Accessorise Your Big Day - Wedding Jewellery Top Tips

Is your wedding day coming up? If that’s a yes, chances are you’ve been thinking about what jewellery to wear with your wedding dress. It may sound trivial but selecting the right pieces of jewellery for the big day is hugely important, especially if you are helping bridesmaids pick theirs out too.

In this article, the jewellery experts at Ernest Jones will provide you with all the information you’ll likely need to ensure your wedding jewellery sparkles as much as you will and then that’s one more thing you can tick off the mammoth wedding-day checklist.

What jewellery should a bride wear?

This is down to personal choice, but generally you’d look for the full set of wedding jewellery to complete your wedding outfit. As a rule, bridal jewellery should be elegant and understated so as not to pull attention away from the main focal point of your outfit -- the dress, but feel free to mix it up if you feel like you can.

WHAT JEWELLERY SHOULD I WEAR FOR MY WEDDING?

Traditionally a bride would wear a multitude of jewellery, but times are changing. The list below gives you a basic idea of the traditional pieces that you could choose from:

Necklaces
Earrings
Bracelets or bangles

HOW TO CHOOSE EARRINGS FOR A WEDDING DRESS

If your dress is very traditional (and by traditional, we mean white), silver and platinum earrings work beautifully well with the crisp white gown that many brides favour. While a white gown is seen as traditional, offsetting this with sterling silver, white gold or platinum earrings if the budget will stretch lends an air of modernity.

For ivory gowns, the same can apply but the creamier colour of the dress allows gold to work very well here. Coloured gowns are becoming increasingly popular among brides and their bolder nature means that silver, white gold and platinum earrings are a safe bet.

From a stone point of view, unless you have a very clear idea of what you’re looking for, diamonds are a luxurious and “go-with-anything” option. If the budget doesn’t quite stretch to diamonds then check out our collection of cubic zirconia earrings. Either way, they’ll add an extra touch of sparkle to your wedding outfit.

After Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day way back in 2011, sapphires have remained popular with the general public, with sapphire earrings exuding glamour, elegance and class. Historically, the deep blue stones are a sign of hope and faith and are also believed to bring protection to the wearer – perhaps the perfect addition to your big day if you’re the superstitious type.

HOW TO PICK A NECKLACE FOR YOUR WEDDING DRESS

Your wedding necklace should ideally match as closely as possible to your chosen earrings, but an exact match isn’t completely necessary unless you want it to be. If that is the case, we’ve got some beautiful matching jewellery sets that take the hassle out of picking separate necklaces and earrings for your big day.

If your wedding gown has a plunging neckline, you can accessorise with a longer necklace or pendant as the extra room between your neck and the top of your dress will allow for a lengthier chain. If the gown has a higher cut, a collarette is an ideal choice as it’ll hug your neckline beautifully.

Colour wise, the same rules apply to that of your earring choice. White dresses look great with crisp silver, platinum or white gold jewellery and ivory works stunningly with yellow gold.

Tip: Freshwater pearls make a great alternative to metal-based necklaces if you fancy trying something different. Pair these with some pearl earrings for a supremely elegant finish to your wedding gown.

What jewellery should a bridesmaid wear?

This depends on what type of bride you are. If you’ve picked the colour of your bridesmaid’s dresses, there are generally two options for accessories.

1. Pick their own: with so much to do prior to the big day, this is a “get out of jail free card” but requires you to relinquish control somewhat. Make sure all the bridesmaids have a brief as to what jewellery you’d like them to wear to limit any nasty surprises come rehearsal time.

2. Matching jewellery: if you want to arrange the entire thing then you can pick the jewellery out yourself for your troupe of bridesmaids. This way, you can acutely match their jewellery to yours. This option means you’ll have to foot up the bill for the jewellery unless you ask for a contribution from each bridesmaid.

Should bride and bridesmaid jewellery match?

Not necessarily is the quick answer. You’ll more than likely want some consistency between both yourself and your bridesmaids, but the different colour of their dresses means you can get away without matching their jewellery to yours.

And there we have it, the ultimate guide to accessorising your big day. The traditional rule book for weddings has been torn up in recent years and the options for picking your wedding jewellery are more varied than ever with stunning options in a range of stylish materials and designs. If your wedding is coming up, from everyone at Ernest Jones, congratulations.