Manolo for the Brides

Can we talk about something? Yeah, this cake jewelry thing…I have to say that I’m not so sure about it. I mean, I’m down with brides wearing as many jewels as they can fit on themselves, so long as they like it and can afford it. That’s cool by me. I didn’t do it and probably wouldn’t, but that’s a very personal choice and I absolutely support those who choose a different path than I did.

But cake jewelry. Jewelry for cakes. Actual pieces of metal and crystal on cakes.

Okay, as a cake topper, that’s fine. Again, not my choice, but not a problem. Everyone expects a cake topper to come off the cake, and most couples just take the top tier (where the topper resides) away and save it for later, anyway. I’m fine with making that topper whatever the hell you like. Put a crown on top. It’s cool.

Even the ones done as picks, while I’m still not exactly wild about them, I can accept. It’s clear that they’re to be removed before eating and they’re really easy to see, and pulling them out doesn’t make a mess or really harm the look of the cake before it’s sliced. I’m thinking about something like this:

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According to Wikipedia, rhinestones were originally rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine. In 1775, however, the Alsatian jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass decided to try coating the lower side of cut glass with metal powder, and thus the modern rhinestone was born.

On one hand, there’s a part of my brain that says “rhinestones are crazy tacky gaudy.” On the other hand, as The Beard just said to me while looking at crazy vintage jewelry on Etsy, “the right ones are gaudy in a good way.” I’ll admit to having a few tiaras and largish rhinestone necklaces that I only ever wear around the house (usually on my birthday). I didn’t, however, wear rhinestones on my wedding day because they just seemed like a little too much.

Here are six examples of rhinestone jewelry currently being sold by the following Etsy sellers: kimdep, Lulusplendor, BelleNouvelleDesigns, and PenelliBelle. I think they’re all lovely, though I don’t know that I’d have the chutzpah to wear them to drop off my overdue library books or visit with the OB/GYN. The supermarket, maybe. My friend’s post-NYE brunch? Definitely.

What say you? Faux diamonds and rubies and emeralds and sapphires… totally tacky? All in good fun? Inappropriate for brides? Perfect for weddings? Let’s hear it!

It’s Monday (again), and perhaps you took the weekend off from the rigors of wedding planning so you and your sweetheart could have some quality time. Now that you’re back at your desk reading wedding blogs and thinking about all the things you still have left to buy for your nuptials, it’s time for some inspiration. On the chance you have not yet bought your bridal jewelry, here are six looks from Haute Bride in San Francisco that may get your creative juices flowing.

The question, of course, is which to buy or emulate or craft! Most brides choose their bridal jewelry after picking out and putting a deposit down on a wedding gown, but if you’ve fallen in love with a certain style of necklace, there’s no reason you can’t base your wedding day look on your jewelry. While almost anything goes, there are some bridal necklace basics of which every bride-to-be should be aware.

Short Looks
Neck hugging necklaces are lovely when paired with strapless bodices (and long-necked brides), though don’t discount chokers if your wedding gown ends just below your collarbone. A substantial choker will look smashing sitting just above a boat or jewel neckline.

Insubstantial Looks
Simple, minimalist strands worn close to the throat (think y-drop or princess style necklaces) complement bateau and scoop necklines beautifully. Thin necklaces are a practical choice for brides who don’t want their jewelry to outshine their wedding dresses and/or want to wear their bridal necklace again.

Layered Looks
Necklaces can be heaped one upon the other or made to look that way, but almost all layered looks will pair best with simple, unadorned, low necklines. Layers of thicker necklaces can lessen the jarring impact of a plain strapless neckline, while thinner layers can add softness to a square neckline.

Long Looks
Necklaces with enough length to hang loose on both sides of the bride are best worn with wedding gowns that plunge in the back as well as the front… so the necklace itself can take center stage. This look is even more dramatic when the necklace is augmented with a jeweled brooch.

Personally, I opted for a loose but rather thick one-strand choker paired with a off-the-shoulder neckline. Now I’d love to know what you chose to wear or are planning to wear around your neck on your wedding day.

Nipples. We all have them (I think). Those who have the smaller, less functional sort are typically very interested in seeing the equipment of those who have the potentially nourishing kind. The latest nipple-related contact I’ve received in my inbox — does that sound bad? — is from Yournipplecovers.com, where brides-to-be can buy everything from disposable nipple covers to silicon nipple covers to “bra disks.”

