BRIDAL JEWELRY The first thing to do when it comes to selecting wedding jewelry is to look around – there are many different styles to choose from. Many brides want wedding jewelry that they can wear after their wedding as well. Although pearl jewelry is the most popular choice among brides, there are plenty of alternatives. So think ahead – consider your everyday style and fashion as well as your wedding attire.
Still having trouble finding the right piece? You might consider having your wedding jewelry custom made. Many designers will do this and even though you’ll ay a bit more, it’s a great feeling knowing that you didn’t have to compromise your ideas to match something that just wasn’t quite right – your bridal pieces are designed just for you, and are one of a kind, keep in mind that the designer you choose to work with will want to know any ideas you have in as much detail as possible, and will most likely also want to see your dress or at least a picture of it as well. It’s a good idea to be prepared.
Here are some other hints and tips for selecting your bridal jewelry that will help ensure that you look perfect on your special day.
Do You Have a Color Theme?
You can really design a unique and individual look for your weeding while at the same time enhancing the overall glamour of the occasion. By applying color to the right places, whether it’s your jewelry, your bouquet, the table settings and centerpieces or something else, you can add a lot of beauty and style to your wedding day. For example, if your having a fall wedding and one of your colors is burgundy or siam (see my Swarovski color chart), bring it out in the bridal ensemble by adding a touch of those colors out using either gems like garnets or Swarovski crystals, to your necklace or earrings. For a Spring wedding think about adding touches of some of the popular spring colors which are the delicate lime green tone of a peridot, or a the soft tone of purple of tanzanite or maybe a pale blue aquamarine will perfect your jewelry and finalize your spring look with a gorgeous pastel bridal bouquet.
A few other alternatives might be:
Pearls
Pearls can be great for creating really beautiful and romantic bridal jewelry that will enable you to show your personal style while also bringing something classic to your gown. Pearl bridal jewelry is a fine choice. Not only are they classy, but versatile as well. They are available in many different colors (consult my Swarovski color chart) and can be mixed and matched with many different stones and metals. There is a lot that can be done with pearls, which makes pearl bridal jewelry a great choice for most any bride of all ages.
The great thing about bridal jewelry made of pearls is that it will look outstanding with just about any wedding gown. Whether you are choosing to wear the traditional white wedding gown or you choose to wear something less formal or traditional, you will find that pearl bridal jewelry looks great with your attire! Pearls don’t take away from the beauty of your wedding gown, instead they add to it.
Bottom line is that on your wedding day, you deserve to be the most beautiful woman in attendance. Your happiness will be what makes you radiate with beauty, it won’t be your hair or your shoes, it’ll be you, and your jewelry should only enhance your beauty, not detract. So it’s important to choose your jewelry with the proper care and consideration. So below some final thoughts.
The key to making an impact on your wedding day is getting everything to create a unified picture that screams elegance. With that in mind:
- Color of your gown
- Gown style
- Neckline of gown
- Follow the rule of thumb, your necklace should not fall on your dress
- When purchasing earrings consider face shape
- Don’t over do it, if you are wearing a tiara and necklace maybe skip the earrings
- Stick with jewelry in the same color and gemstone family
- Make sure only one piece is a focal piece, the other's should compliment it
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Purchasing bridesmaid gifts
The wedding is finally over and it is time to thank the army of people who helped you pull off such a momentous occasion, the friends and family that made it through the to-do lists and all the tiring festivities, your bridesmaids. After all, they organized your bridal shower and your bachelorette party and did a million other things you needed help with. Addressing envelopes, endless shopping and fittings for the right dress, shoes and accessories. They wore their less than flattering, possibly for some, dresses with a smile and shelled out the dough it took to wear it. Most importantly, they stood by you like a rock through all the happy moments and all the crisis leading up to your wedding day.
So now it is time to show them your gratitude for their undying devotion. There’s no better way to really show how much you appreciated all they did than to give them a gift that they will treasure and love. When it comes to choosing their gifts, the decision on whether to give all your bridesmaids the same gift or whether to give each one something different is your decision, there is no right or wrong here. The advantage of giving each bridesmaid a different gift is that you can purchase something unique for them which demonstrates a lot of thought, but will definitely take more thought and shopping time. Which is the flip side of all this. It may be a struggle to find gifts that are meaningful for each and are all approximately the same price. If you decide to purchase the same gift for each, it helps to pick up something that will be universally appreciated. Simple and elegant jewelry is an all time favorite, a gift of a necklace and or bracelet is especially popular. Jewelry boxes are also extremely popular bridesmaids gifts and you are sure to find one in whatever your price range might be. A few other ideas, spa gift certificates, to “come down” after all the hype and work of getting through the wedding, if there is a little specialty boutique near by maybe a cute little personalized handbag, or a gourmet shop that has really good chocolates, perfume and wine glasses are also good choices.
