Bridal Accessories - Getting the bride ready for her big day

Bridal Accessories are probably among the least expensive items having to be purchased for the bride for the wedding ceremony. The bridal gown makes the first visual impact but the makeup, hair and bridal accessories define whether the bride will be unforgettable or not.

When a bride gets dressed on her wedding day, it is should not be a haphazard process but should come after months of careful preparation and quite a few dry runs in advance of the big day because it makes simple, practical common sense to be prepared.

Here are some thoughts to get your own creative juices flowing and assist in the wedding “dress-up” practice sessions.

Choice of Bridal Accessories

Choosing the correct bridal accessories to compliment both the wedding look and the wedding theme makes a strong statement about the bride's personal sense of style.

Correctly dressed and accessorised with a strong wedding theme means that even if the bride is barefooted and garlanded with her feet firmly planted on the sand that she would be extremely comfortable and super confident on her very special day.

Many brides choose simple wedding dresses so that the focus is drawn and maintained on their makeup, hairstyle and bridal accessories.

First, distinguish between the wedding look and the wedding theme because they are not quite the same.

Let’s start with “The Wedding Look”. What image does the bride want to portray? Here are some choices: Classic, Sophisticated, Modern, Chic, Casual, Mysterious, Cute, Exotic, Floral, Tropical, Traditional, Contemporary, Striking, Retro, Roman, Russian or South Asian/Arabic.

The wedding makeup artist paints the portrait on the face of the bride emphasising the eyes, eyebrows, cheeks and lips. The wedding hairstylist finishes the portrait with a hairstyle that works with the makeup, whether it is loose and flowing or in a full or partial upsweep. The bridal accessories are like the cherries on the cake, setting the bride’s image into historical remembrance.

The look the bride is trying to achieve must therefore be completed with well chosen bridal accessories like bridal garters, shoes, earrings, chains, necklaces, chokers, bracelets, sashes, boleros, wraps or even ankle bracelets are options for bridal accessories that can be incorporated, remembering that less is always more.

Let’s play with these two examples.

An ankle bracelet with sandals on a bride with a sarong, flower necklace and flower bridal hair combs works with radiant makeup and a beach, resort or tropical theme wedding, but would not cut the classical theme.

A satin bridal floor-length sash with embellished tails, on a bridal gown with a figure hugging top and wide floor length skirt could be accessorised with a choker and upswept hair, with small crystal earrings and jewelled hair pins to perfect a Mexican or Spanish theme. Exotic facial makeup would enhance the South American traditional look.

You get the idea!

Bridal Hair Accessories Veils, jewelled hair vines or hair pins, flowered hair pins and clips, jewelled tiaras, bridal hair combs and even feather and pearl hairpieces are some of the bridal hair accessories that are available for the prospective bride. Bridal hair accessories must be well chosen and somewhat discreet in their effect as they need to draw just enough attention to the bride’s face without being overpowering.

Bridal Hair Combs

These are extremely good options for the hair simply because they fit concealed in the bride’s hair in a way that the comb is light and comfortable but provide the security of having the hair decoration sitting firmly in place, so that the bride does not have any additional worries as the wedding event progresses. Many tiara designers incorporate bridal hair combs at both ends of their tiaras for a snug fit.

To achieve successful dressing on her wedding day, the bride has to spend some time in the mirror trying on various bridal accessory samples until her choices look right. It is invaluable to have a close friend or family member that is honest, with a good sense of style, tagging along on the bridal accessory shopping expedition, to keep the bride grounded. If at all possible, purchase backup bridal accessories just in case something does not work well on the wedding day or gets damaged when putting it on, there is no room for error.