Wedding Dress Accessories & Bridal Jewelry Ideas

You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot on your wedding dress accessories and bridal jewelry and you can always follow the rhyme “something borrowed, something blue” for your inspiration.

Learn how bride Lisa Spooner saved over $20,000 on her wedding

Purchase these wedding dress accessories first and wear them each time you go for a fitting.

If your gown requires special petticoats, don't assume they come with the wedding dress. Always ask.

Some wedding dress styles have a built in corset and support, so no special undergarments are needed.

For dresses without underpinnings, you will need to purchase a bra and shape wear that works with the cut and fit of your wedding gown.

The wedding veil stems back to the old wedding tradition that says that the groom shouldn’t see the bride before the big day.

While most people now spend years with their fiancé before getting married, the tradition continues.

Your headpiece will serve many functions, which makes it one of the most important wedding dress accessories to get right.

This wedding hair accessory holds your veil in place so it must be fairly sturdy for longer veils.

Bridal headpieces can also add a little color or sparkle to your look.

This means tiaras are perfectly acceptable, as well as hair combs, feather hair fascinators, headbands or barrettes decorated with flowers, beads or rhinestones.

Your bridal bouquet should not only contain flowers that match the color scheme of your wedding, but should also contain your own personal favorites too.

You can accessorize the bouquet by wrapping it with with colored ribbons, family heirlooms like lace handkerchiefs or a cameo, or add sparkle with bridal bouquet jewelry or a rhinestone brooch.

If you don’t wear a lot of jewelry in your day-to-day life, don’t feel pressured to start wearing some just because it’s your wedding day.

Bridal jewelry is one of the wedding dress accessories that can be as showy or as subtle as you want.

A small pair of pearl earrings and a favorite brooch will look as effective as an arrangement of bangles and an enormous necklace.

As a rule, the more detailed the bridal gown and the headpiece, the simpler the jewelry should be.

For most brides, their bridal-shoes will always be covered by their wedding dress. This means that you should look for something that you can walk around and dance in all day. Silk and satin ballerina flats as well as ball room dancing shoes often make for comfortable bridal shoes.

You can also embrace the colored bridal shoe trend and choose beautiful or fun shoes you won't just wear on your wedding day.

You’ll need to think about getting hold of a wrap or jacket if you tend to get cold or if you’re holding an outdoor wedding ceremony or reception.

For spring and summer weddings, wear silk or silk blend pashminas or lace or tulle bolero jackets.

For fall weddings, consider rich velvet or cashmere wraps.

Soft faux fur capes, jackets and wraps are perfect for winter weddings.

Remember, beautiful pashminas and wraps make wonderful bridal party gifts.

Any handbag you use for your wedding will act more as a clutch purse with your cell phone and small touch-up make-up items inside. You may also want a small bag to hold with emergency shoes like flip flops or flats and band aids.

Think carefully about bringing one as you will have to keep tabs on it all day long or assign a family member to watch your handbag.

Evening clutches also make awesome bridesmaids gifts.

You should try out different combinations ahead of time to see what suits you best.

You don’t want to end up wearing something that you don’t feel comfortable in during your wedding day as it will distract your attention from what’s going on around you.

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