Planning a wedding day look from tips to toes isn’t just about how you’ll look in real life, but also how your look will photograph. It goes without saying that your hands will be in the spotlight, and a French manicure is a great choice for a bridal nail look. Elegant neutral shades mean that when your photographer captures the money shot of your hands, all eyes will be on those rings. So, if you’ve decided on a classic French manicure for your bridal nail look, but want to upgrade it with a cool design, we’ve gathered cute ideas below which work on both long or short nails. It goes without saying that your wedding is definitely a time to visit a nail salon, especially if you want gels or acrylics. Howoever, if you’re a nail whizz, the ideas below are very doable. Alternatively, just show them to your nail artist – they love when a bride comes with photos!
French Manicure Ideas
1. Slick Stripes
Simple stripes are a great way to make your wedding day manicure unique and an easy way to play with the usual French tip look.
2. Minimal Glitter
Using glitter to add minimalist detail is the perfect way to add a touch ot light-catching shimmer. Choose gold, silver or rose gold depending on what works best with your bridesmaids’ dresses, flowers or wedding rings.
3. Glazed Nails
Glazed doughnut nails give a classic French manicure a sugary sweet vibe. With a base of sheer pale pink or milky white, choose a top coat of colour with a pearlescent effect. You could also paint the tips a pearlescent white to make them pop.
4. Ombre French
Blurring the classic French manicure, an ombre pale pink and white looks great on all skin tones. Add glitter polish to just to the ring finger as a fun detail.
5. Short & Matte
An contemporary alternative to a high shine finish, matte nails can look equally chic for a wedding day nail look. We love the heart detail here to the ring finger.
6. Jewel-Encrusted Nail Art
This type of detailing requires a very good manicurist, but it is such a delicate manicure ideas for a bridal look. Wafer-thin stripes of glitter encrusted with tiny jewels, over milky pink base shade – exquisite! Plus it’s a nail look that would work equally well on shorter nails.
7. Glitter Tips
This looks shows detailing doesn’t always need length for a pretty manicure. The pink tones here are super fresh, and the rose gold glitter tips will really help those diamonds sparkle.
8. Shimmering Half-Moons
Half-moon detailing is another way to add a touch of glitter without having it on the tips of your nails. Not every nail needs the effect. Maybe your ring and middle finger look nice, or the little finger and ring finger.
9. Negative Space
A clean, crisp take on the French mani that shows minimal nail art at it’s best. Simply draw the outline of the usual tip shape.
10. Hand-Drawn Detail
Using hand-drawn detail on one or more nails gives you endless scope for adding a personalised touch to your wedding day nails. Whether it’s a particular flower from your bouquet or someone’s initials.
11. Deep-V French
A French manicure with a really deep V-shaped tip is very lengthening for the fingers. This manicure idea is beautiful all by itself!
12. Coloured Ombre
If white tips don’t rock your world but you still want sometihng soft and elegant, then muted tones like dove grey, mauve, or even an apricot blended into a neutral shade will work really well.
13. Metallic Moons
Metallic nail art can look really chic if you love minimalism and you aren’t a fan of sparkle!
14. Festive Manicure
A festive-themed manicure is a lot of fun and doesn’t need to be cheesy. Snowflakes, the North Star work well over a nude or ombre base, and are very easy to do.
15. Gold Leaf
Gold leaf or foil tips look extra special for a wedding day look, and is probably best left to a manicurists to work their magic as it can be tricky to manage.