Better By Half?

WARNING: There are many, many, many photos ahead. Prepare yourself.

Back in May, I posted some inspirations for my wedding day hair. At the time, I was pretty set on an updo, both because of my hair's resistance to curl and because I thought it seemed more bride-y. Then my hair stylist suggested that because I have a strapless dress, I should consider half-up, half-down styles. I hadn't really thought of that before, but when I mentioned the idea to a few people, they seemed to think it was a good idea.

Now that I have a hair trial scheduled for the middle of October, the time has come to get serious about finding some looks that I like. Honestly, I had an easier time finding updos that struck my fancy, but I'd like my stylist to try both an updo and a half-up do. Half-up dos seem to be a little more hit or miss because there's such a slippery slope to prom hair, which is usually characterized by the top half slicked back and the bottom half in supertight curls, or on the other end of the spectrum, anything resembling the hair style of choice of Stephanie Tanner in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

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Like I said in my last hair post, my locks are cut in a blunt shoulder-length bob with long, sideswept bangs. Finding half-up dos for hair of my length proved tricky. The best option I found was this photo of Kristin Cavallari, although only one side of her hair looks pinned back.

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I do like the look, but I'm afraid it may look more party girl than bride. Although that could just be because I watched way too many episodes of "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" thanks to the urging of a couple non-bridesmaids that shall go unmentioned. (Cough, B., C., Cough.)

When I wear my hair half-up on any normal day, it looks vaguely similar to the how Rebecca Romijn's hair looks below. I should probably clarify that sadly I look nothing like Rebecca Romijn when I wear it that way.

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I think if I just try to go that normal route, it will feel too plain and everyday. I want pretty and, yes, a little fancy.

In the next photo, Eva Longoria amps up the sexy on a typical half-up, half-down do with some major Brigitte Bardot-esque volume. Could I pull that off with shoulder-length hair?

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Here's a similar but softer look on Mrs. Ryan Adams.

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Next, I left La-La Land behind and looked for some half-up, half-down dos worn by regular folks. I LOVE the next photo, but I don't think I have enough hair (in addition to the shorter length, my hair is fine and thin) to replicate the look.

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This next one is similar to Eva's and Mandy's, although I'm not quite sure what that big white thing is.

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I like this shot of how a (much more subtle) barrette was used in a half-up do. Pretty, pretty.

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This next one also uses some pretty weaving, although the half that's down has way more curl than my hair would likely hold.

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Enough with the regular people. Let's get back to celebrities!

I tried to think of someone famous with hair a similar length to mine who mixed up their styles frequently, and I suddenly remembered my favorite teen gumshoe - Veronica Mars! In any given episode, I swear they changed Veronica's hairstyle at least five times. And for the first two seasons, her hair wasn't much longer than mine. I knew something would turn up on Google Images, but sadly, I'm not as good of a detective as Veronica and her dad. (A funny aside for fans of the show - when you Google "Veronica Mars hair", the search returns more photos of Dick Casablancas than Veronica.)

Anyway, I looked for some photos of Kristen Bell away from Neptune, CA, and found the one below. Yes, it's longer than mine, but I've got the bangs. And I like the way it requires very little curl.

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After that, well, I got tired of Googling. So what do you think? Do you like any of these styles?