From breakup bangs to back-to-school trims, a change in coiffure has lengthy been a visible shorthand to acknowledge main milestones. The newest in a lifetime of momentous haircuts? The mid-wedding chop, a hair transformation that celebrates the beginning of a brand new chapter as a partner.

“There’s a rich history of hair reflecting relationship status,” stated Rachael Gibson, a hair historian primarily based in London, including that in lots of cultures and religions, particular cuts and types might sign that somebody is off the market. “Some Orthodox Jewish women shave their heads the day after their wedding in keeping with tradition,” she stated, “while in many African cultures, the choice of braiding and styling techniques is used to visually convey marital status.”

On TikTookay, video clips of daring brides chopping their locks within the time between their wedding ceremony ceremonies and receptions have amassed greater than 1.6 million views. Some consultants say the marriage chop is a well-liked new spin on the “second look.”

“The wedding day cut is a more modern proposition and, unlike the popular trend for changing into a different dress for the evening proceedings, feels like more of a symbolic gesture than a style statement,” Ms. Gibson stated. “There’s something meaningful about stepping into your new life with a new image, literally chopping off what went before and starting afresh.”

Courtney Sneddon, 26, a private assistant primarily based in Edinburgh, let her hair develop for 2 years in anticipation of her wedding ceremony in November 2022. “I was counting down to when I could cut it off for my honeymoon,” she stated. But when Ms. Sneddon’s hairstylist, Christopher Laird, supplied a mid-wedding lower as an alternative, she thought, “Why not?” Ms. Sneddon added: “It was either this or another dress, and since I wanted a cut anyway, it was an easy decision.”

While company loved dessert, Ms. Sneddon sneaked away with Mr. Laird, who lower and styled her lengthy, straight hair right into a mushy and wavy collarbone-length bob in simply 20 minutes. “The first thing she did after we cut it was head to the dance floor and headbang,” Mr. Laird recalled. “She felt amazing, fierce and really liberated.”

Olivia Lopez, 26, a labor and supply nurse in Edmond, Okla., opted to vary each her outfit and her hair for her wedding ceremony final August. Ms. Lopez stole away for a couple of minutes throughout dinner, swapping her costume for a white sequin jumpsuit and her lengthy ponytail for a wavy, shoulder-length bob.

“My husband knew I was changing into a different outfit for the reception but had no idea I planned to chop my hair off, too,” stated Ms. Lopez, including that her husband, Luis Lopez, 28, who oversees alumni engagement and fundraising for Oklahoma Christian University, was shocked by her transformation. “I was completely caught off guard,” Mr. Lopez stated. “Olivia looked gorgeous. It was such a memorable moment.”

Ali Lewis Passink, 38, works remotely as a senior non-public shopper adviser for the style retailer Moda Operandi in Charleston, S.C., gave her now husband, Lyle Passink, 42, who works in produce distribution, a heads-up about her preplanned plans for a marriage chop a couple of weeks earlier than their October 2018 nuptials in Charleston. “I am almost certain his response was, ‘Sounds cool, whatever,’” stated Ms. Passink, who enlisted the hairstylist Patrick Navarro to rework her full chignon into a brief bob within the quarter-hour between the ceremony and seated dinner.

Not solely did Angela Gulick let her husband, Chase Gulick, each 27, know she had a marriage chop in thoughts, however she requested him to chop her hair himself throughout their wedding ceremony on Dec. 31, 2022. “I surprised him with scissors,” Ms. Gulick, a photographer primarily based in Clyde, Ohio, stated. “He was speechless and said he would have been less surprised had I given him a puppy that day.”

The lower ended up crooked, she stated, however not sufficient to be noticeable to company. (Her hairstylist evened issues out throughout an appointment the week after.) Ms. Gulick donated 11 inches of hair to Wigs for Kids, a corporation that creates free wigs for younger most cancers sufferers.

“I felt beautiful through half of my wedding day with my long locks and also felt beautiful as we rang in the New Year as Mr. and Mrs. with a short, fun and completely different look,” she stated.

Jamie Littleton, 25, a digital advertising and marketing supervisor in Detroit, requested a good friend — certainly one of her wedding ceremony company — to do the honors of chopping her hair throughout her August 2022 wedding ceremony. “I liked the symbolic meaning behind it,” Ms. Littleton stated. “I thought it was a great way to represent letting go of my past and embarking on this new exciting chapter of my life.”

“Practically speaking, many women still grow their hair long for their wedding, as it makes updos easier — and because there are still tired ideas about how people should and shouldn’t look as bride,” Ms. Gibson stated. “From this perspective, it’s probably just really satisfying to revert to a preferred shorter style as soon as you can.”

Natalie Pirzad, 30, a self-described “short hair girlie” and the proprietor of Brand Like That, an experiential occasion planning enterprise in Los Angeles, wished a modern bun for her ceremony in September 2022. But Ms. Pirzad quickly realized that she wished to look “like herself” at the reception. So halfway by dinner, she sneaked away for 9 minutes (she timed it) to shorten her hair into her signature bob.

“The wedding day adrenaline mixed with am-I-making-a-terrible-decision-at-my-wedding adrenaline was a real buzz,” Ms. Pirzad stated. “The sleek bun pictures are such a vibe, but having the photos from dancing where I look like me is so important to me.”

Brides who’re torn between lengthy and brief hairstyles “can have the best of both worlds” by selecting a mid-wedding chop, stated Alexandra Macon, the founding father of the marriage e-commerce platform Over the Moon.

To guarantee a seamless course of, keep away from utilizing an excessive amount of hair spray or different product for the primary type so the hair is primed for a dry lower, stated Alex Brown, a star hairstylist in Chicago.

But Julia Gambell, a salon proprietor in Philadelphia, cautioned {that a} mid-wedding chop might not come out good. “Just like an athlete plays best on their home field, stylists do best on the home turf in the salon,” she stated.

A haircut reveal, in Ms. Macon’s opinion, can be a good way to maintain company entertained through the reception. “The wedding chop is a daring, double-tap-worthy moment that everyone will be talking about and will most likely have fun capturing for social media.”

Bianca Hall, a marriage planner with Estera Events in Chicago, agreed. “Let guests wonder where the bride is,” she stated. “Turn up the music, pass out mini espresso martinis and have the photographer ready for the grand entrance.”

Jessica Marie Del Borrello, 30, a hair stylist in Western Australia, described chopping her hair brief throughout her wedding ceremony as “the best decision” she had made. “My only regret,” she stated, “is not going shorter.”