8 Pretty Hatinators for Weddings That Steal Every Photo

From the Merve Bayindir atelier in London: eight hand-made wedding hatinators, and the practical reasons a hatinator outperforms a hat from the ceremony to the speeches.

Hatinators for weddings solve a problem hats create. A wedding is a day of embracing, photographs, pews and a long meal, and a wide brim running all the way round the head gets in the way of every one of them. A hatinator gives you the presence of a hat, a broad saucer or brim that reads from the back of a church, while sitting on a band tilted to one side, so it clears the face, the camera and the person beside you. It is why so many mothers of the bride and wedding guests choose one, and why the question is usually not whether to wear a hatinator but how big.

Eight wedding hatinators from our atelier

Each is hand-made in London and chosen for how it behaves across a whole wedding day. Prices include UK VAT.

ROSY HORIZON HAT

£1,450

A pink saucer layered over soft grey in an asymmetric teardrop, four layers in two colours, two grey at the base and a smaller pink pair above, the uppermost worked with 3D lace embroidery, silk flowers, pearls, beads and sequins. The layering gives it real depth in photographs. Made with the mother of the bride in mind; wear it tilted so the layers show in profile.

TWILIGHT PETAL WIDE BRIM HAT

£1,300

An asymmetric wide brim in pale blue A-grade sinamay that angles from right to left, tilted to the right, its brim decorated with pressed natural yellow and blue flowers. Selected for the official Royal Ascot Style Guide 2025. The all-sinamay construction keeps a brim of this width light on the head. For an outdoor summer wedding, where the brim earns its keep.

SILKEN GRACE WIDE BRIM HAT

£1,100

A grey sinamay piece on a sculpted asymmetric silhouette, one side rising higher than the other, anchored by an oversized sinamay bow with a metallic finish that echoes the curve of the brim. Worn tilted to the right and fitted with wire and elastic. The grey is the point: it sits with almost any mother of the bride palette without matching it.

MARIBEL WIDE BRIM HAT

£1,450

An asymmetric white wide brim on a pinok pok base, covered in lace embroidered with three-dimensional swirls, sequins worked across the surface and a lightly frayed trim at the edge. White belongs to the bride, so this is the bride's piece, an alternative to a veil for a register office or a garden wedding, or for a guest only above a strong colour, never with a pale outfit.

LEXINGTON HAT

£1,350

A deep purple sinamay saucer on a disc-shaped base, dressed with bright yellow orchids and a single green swirl leaf that curves over the saucer for height. Tilted to the right. A confident guest's hatinator that stands out against cream, white or navy, and one that will not be mistaken for anyone in the bridal party.

STEVIE HAT

£1,350

A medium emerald green saucer in A-grade sinamay, with a bouquet of six hand-made silk organza flowers in peach, cream and yellow set towards the back. Worn tilted so the bouquet sits high behind. Deep green is one of the most flattering colours in British daylight, and a medium saucer is the right scale for most church weddings.

CLYRA WIDE BRIM HAT

£3,100

A fresh aqua wide brim in sinamay with an asymmetric line that sweeps across the face, a clean upper surface, and underneath the brim a hidden arrangement of hand-applied blossoms with delicate yellow feather details. The garden is only visible from below, which means it shows in every photograph taken at eye level. The most substantial piece here.

SOL HAT

£1,700

A deep blue disc with a gently curved brim in lightweight A-grade sinamay, made to perch at an angle, with two large fabric flowers in shades of blue with black and red centres and a slender orange ostrich quill. A strong colour statement for a summer wedding, against white, cream or navy.

At a glance

Why a hatinator suits a wedding day

The embracing

A wedding is the most tactile occasion in the social calendar, and a wide brim that runs round the head collides with everyone who greets you. A hatinator tilted to one side leaves the other side of the face open. We made the same argument in our guide to navy fascinators for weddings, and it is the single most practical reason to choose a hatinator over a hat.

