimalist Vine Accessory
Kate loved the leaves in her mom’s 80s headpiece. She wanted to use her mom’s headpiece in the most simplest form. My task was to create a fashionable bridal accessory using the bare elements that meant so much to Kate. Capturing the heart and style of every bride is what I love about my job. Each bride is unique and their family story is like no other. Kate’s vine accessory made a statment! It was hers and hers alone. She walked down the aisle with the tiniest touches of her mom which she wore thirty five years ago.
Headpieces in the late 1980s incorporated beaded, sequined, pearled, and embroidered organza leaves. My design ideas using vintage leaves are endless, from statement-style pieces to the simplest hairpins.
My initial design created a simple vine for Kate. We added four single hairpins to accessorize her design, but on her wedding day, Kate decided to wear her restyle in the simplest manner.
The Best of The Best Vintage Bridal Headpiece Restyles
“While I have always loved working with vintage headpieces, there is one that will always be my first love. It belongs to a bride named Daniella. I have experienced many emotion-filled moments at the shop. Daniella came to the shop with her dad and sister in December 2021. We were coming out of Covid, and I realized my God-given talent would be the gift that enabled my business to survive.”
Daniella came to the shop with her animated dad and loving sister. They had suffered the loss of her mom years before and wanted to honor her in a beautiful and meaningful way. Her mom’s headpiece was so eighties…chunky, glued, pouffy and all of the 80s things. Daniella and her dad and sis filled my store with love and laughter. Her dad even fixed a bum electrical switch that blew up while they were there. I witnessed that day that life goes on, but love never forgets. Daniella’s headpiece was a challenge and took many days to design. Her story and vintage headpiece restyle opened my eyes to what I truly love, which isn’t design. It is the extension of love I encounter with each new idea, technique, client, and family story. I am grateful to witness love I would have never encountered had it not been for that one very special vintage headpiece…Daniella’s.
Photo by Studio 1 Photography
Hair by Salon Couture NY
See Daniella’s story on our Instagram.
“Thank you, dear Daniella. Your design has impacted me and the designs I create for so many brides.”
See you next month on the Fourteenth