Choosing Your Wedding Day Jewelry

Today's bridal jewelry often includes rhinestones, diamonds, faux diamonds--sometimes called CZs, Swarovski crystals, Austrian crystals, and/or a combination of two or more. It's really a matter of personal style and budget.

Most people build up a "look" or theme around one particular piece of their wedding day outfit. Whatever your inspiration, it’s a good idea to try and get each piece of the outfit to accessorize beautifully with everything else. Don’t feel that you have to match everything perfectly, but don’t buy things in isolation.

FOR THE BRIDE

Preparations often seem to focus around the gown style. However, there are many other elements of your look to consider, such as, ceremony style, veil style, and hairstyle.

Gown Style: The most important thing is to make sure your jewelry does not overpower the dress and that the color works with the gown.

For example, a white gown looks best with white pearls and silver. An ivory gown looks better with ivory pearls and gold or silver both work. A champagne gown looks best with dark ivory/champagne and gold accents. Rhinestones, crystals, diamonds, or faux diamonds (CZs) can work with all gown colors.

Helpful Tips

For a simple dress with a deep neckline, you should be looking at a chunkier more substantial jewelry set—especially the necklace.
Pearls always seem to work, but try on different lengths to make sure that they compliment the entire look.
Many of today's most popular gowns are strapless or have low necklines. This is a perfect style to showcase a wonderful necklace and earrings.
Gowns with high necklines may be better off to forgo the necklace and concentrate on the perfect earrings.
Examine the detailing of your dress and match your jewelry accordingly. For example, if you have crystals and pearls on your gown, you would want to buy jewelry with the same detailing.
Ceremony Style: The bride's jewelry should reflect the formality of the wedding. A small, informal wedding calls for simple jewelry, while a large, formal wedding calls for more elaborate jewelry.

Veil Style: Veils come in many different styles. Always consider the detailing on your veil. The more detailed it is, the softer you want the jewelry to be. If you have a traditional veil with no beading or accents, you can go for a more glamorous or flashy look with your jewelry. It is a simple case of balancing the overall effect of the details.

Hairstyle: If you have a shorter style or you have selected and up-do for the wedding day, longer or drop earrings that extend toward your neck would be a lovely choice. If you want something simpler, then rhinestone studs or simple pearls can be equally beautiful.
If your hair is down, try and choose and earring that is not too long, like a chandelier length, as it may get tangled in your locks. Short drop earring and studs/simple pearls would be the best choice.

Helpful tips:

Keep your earrings simple if your necklace is large or grand.
Bracelets can be worn with sleeveless, short-sleeve, and three-quarter sleeve gowns.
It is possible to combine a bracelet with gloves as a dramatic accessory worn over tight-fitted gloves.
Keep this in mind when selecting earring styles:

A button earring accentuates a round face.
A dangle earring widens a narrow face.
A squared earring adds interest to a long face.
If you are not wearing a necklace you may want your earrings to be larger. It is all a matter of balance.
FOR THE BRIDESMAIDS

The greatest benefit of selecting your bridesmaid’s jewelry sets is that it works as a personal gift, as well as gives you the option of what will be worn on your wedding day. Always consider your wedding style, bridesmaid dress color, time of year, and of course, personal taste. If you choose the jewelry with your bridal party in mind, you are sure to select a gift the bridesmaids will appreciate.

It is important to choose a set that not only looks fantastic the day of your wedding, but can be worn again.

Wedding Style: Keep your wedding style in mind. If you have an informal wedding, you will want to choose a more subtle jewelry set. If your wedding is a larger more formal affair, you may want to go with something a bit more glamorous. Again, this is a matter of personal taste.

Bridesmaid Dress Color: Keep in mind that if you select a color crystal jewelry set, you don't have to match your wedding color exactly. Selecting a lovely ivory or champagne necklace set is a lovely accent color that will bring a shimmer to the bridal party while allowing the wedding color to stand out fully in the bridesmaids dresses.

Time of Year: If you are getting married in the Spring or Summer, you can choose lighter colors such as sky blue, lavender, or mint green. Fall and Winter months lend a brilliant backdrop to burgundy, chocolate, or black bridesmaid jewelry sets.

Do all the bridesmaids need to wear the same set?
Absolutely not! Choosing a different necklace set for each of your bridesmaids is a fantastic and fun option—just make sure you keep it the same gem style for each lady (all crystals/rhinestones or all pearls). You are technically giving each one the same gift, however you are tailoring the design to their particular personality.

Everyone always has a friend that's larger than life. She loves to have fun and is brilliantly boisterous. Think lots of sparkle to match her sparkly personality, like a rhinestone jewelry set that's big and bold or a chunky pearl chocker that has that edge!

For the bridesmaid that's more reserved and quiet, think classic and traditional, like a single strand rhinestone necklace set or a traditional drop pearl set. This allows you to capture her particular personality while keeping the jewelry in the same family as the rest of the bridesmaids.

Helpful tips

The most common pearl colors are white or ivory. Which color you choose depends on the color of the bridesmaid dress.
White looks fabulous with primary colors, such as red, blue, purple, green and of course, white.
Ivory is very complimentary with champagne, ivory, brown, orange, and yellow.
Either white or ivory may be worn with black.