The photographs

A wide brim in strong sunlight throws the upper face into shadow, and in the album that reads as a dark band where your eyes should be. A saucer tilted over one brow keeps the face lit.

The pew

A hat that blocks someone's view of the ceremony should come off, which is the one firm exception to keeping it on. A hatinator tilted away from your neighbour rarely blocks anything.

The meal

Because it sits on a band, a hatinator stays comfortable through the wedding breakfast, when a close-fitting hat has been on for five hours.

A wide brim collides with everyone who greets you. A hatinator tilted to one side leaves the other side of your face open.

How big to go

Match the venue

Scale follows the room. A cathedral or a large country church carries a broad saucer or a wide brim. A register office, a city hotel or a restaurant asks for something smaller, and so does a winter wedding, where the setting is indoors and coats change every proportion.

Match your frame

Proportion matters more than fashion. A petite woman in a very large hatinator disappears under it; a smaller saucer or a pillbox lets her be seen. The taller you are, the more scale you can carry.

Match the other hats

Guests pitch their scale a little below the mother of the bride, whose hat tends to set the level of formality for the day.

Guest or mother of the bride

The mother of the bride's piece is the most photographed after the bride's own, so it wants presence, a colour that complements the wedding palette without matching it, and the comfort to last from the morning to the speeches. Our mother of the bride hats are grouped for exactly that brief. Guests have more latitude in colour, but should never choose white or ivory head to toe, and should aim for either a dramatic outfit or a statement hatinator, not both at once. Our wedding dress code guide covers what to wear underneath.

When to take it off

British convention is that women keep their headwear on through the ceremony, the photographs and the wedding breakfast, and that indoors is no reason to remove it. Guests traditionally wait until the mother of the bride has removed hers before following suit, which usually happens after the speeches as the day moves into the evening. The one firm exception is a hat that blocks someone's view, which should come off whenever it does.

How our hatinators are made

Every piece here is designed and hand-made in our London atelier. The bases are sinamay, woven from abaca fibre, blocked damp over wooden forms and dried so the saucer or brim holds its curve. Some are built up in layers, like Rosy Horizon; some carry pressed natural flowers set into the surface, like Twilight Petal; some are embroidered in 3D lace or finished with silk organza flowers shaped petal by petal. Wide pieces are mounted on a wired headband with elastic so the weight sits securely on a small point of contact. Merve Bayindir is a member of the British Fashion Council, with pieces selected for the Royal Ascot Style Guide. Every order arrives in a custom box, with worldwide DHL Express shipping included.

Frequently asked questions

Can you wear a hatinator to a wedding?

Yes, and it is one of the best choices for one. A hatinator gives the presence of a hat without a brim around the head, which makes embracing, photographs and the meal much easier.

Hatinator or hat for the mother of the bride?

Either is correct. A hatinator is often the more practical, because the mother of the bride greets and embraces more people than anyone except the couple, and a tilted saucer does not get in the way.

When can guests take their hats off at a wedding?

Traditionally after the mother of the bride has removed hers, usually after the speeches. Headwear stays on through the ceremony, photographs and wedding breakfast, unless it blocks someone's view.

How big should a wedding hatinator be?

Scale it to the venue and your frame. A large church carries a broad saucer or wide brim; a register office or city venue asks for something smaller, and a petite frame suits a smaller saucer.

Can a guest wear a white hatinator?

Only with care. White and ivory belong to the bride, so a white piece should sit above a strongly coloured outfit, never with a pale one.

Find your wedding hatinator

Our full hatinators collection is hand-made in our London atelier, and our wedding guest headwear gathers everything suited to the day. For a warm-weather wedding, see our summer occasion range; for a guest's full outfit, our guide to fascinators for wedding guests goes further. When the date is close, our ready to ship pieces dispatch the next working day. Hatinators for weddings are chosen for how they look in the church; they earn their place by how they behave for the rest of the day.