Choosing the extra design elements that will complete your wedding day look is one of the most fun parts of wedding planning. While choosing the right wedding dress was, of course, one of the main highlights of your planning, there is so much stress and personal expectation involved in saying yes to the dress that likely made shopping for that special gown an overwhelming experience. Now that it’s time to choose the accessories, you’re hopefully feeling a little less stressed and even more excited as your big day finally comes together.
Take a look at your dress style. Are you a beach bride or a nature lover? Is your wedding dress classic and minimalist or bright and bold? Did you choose a dress based on a specific theme, like a fall or winter wedding? All of these questions can help you determine the right accessories to pair with your new wedding dress. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Have Fun Trying on Headpieces
The wedding veil is a bridal classic, perfect for any kind of wedding theme. However, if your dress is vintage, you might consider an equally classic veil, such as a short, mesh birdcage veil with a faux feather hair clip. You can also pair vintage dresses with long, decorative veils that match the elegance of your vintage look. Have fun trying on veils and finding the one that suits your dress and your personality.
Of course, long gone are the days when the wedding veil was the only option. Today, brides embrace flower crowns, decorative hair combs, and a variety of other hair pieces. For outdoor weddings, flower crowns in wedding colors give the wedding a boho feel. If you’re on a tight budget, flower crowns are easy to DIY or even pick up at the local arts and crafts store. Beach wedding goers will also love starfish hair clips, while princess-themed dresses are destined to be paired with stylish tiaras or crowns. Minimalist brides, meanwhile, might enjoy gold hair clips that allow the hair to flow beautifully alongside the clip, or be pinned back in a stunning hair bun. Making a statement with a colorful wedding dress? Try a whimsical hairpiece or matching hair clip. Colorful wedding dresses also look great with vintage birdcage veils.
Experiment with Jewelry
Depending on your dress, as well as your planned hair style, your jewelry could be light and minimal or heavy and dramatic. If your wedding dress is beachy or meant for the outdoors, you might consider light, dainty bracelets and even anklets, depending on your shoes. A themed necklace, like a starfish, is a unique option for a beach wedding dress. A vintage wedding dress, meanwhile, easily lends itself to elegant vintage jewelry, including drop earrings and teardrop necklaces. A birdcage necklace is an especially original and powerful piece of jewelry for a vintage wedding dress.
Another important consideration when it comes to selecting your jewelry is the cut of your wedding dress. Simple necklines look stunning with dramatic earrings, providing you with an element of contrast. Delicate crystal chokers look phenomenal with strapless looks. Play around with jewelry like you do your hairpieces, keeping in mind the overall goal of your wedding look, as well as your hairstyle, wedding dress cut, and chosen headpiece. You don’t want any accessory to overpower another accessory.
Add Your Own Unique Touch
Weddings are a great time to let your creativity and personality shine. Ribbons in your wedding colors, sashes, gloves, and lacy garters are all accessories that you might wish to include as part of your wedding look. Lace gloves look beautiful with vintage or statement wedding gowns, while sashes provide an opportunity to incorporate your theme into your wedding dress. If you’re getting married in the fall, for instance, you could select a bridal belt of golden leaves.
Something Borrowed, Something Blue
If you’re feeling traditional, wearing something borrowed and something blue has been a mainstay of weddings for generations. Your accessories are the perfect opportunity to include a touch of the borrowed and the blue in your wedding attire. Think earrings with bits of blue or a tennis bracelet with sapphires. Asking your mother, grandmother, or another important person in your life for a meaningful piece of jewelry or other accessory of theirs is another warm and creative way to finish out your look.
Don’t Forget the Shoes!
Your wedding shoes tie into your wedding dress so much that it’s hard to think of them as just an accessory. The shoes you choose really makes a statement about your wedding dress. You can choose brightly colored shoes to make a white dress pop, select shoes with jewels or rhinestones for a softer look, or forgo the traditional shoe altogether by throwing on a pair of bright sneakers, like Converse, or flip-flops! Of course, you’ll also want to take into account the length of your dress. If your shoes won’t be a highly visible part of your wardrobe, then choosing a simple shoe makes perfect sense. You might also enjoy taller shoes for a longer dress.
Looking for more accessory ideas? Take a look at our accessory board on Pinterest and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for more tips, tricks, and inspiration!