One final thing to think about, there has long been a debate on timing of gift giving, before or after the wedding. If you are headed to the Caribbean the next day, it may be more practical to give your bridesmaids their gifts before the wedding rather than after. It’s important to thank them as close to the event as possible and delaying it until you come back and then maybe a few days to get settled, you may have some hurt feelings on your hand. So if before makes more sense it is alright to give your bridesmaids their gifts after the wedding. Just remember no matter when it’s done the most important thing is to choose their gifts with care and present it to them with genuine love and gratitude. After all, the saying is true, it truly is the thought that counts as much as what you end up choosing. BACK TO THE BRIDAL PAGE |
| Bridesmaids Jewelry When the time comes to select your bridesmaid jewelry for the special women in your bridal party, the re are many different styles of bridesmaid necklaces to choose from. The best way to select your bridesmaid necklaces is by looking at the neckline of the bridesmaid gowns, keeping the season and your bridal theme in mind. Starting out with style of jewelry, using the neckline of the gown as a guide you will be one of the most important things to consider in order to compliment the style and color of your gowns. Below are several types of necklines and a few ideas of what might be the best compliment for them.
The Portrait Neckline
The Portrait neckline is an off the shoulder style dress that scallops in the front and usually has an embellishment in the center to pull the entire dress look together. There are many different style s of bridesmaid’s necklaces that can be worn with the portrait neckline. Chokers can assist in framing out the neckline, a Y-Drop or Pendant style necklace can be complimentary because it can add the same form neckline as the dress. Something to consider, is the embellishment on the dress, if there are a lot of pearls, iridescent sequins or rhinestones on the dress, then choose a necklace with a little sparkle, if you choose pearls try to find something with some type of crystal accents. A few other styles that compliment the portrait neckline are either a single, double and multiple strand necklaces. This style of necklace provides an elegant draping feel to accent this style of neckline.
The Bateau Neckline
The Bateau neckline is a high neckline that has almost no “scoop” to it at a ll. These necklines sometimes have a high back to them, but also can have a low or no back at all. There are a few styles of necklaces that really compliment the bateau neckline. If the back of the dress is high, meaning it has fabric all the way to the neckline, then you will want to go with a choker style necklace. The choker style bridesmaid necklace is a tight fitting necklace that will wrap tightly around the upper neckline. A better fit for this style of gown with the high back may be just going with a pair of dangly earrings and a nice cuff bracelet. The other bateau neckline with no back or a low back can have a lariat style necklace worn with it. This style of necklace is adjustable in the front, so you can decide how far you want the front necklace line to go down and the back of the gown can be nicely accented nicely accented with some sort of delicate chain and stone or pearl dangle trailing down the back.
The Scoop Neckline
The scoop neckline is just as it sounds, a “U” shaped neckline that scoops down lower, sometimes in the back as well as the front. The best bridesmaid necklace to wear with this style of gown is a multiple strand necklace. The dramatic multiple strands of the necklace accent this style of neckline very well. A choker style necklace and y – drop or pendant style necklaces can also look nice. Again, it depends on the look you’re going for, romantic, dramatic, vintage, or maybe modern, it’s your personal preference.
The Sweetheart Neckline
The sweetheart neckline is similar to the portrait, but this style of gown actually has a heart shaped opening in the front. This off the shoulder style dress gives you lots of options as it looks good with a choker style necklace, a pendant necklace or multiple or single strand necklaces. That’s what makes this style of dress an easy one to work with it allowing you to focus more on color and what your jewelry is made from knowing that most likely the style of it will compliment your dress choice. This neckline is also a good one if you are planning on having different styles of bridesmaid necklaces for your maids, but the same dress.
The V-Neck Neckline
The V neckline is exactly as it sounds, the front of the dress, and sometimes the back of the dress forms a V shaped design also, giving it a more plunging neckline. This style of dress is complimented perfectly with a Y – drop or pendant style necklace. Although that is the style I personally feel is the best compliment, the V neck also looks nice with a single or double stranded necklace or a choker as well.
The Square Neckline
A square neckline is close to the scoop style neckline, but has a straight cut across the chest. This style of neckline is complimented nicely by choker style necklaces; it does a nice job of annunciating the neckline and really making it stand out. If the choker style isn’t really for you another choice may be either a double or single strand necklace.
The Queen Anne Neckline
The Queen Anne neckline has the same chest front as the sweetheart style neckline, but has a high neckline that forms a diamond shape. This style of dress is usually complimented best with a pendant or y – drop style. The pendant and y drop style necklace is a delicate accessory to this style of neckline and should be paired with a complimentary pair of drop style earrings.
The Halter Neckline
The Halter style neckline is a sleeveless style with the dress wrapping a round the neckline, leaving the back of the dress bare. This is the style of gown where you want to stay away from any sort of necklace and instead accessorize it with a chunky bracelet and a more dramatic style of earrings.
If you decide on having different jewelry for each of your bridesmaids still use this guide to:
Assist you in making your final decisions. Some important things to consider, the colors either should match or compliment your bridesmaid gowns. Also remember your style of wedding should be a reflection of how elaborate or simple your bridesmaid jewelry is. If it’s formal, you’ll want to go a little more elegant and sophisticated, if it’s a casual event, you should still try for something sophisticated, but a little more simple, you don’t want your wedding party to be standing in a garden style wedding wearing a 3 strand rhinestone necklace. It’s a lot to think about but your bridesmaids will cherish and remember the beautiful bridesmaid jewelry you put so much thought into and they will be sure to remember your special day a lifetime.
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