What accessories do I need for my wedding?

When James from Wedding Espresso asked me “what accessories do you need for your wedding?” during our video Q&A chat, I was a little surprised.

I’m not sure why though as it’s a very valid question, and one that you may have now.

I’m going to offer some advice here, but please take a look at the video too when you get a chance :)

My first thought was this: Accessories are a want rather than a need. And as they’re the last things we buy or think about before the wedding, it can be difficult to justify a budget for the finishing touches for some brides.

Accessories is a wide category; we’re talking shoes, jewellery, hair pieces, buttonholes, veils…some of which you will have probably already thought about and bought with your outfit but what about the finishing sparkle?

First of all, there’s no need to overthink any of it. You’ll know when you try on a few veils whether you want one or not and you’ll know when you find the right shoes. Then there’s your wedding ring, of course…

But do you need to wear a matching jewellery set just because? Do you have to wear something in your hair?

In short, no. Of course you don’t. And you don’t need permission or approval from anyone to wear or not wear certain accessories.

The biggest thing that will help you to decide on which accessories to wear (or not) is your personal style. Do you wear a lot of jewellery usually? If so, you will probably feel more comfortable wearing more accessories than someone who doesn’t. If you don’t tend to wear jewellery normally but would like something special for your wedding day, a delicate piece of jewellery will go a long way, whether it’s a pretty pair of pearl earrings or a simple pendant.

My other tip for choosing accessories is to take cues from your dress. If your dress is simple, you could either choose something elegant and simple or go to town with lots of detail. Either way will compliment your dress and show your personality.

The same goes for a more heavily detailed dress. You could have a piece custom-made to match details in your dress or you could keep it simple with something that doesn’t overpower your look. You want to feel your best on your wedding day, not like you’re someone else.

Hair

When it comes to your hair, I could talk for ages! So to keep myself from rambling, I’m going to share more hair-specific tips in another post.

Again, take cues from your dress and personal style; if you don’t wear accessories normally, you may want to choose something that will sit firmly in your hair, particularly if you’re likely to fiddle with it a lot.

Hairdressers can work their magic with anything so don’t think sitting securely automatically means a tiara or hair band. You can easily fasten a hair vine on to clips or a long-legged pins to hold it securely. Likewise with combs, you can add a few hair pins to secure them.

Plus hairspray, of course!

Opt for delicate pieces if you don’t want anything overly fussy or make a bold statement with something made out of precious metals or with heavy crystal detailing. Or add a few fresh flowers…there are so many possibilities and a quick chat to an accessory designer will put your mind at ease.

The sentimental aspect

Wearing grandma’s pearls as your something old is a lovely idea, but if pearls aren’t your thing, why not find another way to incorporate them? You could ask your florist to wrap them around the handle of your bouquet, for example, or they may be able to be stitched onto a piece of ribbon to make a bridal belt.

Jewellery you love that has been handed down from loved ones may work really well with your look. But if you have a treasured piece that you’re desperate to wear but you don’t know how to make it work (brooches come to mind here!), you could transform it into a statement necklace or bridal belt.

This is something I’m working on at the moment so if you’d like some more details or to see if you could make something work to compliment your dress, please let me know!

How are you planning to accessorise your bridal look? Let me know in the comments!

Happy planning and, in case you missed it, here’s a final link to the video that links in with this blog post :)

That very question was the topic of a Q&A that I did recently with James from Wedding Espresso. If you’d like to watch the video of me giving my tips for hair accessories, you can find it here. On a side note though, you’ll find so much wedding planning help over at Wedding Espresso so take a look at all their webinars for inspiration!

In my opinion, when it comes to accessories for your wedding, we’re talking about a want, not a need. You don’t really need any accessories, aside from a wedding ring, perhaps, but they will enhance your outfit and your hair and make you feel that your look is complete.

I’ve spoken to so many brides who feel they have to have something, even if it’s not the norm for them. So let’s look at this a different way and talk about accessorising your wedding day look in a way that feels natural to you.

This is your wedding day and you’ll make decisions about what you wear and how you style your hair based on your personal style. It doesn’t have to be any more difficult or complicated than that.

Subtle or Statement?

If you don’t tend to wear a lot of jewellery, you may feel a bit out of place doing so on your big day. A friend of mine referred to jewellery as restricting and I completely see her point - when you’re not used to wearing something around your neck, your wrist or in your ears, why wear it for the sake of it?

You could opt for a small pendant if you wanted to add some detail, or a delicate pair of earrings