A wedding is one of the seminal points in a woman’s life. For some, it is the realization of a young girl’s dream to wear white and walk down the aisle to where their prince is waiting.
However, people tend to romanticize the ceremony only to crash down to earth when they start planning their wedding. Perhaps, with the exception of a few, the weeks leading to the event can be exhausting. There are a lot of minute things to take care of, and one little mistake seems to be overblown.
Take the case of wedding jewelry, for instance. The bride should be able to do as she pleases, right? After all, it is her day.
Though it is not as easy as that, there are etiquettes to follow, even for the bride.
Here are some of the wedding jewelry do’s and don’ts:
1. Err on the side of subtlety. There is a thin line between extravagant and garrulous. If you overdo your wedding jewelry, you end up in bad taste.
2. The wedding jewelry completes the look. It is meant to be an accessory, and not take away attention from your dress. Make sure they both complement each other.
3. Contrast. If you have an ornate necklace, opt for a dress with a simple neckline. But you only do this if the collar is an heirloom. Ideally, you choose the gown first before the wedding jewelry.
4. Do not mix and match. The colors of your jewelry pieces should complement your dress. For example, gold works well with an ivory gown. However, if your gown is pristine white, you need to choose diamond jewelry, pearl, or silver pieces. You can match the accessory with the color of the beadwork.
5. Do consider the neckline. If you are still in a predicament about your wedding jewelry, base your decision on the gown’s neckline. For example, a choker with a bold pendant will work well with a sweetheart neckline. A hanging diamond pendant is perfect for the v-neck dress.
If you are wearing an asymmetrical or one-shoulder dress, you can stay away from the necklace and opt for chandelier earrings instead. You can research online for more options to make sure you match your jewelry with your neckline.
6. Less is more. When you have two or more heirlooms you need to show off, do remember to mix a maximum of two metals only. Having too much gone is the quickest way to spoil your overall look. It can be distracting to your guests that they end up focusing on the mismatched jewelry rather than the ceremony itself. But you can mix your heirloom with new jewelry pieces, and it is perfectly alright.
According to data, the United States remains the biggest consumer of luxury jewelry pieces, followed by Germany and then France. In 2018, the total market size for jewelry amounted to about $271 billion. The number is projected to balloon to $645 billion in 2035.
Clearly, it is a big business. You should be able to wear the jewelry you want for your wedding, but be mindful of the etiquette, especially now where everything is blown up in social media. The event might go viral for all the wrong reasons.