However you want to look at it, the bride is the most important person on the wedding day, that’s because it is ‘her’ day. The secret is however to allow the rest of the bridal party to not only look their best, but subtly enhance the look of the bride. This can be achieved in a manner of ways, but the most common one is by way of bridesmaids and the Maid of Honour (MOH). Each have the lovely task of being a bridal accessory in their own right. They are there to serve the needs of the bride and to complement and tie together the whole look of the bridal party.
So you’ve chosen the dress and you may have seen some gown designs and colours that catch your eye that would be suitable for the bridesmaids. Today it is OK to have your bridesmaids in different colours, this can be an eye catching alternative to the usual block colour and all bridesmaids with the same dresses although this is still very common. I attended a fabulous wedding where the bride wore deep scarlet red and the bridesmaids wore ivory cream tea style dresses. Controversial for some, especially Grandmother generations, but it looked fantastic, a real unique look for a unique bride!
All dressed in white
If you, the bride is dressed in white, cream or ivory tones then anything goes with regards to the bridesmaid gowns except of course white, cream or ivory unless the tone is noticeably different to the bridal gown.
An excellent way of keeping costs down is to work with the season! This is especially good for the photographer as he/she will be able to use nature at that time of year to enhance and complement the theme the bride has chosen. This also works out best regarding bouquets and flower arrangements as the costs can be dramatically different depending on what is or isn’t available at the time of year. It goes without saying that the colour theme is a very personal choice and will run through the entire day right from the invitations down to the jewellery the bride will wear. I’ve seen fabulous weddings where each bridesmaid is wearing a different shade of blue for example or another where each bridesmaid is wearing a totally different style of dress but all in the same colour. It is good to have some continuity though whether that be in the jewellery, the bouquets or posies, bright shoes, headdress or some matching accessory like a shawl or bolero; but it all comes down to the bride’s personal choice!
The Colour of the Bridal Gown
It may be that you’ve chosen a bridal gown that is a deep gold hue or a more vivacious red. Some gowns have highlights of colour whether that be in Swarvoski or crystal embellishments down the boddice through to the train. It is perhaps easy to have this highlight colour as your main colour theme which is a great idea but be aware of the bridesmaid’s own colouring i.e. hair colour and skin tone as you don’t want any clashes to jump out of the photographs at you. For subtelty and hints of colour, Swarvoskis of pretty much any colour can be added to either the bridesmaids’ posies or can be stitched on to matching boleros. A great way of keeping consistency is to have matching jewellery for the bridesmaids, this can be an elegant pendant, earrings and cuff or if your bridesmaids are younger, a keepsake locket and cuff would be a perfect way to tie a look together. As for the MOH it is a good idea to differentiate this role from the bridesmaids, this need only be in a small way, but perhaps an added spray to her headdress or slightly larger posy would suffice in making this obvious.
Jewellery for the Bridesmaids
There are some great companies out there that offer super value for money on accessories for both bride and bridesmaid. A lovely option is to use semi-precious stones that match your colour theme and have jewellery made for each bridesmaid. This needn’t be as costly as you may first think, it is well worth giving a company your budget and seeing what they can come up with for that amount. You may be surprised what you can get for your money! A lovely idea is to have vintage inspired keepsakes made for your bridesmaids, for example there are companies out there that source vintage brooches and incorporate these into a headdress and these can then be taken off after the wedding and used as a piece of jewellery. If your bridesmaids are wearing a headdress, then depending upon the hair style and ages of the bridesmaids, earrings and a pendant are always a good option. You can also have items of jewellery made in the same style as your own but with a little less in the way of amount of pearls, crystals or stones used.
Mother of the Bride Jewellery
This can be an extremely emotional time for the mother of the bride. The bride herself may have not lived at home for quite some time prior to her wedding day, but nevertheless, the occasion in itself can hold a mixture of feelings. The Mother of the Bride’s outfit should fittingly be something special, some choose a very tailored, smart two piece whilst others go for a floaty dress with a tailored jacket that can then be used again for special occasions after the wedding day. Whatever decision is made the jewellery is of personal choice to the Mother of the Bride. It may be that there are certain special pieces that are saved for occasions such as this, family heirlooms etc. If however new jewellery is to be bought, there are companies that can offer a full jewellery suite that caters for all members of the party. A lovely quirky idea at the moment is to enhance the Mother of the Bride’s corsage. This can be done by adding semi-precious stones that complement the colour theme of the day along with pearls and crystals to make a corsage twist that will make the Mother of the Bride stand out! When these twists are wrapped around the flower corsage for example a blush pink rose, fresh water pearls and Swarvoski crystals wrapping around make such a statement piece and something that can be taken off and cherished after the big day.
This can be done too for any of the corsages that the bridal party will be wearing and are lovely keepsakes of your special day.
