Best Wedding Jewelry Accessories: Envisioning Your Special Day

Few events are so meticulously and magnificently planned as weddings – from the gown and the décor to the location and the music, every facet is exquisitely presented. The bride in particular wants to look her best, and will often enlist her most talented friends or the work of a professional for picture-perfect hair and makeup styling. Wedding jewelry is the final element to coordinate the bride’s ensemble – and is arguably the most enjoyable part of choosing bridal accessories.

If you’re wondering what jewelry to wear with your wedding dress, here are, head to toe, the best wedding jewelry accessories to cherish on your special day and for the rest of your love story together, from beautiful simulated lab created diamonds to unique accents.

Ideas For Bridal Accessories: A Helpful Guide For The Bride-To-Be

Wedding Hair Jewelry

Whether used as a centerpiece to a perfectly-made coif or used as a subtle accent in a bun or elaborate braid, wedding hair jewelry is the icing on the proverbial (wedding) cake. These adornments may take many different forms, but the most enduring styles feature stone-set designs to sparkle and capture the light during your walk down the aisle.

• • Picks: Usually slender and conical in shape, these stick-like accents feature a faceted stone on the end, and may or may not include ribbons or pendant-like jewels attached with a chain. They are the best choice for voluminous hair styles, as they won’t compress curls or cause frizz, but stay securely in place for a touch of sparkle.

• • Combs: Used for up-dos and bun-centric wedding hairstyles, these hair accents display intricate beadwork or inset-faceted stones along their top edge, with unadorned, curved “teeth” below that hold it securely in place. Combs may be stand-alone wedding accessories, or may be physically attached to a veil to keep it in place.

• • Clips: Similar to combs, all the “bling” for these accents is found on the hinges and outside edges of the clip. These are usually smaller and designed to hold twisted strands of hair or small braids in place, though a large centerpiece clip may be used at the back of the head for up-dos.

• Barrettes: While many resemble the bar shape the name is derived from, others have ornate shapes and can be either large or small. Secured with a swing arm and locking mechanism on the back of the design, these wedding hair accessories can be understated or elaborate, and almost always feature inset stones along their outer edge.

Wedding Earrings

Once you have your hair sorted and styled, your ears are the next opportunity for ornamentation. You’ll want to choose a style that looks proportional to your features and hairstyle, as well as a precious metal and stone weight that feels comfortable to wear. Depending on your personal taste and your dress, there are a number of wedding earrings to choose from:

• • Studs: Classic and chic, wedding stud earrings usually consist of a single gem mounted on a straight post. While vintage looks call for pearls, modern brides are increasingly opting for a little wedding-day bling, found in faceted gemstones such as solitaires. While round stud designs are popular, other trending options include the rectangular “emerald cut” style.

• • Drop Earrings: As the name suggests, these designs fall below the edge of the earlobe and offer a little movement each time you turn your head. They are particularly beautiful in profile wedding pictures, as they draw the eye to the curve of the chin and the drape of the wedding gown. Drop earrings may consist of a concentric chain of faceted stones from the piercing down, or may use a dangling chain or French hook with a focal stone at the end.

• • Hoops: These earrings can be fully-enclosed loops or C-shaped, and wedding styles usually feature set stones along the entire outer edge. They pair best with voluminous hairstyles, particularly curls, though care should be taken to pin or otherwise secure hair away from the hoop itself to avoid tangles.

Wedding Necklaces and Pendants

Most modern wedding dress styles bare the collarbones and varying degrees of the décolleté – which means that the perfect wedding necklace is destined to be front and center of every wedding photo. Second only to the wedding ring in terms of post-wedding “wearability,” a bride-to-be should take her time and enjoy the hunt for the necklace of her dreams before the big day. Here are some popular bridal necklace styles to consider:

• • Chain-Attached Solitaires These necklaces are ideal for a bride that wants a clean, modern look to match her dress. The wedding necklace design features a center stone suspended from a chain attached to either side of the setting, but the stone doesn’t always need to be round. Diamond Nexus chain-attached solitaires, for example, come in a variety of shapes, weights, and sizes.

• • Graduated Necklaces: The sparkling, faceted equivalent of a traditional string of pearls, graduated necklaces adorn the bride’s neck with a dazzling array of stones. This style can be used to play up an ornate dress, or used as a clever spotlight accent for a sleek, understated modern gown.

• • Pendants: Similar to chain-attached solitaires, pendants use a single stone-set design to draw the eye. This style differs in the chain design – rather than the pendant setting being permanently attached, it can be removed from the chain if desired. This wedding necklace is an excellent choice for a bride eager to wear her wedding jewelry after the big day; the pendant can be added to an everyday chain, or the chain can be mixed and matched with other favorite pendants.

• • Lariat or Y-Style: For wedding dresses featuring a low-cut V neck or plunge-style neckline, Y-style necklaces are a perfect match. These necklace styles offer adornments on both sides of the main necklace chain, continuing down into a “tail” at the end for a symmetrical look. If opting for a lariat / asymmetrical version of this necklace, look for a fixed design that gives the impression of a pass-through loop without the worry it will cinch itself too tightly.

Care & Keeping For Wedding Jewelry

Wedding days can feel like a busy whirlwind of activity, even if extensive planning is completed beforehand. When a bride is getting ready to walk down the aisle or preparing for her reception, she may want to change up her accessories. Even if a wardrobe change isn’t officially planned, it’s a good idea for her to appoint a maid of honor or bridesmaid as the official jewelry-keeper.

Along with other wedding-day necessities – safety pins, snacks, hair products, and so on – the bride’s family or friends should also bring the protective velvet bags or jewelry boxes made for her new accessories. That way, she can slip off one set and put on another, or add to her look before making her public debut at the reception.

Forget-Me-Nots: Wedding Jewelry Memories

The bride may want to ask the wedding photographer to take an “accessories of the day” shot for the wedding album. There are a number of ways to do this, such as lining up her sparkling new treasures on her wedding veil or the hem of her dress, staging them on the vanity table in the dressing room, or setting them beside her bouquet and shoes on a table. This shot can be juxtaposed with images of the couple’s rings stacked beside each other. If applicable, the bride’s wedding jewelry can be staged beside a few of the groom’s accessories, such as cufflinks or a boutonniere.

On the more practical side of things, these shots can also be readily handed over to the new couple’s insurance company in order to document her jewelry. If the pieces should become lost or misplaced during the honeymoon or after, the images will help locate them much more quickly than a generic description.