Pinterest just dropped its 2026 Wedding Trends Report, and here’s the biggest takeaway: Bridal beauty is officially moving away from barely-there minimalism. According to the platform’s search data, this year’s brides are embracing a more dramatic aesthetic, pairing soft, voluminous hair with glamorous makeup.
There are two main trends to keep an eye out for, including soft-drama bridal hair and full-glam makeup, with many ways to customize your look within those broader categories. To learn more about the trends brides are really excited about, we spoke with Sydney Stanback, Global Trends and Insights Lead at Pinterest, who shared her insights on the bridal beauty looks worth paying attention to this year. Read on for her top picks.
Soft-Drama Hair
Dubbed “soft-drama hair,” the popular hairstyles for brides involve movement, texture and personality. 2026 brides are loving telenovela-inspired volume and shine, slight side parts, elevated yet imperfect updos and accessories woven directly into the hairstyle.
Pinterest reported major spikes in searches for “telenovela hair” (+895 percent), “soft side part” (+840 percent) and elevated updos like the “Pammy updo” (the Pamela Anderson-inspired updo) and “infinity bun.” This year, expect brides and bridesmaids to skip super sleek styles in favor of romantic, intentionally undone looks—think airy volume, soft bends and messy-chic structure.
Stanback says these trends are resonating because couples today “aren’t just planning weddings; they’re rewriting them in ways that feel even more personal and visually expressive. We’re seeing people move away from overly traditional, ‘perfect’ bridal beauty in favor of looks with more personality and emotion.”
Full-Glam Makeup
Bridal makeup is also getting a bold revival. On Pinterest, searches for “vintage Hollywood makeup” and “wedding makeup full glam” both surged by nearly 400 percent, while interest in “1920s beauty” also climbed.
The shift signals a return to statement beauty moments as we continue to step away from minimalist, “clean-girl” looks: Sculpted skin, defined eyes, fuller lashes and a more artistic and cinematic approach to bold glam are here to stay.
Up-and-Coming Bridal Trends
Though Pinterest has identified soft-drama hair and full-glam makeup as two major wedding beauty trends for this year, what else is on the horizon? Still picking up speed is the alt-bride aesthetic, which is gaining popularity, especially as more Gen Z couples begin planning weddings in the coming years, notes Stanback.
“Gen Z is approaching bridal beauty much more experimentally,” she explains. “They’re less interested in looking traditionally ‘bridal’ and more focused on creating a look that feels true to their identity—a shift toward wedding beauty that feels moodier, more fashion-forward and intentionally authentic, and I think we’ll continue to see that influence grow across the industry.”
How Pinterest Determines Trends
According to Pinterest, the move toward soft-drama hair and full-glam makeup reflects a broader shift in how couples approach their big day. But how exactly does Pinterest figure this all out?
“On Pinterest, our process combines data-backed methodology with human insight to identify meaningful cultural shifts before they hit the mainstream,” says Stanback. “Because Pinterest is such a visual platform, we go beyond tracking keyword spikes by analyzing emerging aesthetics, colors, styles and the ways people are curating inspiration in real time.”
The platform has naturally evolved as an early trend indicator because users search for inspiration months before trends go mainstream—and the numbers back it up: People made more than seven billion wedding-related searches and saved over 16.7 billion wedding ideas globally last year alone.
