Accenting Your Bridal Gown

Many of the brides I meet for alterations come to me with the dilemma of what to wear as accessories for their wedding day. They often want to keep with the theme of their wedding, or chose to accent the gown. It all depends which route each bride wants to take. In my opinion, I suggest accenting the dress. Just as bustles have to be chosen by the shape of the dress, the accessories have to be chosen by the elements of the dress. Afterall, they won't be looking at the bride's wrist. They will be looking at the bride as a whole....just like a beautiful work of art! Everything must look united. For example, if you are going for a 1940's vintage themed wedding, you may want to look for a gown that mimics that era. These dresses will have plunging necklines, bare backs with long, flowing, skirts. One of my favorite eras. Some dresses are even accented with gorgeous motifs. These such elements are what you need to consider when choosing jewelry, veils, and hairpieces.

A friend of mine chose a birdcage veil to accent her halter down. Because the gown does not have many sequens or accents on it, she is able to use this small piece to show a little vintage glamour, matching her theme. Had the dress been covered in sequens broken up with lots of lines, I would have suggested her to go with a more plain headpiece. Another bride chose beautiful chandalier earrings, and a thick, rhinestoned bracelet. After seeing herself in the mirror with the whole ensemble, she wasn't overly happy with the bracelet. I then gave her a smaller tennis bracelet with small rhinestones that were the same size of the rhinestones on her dress. She decided to go with the latter.

If you can't find what you are looking for, you can always have something custom made to match your gown. There are various boutiques that will put together barrets, veils, combs, pins, etc. It may cost you a little more than David's bridal, but at least you can say you designed it :). Clarissa's Boutique in Pittsburgh Pa is just one of these wonderful stores. http://www.clarissaboutique.com/html/veils.html

Ladies, just keep in mind that the simpler the dress, the bolder the accessories, and vice versa. Good luck!