Going for the BOLD
I’ve always been upfront about the fact that I think wedding gowns look best when paired with relatively simple jewelry. I absolutely hate all of the iced out fake pearls that are marketed as bridal baubles, from the triple strand chokers with rhinestone accents to the drop earrings made of the sort of metal that makes my lobes swell after five or so minutes.
Of course, I don’t care for most costume jewelry, so YMMV. Me? I like to go straight for the gold…if I happen to come up with silver instead, that’s okay, too. Bridal jewelry traditions very quite a bit by culture, but here in the U.S. the bride’s tastes rein supreme.
Were we to talk about my tastes, I (a former bride) would have to say they run toward the above style of rings, earrings, and necklaces. Anne Sportun’s jewelry collection can’t be found in the wedding jewelry aisle, but it nonetheless would make a stunning addition to almost any bride’s wedding day wardrobe. These baubles in particular might look great with a simple sheath, but are subtle enough that it’s unlikely they’d overpower a more complex gown.
I’m not a huge fan of the crap that is foisted off on brides as wedding jewelry. Most of it is, as you mentioned, overly bling-y and cheap quality. I purchased a beautiful set of hand made earrings with a matching lariat necklace from an artist in Singapore via etsy.com. The metal is not spectacular quality (it’s just gold plated sterling silver), but the workmanship is excellent and the set was exactly what I wanted: simple, classic, and elegant.
I love love love Anne Sportun’s jewellery – she’s a local designer and I have two necklaces from her.
I definitely agree that it’s not a good idea to overload the wedding jewellery – by the time you have the veil, the elaborate dress, the bouquet and, of course, the wedding ring you have a lot going on. You want to be able to see the bride herself in the midst of all that.