Putting aside for the moment the fact that it looks like the headlights in the bottom row are covered in wadded up chewing gum and the fact that most of the nipple covers seem to come in a convenient flesh tone that is only convenient for a certain brand of caucasians, I have to ask: How big of a problem is this?

Is it a problem that warrants an entire web site selling multiple sizes and brands and types of nipple coverage to brides and non-brides alike? Is it a problem that warrants PR firms reaching out to wedding bloggers like me to let me know that there are new and improved forms of gumdrop shields out there on the market?

As for me, I think Nippies are the cuter option, but I’d probably just use band-aids.

Flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillows…baskets and ring pillows…when it comes right down to it, there aren’t that many options out there for the non-DIYer. It’s not that there aren’t cool crafters making awesome wedding accessories, rather it’s that the mass-produced generic ceremony accessories get so much more play than the one-of-a-kind stuff.

That just means you have to look a little harder if you want your wedding ceremony accessories to stand out. EasterYu is on Etsy and Muscari, fighting the good fight by creating unique flower girl baskets and ring cushions out of birch wood, seashells, artificial moss, miniature birds, and velvet.

Hint hint: She also makes fabulous boutonniéres and lovely hair pins created from beautiful feather flowers.

Prices for everything from baskets to boutonniéres range from $7 to $50, and you can’t beat that!

There are bridal veils of all kinds, there is hair jewelry that sparkles, and there are plenty of bareheaded brides (like moi). Then there is the other…the headgear for funky brides-to-be who know they want to outfit their heads with some form of chapeau but are shying away from the traditional options.

I’m loving these wild headpieces from WhichGoose…they’re perfect for the bride or for the fantastic woman who is sick of the usual department store hats and drugstore hair clips. We’ve gotten all sorts of reader responses regarding wedding headwear here on the blog, from both those who think you’re simply not a bride without a veil to those who feel veils are a tool of the patriarchy.

I figure that means we’re just about ready for a poll. You tell me:

After spending a great deal of time brooding over yesterday’s marriage legislation rulings, I need a bit of a brain cleanser. I’m not suggesting we all sit back on our rumps and forget about the need to promote marriage equality, but there’s no reason we can’t take a breather to look at some beautiful accessories for brides.

Bel Canto specializes in one of a kind bridal jewelry crafted from vintage and new materials. Antique brooches are transformed into hair pins, bracelets, and pendants. Baroque pearl and rhinestone sparkle and shine in earrings. The inventory is always changing as the designer finds unique pieces and materials, so bookmark her blog to keep an eye on what’s new.

My ultrasound was this morning, which, consequently, is why I’m not posting until after noon. If I had a scanner handy, I’d be impressing all of you with my extremely attractive — though currently rather Halloween-ready — offspring. As it is, our scanner is broken, so I won’t be showing off my fetus until I can drag my tush to the drug store to use the big girl scanner.

Instead, you get another round of alternative wedding flowers…this time from DK Designs in Hawaii.

I love the tight, polished look of this Stephanotis bridal bouquet, crafted from Claycraft by Deco clay and accented with tiny Austrian Swarovski crystals. The whole thing is finished with a double-faced satin Tiffany blue ribbon embellished with a square crystal buckle. And unlike your average bridal bouquet, this one will never wilt or fade or get nasty-crunchy.

DK Designs also makes floral centerpieces and (ta da!) hair accessories like this pretty and delicate gardenia hair clip.

Gardenia perfume can be added to the flower itself just before shipping so it smells just as sweet as the real thing.

Clay wedding flowers aren’t for everyone, of course. Real blossoms and blooms will likely never go out of style. But for the bride-to-be who wants something just a little bit different, they can be a beautiful alternative.

For those brides-to-be who don’t care for veils or hats or elaborate updos but still want a little flair for their hair, there’s always hair jewelry. There are no wrongs or rights when it comes to wearing it so anything goes. Pin yours in front, in back, or to the side…wherever you want some sparkle.

Hardwired sells hair jewelry (which I love, of course) in two pretty incarnations — pins and curves. I personally prefer the curves because you can wear them no matter how long or short your locks are!