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BrideStyle #5: Designing wedding jewelry around the bride, the dress, and all the restby Stacy Werkheiser Last week in BrideStyle #4, I went scouting for supplies for my wedding necklace and earrings, which means it's time to start thinking about design.
The challenge in creating a beautiful piece of wedding jewelry is that it has to meet a lot more criteria than just looking good when lying flat or draped on a neck form. It must be designed around the bride, her dress, and all the rest (I'll elaborate later). But believe it or not, all those factors actually ease the designing process because they put some limits on the otherwise endless style options. Do your research before you design, and you'll have a much easier time of it. So let's jump in! |
The best necklace for your face shape
The key to jewelry that looks good with the face above it is one word: complements. Just as colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel are called complements, so shapes that are opposites are complements. Use the photo below to identify the face shape you're working with, then check the table to determine the complementary necklace length.
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 Click to enlarge. |
Face shape...................Complementary necklace length
Long face..................Short necklace, to make your face look shorter.
Round face................Long necklace, to make your face look longer. Also try a pendant, which will draw the eye downward.
Square face...............Long necklace, with round beads to soften "corners."
Rectangular face.......Short necklace, with round beads to soften "corners."
Heart-shaped face....Multistrand necklace, to make the lower half of your face look wider.
One personal tip I can bring to the table: If the bride has prominent clavicle bones (i.e., the "knobs" just below your neck), a collarbone-length necklace might fall into the hollow between them, preventing the necklace from hanging correctly. I've seen it on several brides, and to someone with an eye for jewelry, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Prominent clavicle bones are a problem for me, so my necklace will be either slightly longer or slightly shorter than my collarbone. |
The best necklace for your neckline
Now let's talk about the dress. Certain necklace lengths complement certain necklines. Pendants work well with a V-neck gown because the focal causes the necklace to form a matching V. A straight-across strapless dress works well with many different necklace styles. A choker will show off your neck and shoulders, but collarbone- and princess-length necklaces work beautifully too.
My dress has a sweetheart neckline. Some brides opt not to wear a necklace with this style dress because the shape of the neckline already adds interest to that part of your body, but chokers and princess-length necklaces work well with this style, as do dainty pieces and small pendants. I found it very helpful to look at sweetheart dresses online to see what jewelry the models were wearing. |
Other considerations
So we've covered the bride, the dress - what about all the rest? Here are some other miscellaneous points to consider as you start moving toward designing:
• Will the bride's jewelry resemble the bridesmaids' jewelry? If so, what kind of necklace flatters both the bride's dress and the bridesmaids' dresses?
• If the bride's dress is very busy, a busy necklace might clash. A simpler dress, on the other hand, may be able to stand up to an ornate necklace.
• Does the bride have specific materials she wants you to use: pearls, crystals, chain, an heirloom bead or clasp? Also, jewelry is the perfect place to incorporate "something blue."
• Does the bride expect to wear the jewelry again?
For me, that last consideration is major. I've already bought so much stuff for my wedding that I will never use again. I would like to be able to wear my necklace and earrings for special occasions, times when I can boast, "This is the jewelry I was married in!" That, along with the considerations of necklace length and dress neckline, will inform your choices as you begin the designing process.
And indeed it is time to begin. This week, I'll start arranging my beads, coming up with different designs and taking pictures of each. I'll post the pictures next week and discuss what went right (and wrong) with each one. If you're ready, I encourage you to begin to design too! Remember to take pictures so you can remember previous arrangements.
Coming next week...
BrideStyle #6: Designing wedding jewelry in search of the second right answer...and third, and fourth...
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More resources on this topic
• Read designer Maggie Roschyk's article "Necklace fitting 101" to find real fit for real bodies. It was published in the October 2009 issue of Bead&Button magazine.
• For more information on flattering your face shape and neckline with the perfect jewelry, check out BeadStyle's special issue Beading 101.
• Bonita Beck's "Bridesmaid jewelry to accent the neckline" is equally relevant for making jewelry for the bride.
• Anna Bellagio shows 12 dress necklines and the necklaces that flatter them.
• Erin Gallagher allows you to choose your neckline, then shop for jewelry handpicked to flatter it.
• TheKnot.com's "How to pick jewelry to match your gown" gives info on choosing gold or silver jewelry components based on the shade of your dress, plus basic info on necklines.
• David's Bridal's Dress Your Wedding feature allows you to pick a gown with the neckline you have in mind and try on necklace styles to see which look best.
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