Growing up, I wasn't one of those girls who started to plan her wedding before I could even drive. Sure, I glanced at the occasional bridal magazine with their glossy pages of couture wedding gowns and jewelry. The picture perfect brides looked so happy and so beautiful. It looked like they could have walked right out of the pages down the aisle to their adoring husband to be.
Image by Naomi King via Flickr
I didn't really become interested in the planning of a wedding until my turn came around. Then, I couldn't overlook even the minutest of details. Everything had to be perfect, from the food to the flowers, from my gown to my bridal jewelry.
It's been tradition for some time now for a bride to wear a wedding pearl necklace on that special day. Some women are lucky enough to have an heirloom strand of pearls passed down to her by her mother or grandmother. No matter what her dress looks like, she'll make that pearl necklace work with her ensemble.
Other women, myself included, had to start from fresh. Sure, I started searching for a pearl wedding necklace way before I found the perfect gown. But I waited to buy one, because you really have to look at the whole picture before you can complete your look.
The cut of your dresses' neckline is key to figuring out what style of wedding pearls you'd like to drape around your neck. Plunging necklines allow for more length, while higher necklines require more of a choker style pearl necklace for your wedding day. In my case, I wore an 18 inch single strand of pearls which filled in my v-neckline beautifully.
Many brides will choose either a white or cream colored pearl necklace for their wedding day. Those are definitely classic, timeless looks. I once attended a wedding, however, where the bride wore a gorgeous, chunky pink wedding necklace in pearls. Pink?! Yes, pink. It matched her soft blush colored sash beautifully. Some brides aren't afraid of wearing color to really create a modern look.
Another wedding which I attended which warrants mention is one where the bride wore a lavender pearl necklace. This breathtaking shade matched the color of her five bridesmaid's dresses. I never would have thought to pull out the colors like that in my own wedding. My bridesmaids wore a complimentary shade of lilac, but instead of breaking the mold and wearing some purple myself, I chose to wear the classic white pearl necklace which I had already chosen.
Nowadays, there's no steadfast rule how you should accessorize on your "big" day. White pearls, black pearls, even peach colored pearls can work if you want it to. Wedding pearl necklaces can be either traditional or contemporary. What's important is that you follow your own style guidelines and create a look that will make you the happiest bride on your special day.
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