Easy DIY Prom and Wedding Hairstyles with Flower Accents

Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read  

Easy DIY Prom and Wedding Hairstyles with Flower Accents

Something about wearing flowers in my hair just makes me happy. I even had a florist make a fresh flower comb to go in my hair for my wedding day. Even though it’s all dried up, I still have it as it reminds me of marrying my best friend, my now husband of 20+ years, Tommy.

In thinking about that, I came up with a couple of hairstyles that I wear frequently with flower accents and I thought they may make some great prom hairstyles or wedding hairstyle ideas. Read on to learn how I created my easy DIY hairstyles with flower accents.

This is the low ponytail hairstyle with my orchid claw clip

Living in SWFL, two flowers that adorn the entire island of Sanibel are orchids and plumeria (also known as frangipani) and they are some of my favorite flowers. I have orchids that align a palm tree in my yard and they bloom around March and April. They love the hot and humid climate of the island and do great outside year-round.

The plumeria (or frangipani) grow on trees and bloom in the summer months. There are pink and white and yellow plumeria flowers here and if you ever smell one, their scent will always remind you of the tropics. When I smell them, they not only remind me of Sanibel, but also remind me of a trip I took to Hawaii in the 1990’s with my best friend. It was a great trip and I love that scent memory! Read more about the plumeria flower on the San Diego Zoo website.

The front of the orchid claw clip hairstyle

The plumeria (or frangipani) trees are great survivors and are extremely strong. I think almost every single one survived the category 4/5 storm of Hurricane Ian, which included flood waters that enveloped the entire island. Read about our 2022 Hurricane Ian experience here. My orchids all survived too. I will always look at these two flowers as being symbols of hope and resilience, making them great flowers to wear on a special day like your prom or wedding.

The side view of the plumeria hairstyle

Hairstyles Work Better with Some GRIP

These hairstyles will work great on clean or in-between wash days. On my no-wash hair days, I use dry shampoo to soak up oil on my scalp. I spray it on my roots, then brush my hair to spread it out. Dry shampoo is also great for adding some texture or grip to your hair when it’s really clean.

I did wedding makeup as a side hustle for a while and learned from the hairstylists I worked with always used dry shampoo for up-do’s on people that had just washed their hair. It really does help hold a hairstyle better and makes clean hair easier to get into lots of hairstyles.

I like the following dry shampoos as they don’t leave white residue in my hair after I brush it out:

The back of the orchid claw clip bun hairstyle

Orchid Clip Bun Hairstyle

For the first style, I used the same tutorial that I used for a bow claw clip tutorial, but with an orchid claw clip. It’s a great hairstyle if you are getting married in a hot or humid climate or on a rainy day, as it will keep your hair out of your face and off your neck as well as stay perfect the entire day!

My hair always frizzes out in the humidity, so if you are getting married on the beach, this would be a perfect hairstyle for anyone with hair like mine. This style will work best for medium length to long hair lengths.

 How-to:

  1. Pull your hair up into a high ponytail and secure with a ponytail holder (I like thick hair ties like these as I have medium thick hair)

  2. Wrap the ponytail around the ponytail holder.

  3. Clamp the claw clip to the end of the hair, along the side of the bun

  4. Use hairspray to tame flyaways

See the tutorial for my orchid and bow claw clip tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

Buy an orchid claw clip from the following retailers:

I love my orchid claw clip!

Orchid Side Ponytail Hairstyle

For this hairstyle, I used the same orchid claw clip but instead of a high pony, I pulled my hair into a low ponytail. It will look great with straight or curled hair and is best for medium to long hair lengths.

How-to:

  1. Part your hair in the center, tease it up in the back with a teasing brush at the crown a bit (I have a weird part and teasing helps smooth my hair in this area) and pull your hair into a low side ponytail.

  2. Wrap a ponytail holder around your ponytail once, twice and on the third go around (if your hair is medium thick like mine, you may only have to loop it around twice) only pull the ponytail through a little bit. This creates a little “bun” of hair.

  3. Clip the claw clip on top of the “bun” of hair and let the rest of your hair stay loose at the side of your neck.

See my 1 minute video tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

Buy an orchid claw clip from the following retailers:

The plumeria clips look real!

Plumeria Clip French Braided Hairstyle

This hairstyle is one I turn to often on my no-wash hair days. It’s easy and quick and always looks great! It is best for medium to long hair lengths.

How-to:

  1. Part your hair on the side and french braid a small front section of hair from one side to the other. If you don’t know how to french braid, check out this great tutorial on Allure’s website, which also contains a video.

  2. Next, tease the back section of your hair just to add some volume.

  3. Pull your hair, including the braid, into a low side ponytail. Either secure it in a ponytail holder to leave your hair in a low ponytail style and place the clips around the ponytail holder to hide it OR continue on to fully pull your hair up.

4.  To pull the rest of your hair up: Wrap a ponytail holder around your ponytail once, twice and on the third go around (if your hair is medium thick like mine) only pull the ponytail through a little big. This creates a little “bun” of hair.

5.  If you have hair leftover in the ponytail, braid that and then wrap it around your ponytail holder and tuck it into the ponytail holder or use a bobby pin to secure it.

6.  Add the plumeria flower clips around the ponytail holder to hide it as needed.

See me create this french braided hairstyle in my YouTube video below or via my channel @carolynjbraden:

Buy a set of plumeria flower clips from the following retailers:

 If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: Beachy Braided Crown Half Up Hairstyle

Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.