Your wedding day is your day to celebrate your love. You can anticipate a wonderful visit with friends and family, good food, and dancing while being surrounded by well-wishers, and carefully curated decor.
Your wedding gown is one of the most important things you will ever purchase, and rightfully so. It will be the centerpiece of your wedding and one of the things that your guests will look forward to seeing.
Your accessories, on the other hand, may not be the star of the show, but they can enhance or detract from your wedding gown. Wedding accessories can also bring your dress to another level and be the added touch you need to make your wedding ensemble truly you.
It can be overwhelming to make the right choice for shoes, jewelry, veils, and other wedding accessories. With the styling tips we offer below, you can feel confident in choosing the right accessories for your wedding gown.
Simply the Best
Sometimes, it is important to take into account the old adage less is more. Especially if your dress is well-adorned, a gown that features ruffles, beading, pearls, rhinestones, or other embellishments will benefit from simple accessories.
When your wedding gown is already eye-catching, forego the tiara, earrings, belt, and veil. Choose one accessory that suits you or complements your dress and rock it.
Another consideration for simple accessories is when your dress has an interesting feature that you would like to let shine. A gown with an open back will not need many accessories because the open back is the show stopper. However, the outfit could benefit from a beautiful pair of earrings or hair accessories.
Sometimes, a simple pair of pearls or diamond studs in your ears can make as much of a statement as a whole set of accessories, maybe even more.
Choose Your Metal Colors Wisely
It is vital to consider the color of your wedding gown when choosing metallic jewelry. This is because some metals complement colors, while others clash.
When shopping for accessories, a good rule of thumb is that white wedding gowns work best with platinum, white gold, or silver metals. Ivory dresses look best paired with gold. A nude or blush gown can look beautiful with rose gold.
If your wedding gown has embellishments, let the color of the decorations dictate the metals you wear in your accessories.
Belt Friends Forever
One way to add something extra to your wedding gown is by choosing a sash or belt.
When you attend your bridal boutique appointment, request to see some belts and sashes, which come in many colors and designs. A belt can help create a waistline to give you great curves, and since your gown likely will not come with one, it is an easy way to create a custom gown look.
Choose a belt that suits the aesthetic of your wedding style, as well as your personal style. A satin sash with crystals can offset a simple gown and works for a barn wedding as well as it does in a ballroom. A leather belt can give your wedding dress an edgy vibe to suit an ultra-modern or avant-garde wedding style.
If you choose a belt to enhance your wedding gown, try it on to see how it looks with your chosen dress and with your body type. A wider belt will best suit a long torso, while a thinner belt is best for someone with a short torso. You also may want to consider placing a belt at an empire-waist height if you have an apple shape.
Should You Wear a Veil?
Contrary to popular belief, you can wear a veil outside of a traditional wedding setting.
The veil continues to be one of the most recognizable wedding accessories, but they have come a long way. While you may choose a cathedral-length veil to suit a formal wedding, elbow-length, blusher, and fingertip veils are a less traditional twist from which to choose. Birdcage veils look great in photos and are alluring while being fuss-free.
Your veil should be the same shade as your wedding gown, and it should also be a similar style. It would help if you also kept in mind that your veil should not outdo your wedding gown but rather enhance it, nor should it overwhelm your body type.
Hair to be Different
If you would rather not wear a veil, you can choose from some other great similar options. As simple as a beaded or shell-laden hair comb or as ornate as a fascinator, there are many different accessories to complete your wedding look.
A boho or beachy wedding calls for loose, wavy tresses. Throw a floral crown on top to complete the look. Do you love flowers, but a crown is not your vibe? Try a loose updo with flowers woven through.
A chignon with a beaded or jeweled motif is delicately feminine, or choose a beautiful headband to top off your wedding gown.
The Comfier the Better
One of the more important purchases you will make when deciding on wedding accessories is your shoes.
Your shoes will complete your wedding outfit and can even express your personality. But, when choosing a pair of shoes to wear on your wedding day, keep comfort close to mind. On the big day, you will be standing for many long periods and possibly even walking for long stretches.
Consider the height of the heel, the material of the shoes, and the straps (or lack thereof) when trying on shoes for your wedding. If you have found a pair of killer heels that you need for your wedding day, bring another more practical pair to wear as the night wears on or between photos or segments of the wedding.
Try to wear your shoes before your wedding day to determine how comfortable you will be in them and whether you may need to purchase different shoes instead.
Necklace or Not?
The neckline of your wedding gown should have a significant impact on the type of necklace you wear on your wedding day.
A wedding gown with an interesting neckline or other detail that does not leave the neck exposed is usually not appropriate for a necklace. For instance, if you have chosen a chic wedding gown with a high neck, wearing a necklace can be distracting. However, a simple but beautiful wedding gown pairs beautifully with a statement necklace.
A gem that has significance to you, your future spouse, or someone special can be prominently and uniquely figured in a necklace. Pendant, statement necklace, or choker—whatever you choose, try it on with your gown and decide how it looks before choosing it for your wedding day.
Ask an Expert
With the best bridal boutiques in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, Viero Bridal offers expert advice for brides considering bridal accessories to pair with their couture or designer gowns.
Your wedding day is your day to shine and feel your best. Wear jewelry that complements your beauty with a nod to your unique personality.
Viero Bridal is available for appointments to create affordable couture gowns or to help you choose a designer wedding gown from our excellent selection.