Bridesmaid and Wedding Guest Jewellery

A wedding asks a lot of what you wear. It has to look right in the morning light at the ceremony, in a hundred photos, and still feel easy at midnight on the dance floor. Jewellery is the easiest part to get wrong and the easiest part to get right, once you know where to start.

Bridesmaid jewellery

The bridesmaids are part of the picture, so the jewellery should feel like a set without being identical. One easy way is to choose one material and let each bridesmaid wear it differently. Pearl goes with almost any dress colour, and it reads well in photos.

• One bridesmaid wears the Riviera Necklace, baroque freshwater pearl and 24k gold plated twisted chain sitting at the base of the neck.
• Another wears the Heirloom Drops, baroque freshwater pearl above a 22k gold plated medallion that hangs to about the jaw.
• A third wears the Celeste Set, aquamarine and freshwater pearl in two layers, which adds a little colour for a sea or garden wedding.

Each piece shares pearl and gold plating, so the group looks considered, and each bridesmaid gets something that suits her own neckline.

Wedding guest earrings

As a guest you have more freedom, and earrings are where to use it. They frame your face in every photo and they move when you dance.

The Veil Earrings have a fringe of clear stones under a 22k gold plated crescent that swings each time you turn your head, which is why they belong at a reception with music. For a garden or daytime wedding, the Postcard Drops hang below the lobe on simple 22k gold plated hooks and bring a little colour without competing with the dress.

Matching the neckline

• Strapless or off the shoulder: a necklace that sits at the base of the neck, or let statement earrings carry it.
• V neck or scoop: a pendant that settles below the collarbones.
• High neck or halter: skip the necklace and choose earrings with some length.

Matching the hair

Hair worn up shows off a drop earring and leaves the neck bare for a necklace. Hair worn down hides small studs, so go longer or bolder on the ears. If the hair is half up, any drop that reaches past the lobe will still show from the side.

Practical things on the day

• Put your jewellery on after hair spray, perfume and makeup are done.
• Try everything on with the dress before the day, including how it looks in a photo on your phone.
• Bring a small pouch for earrings in case you want to take them off for dinner or the drive home.
• Check the closure. Hooks, hinged latches and post backs all hold differently, and you will be moving more than usual.

Summer weddings

If the wedding falls in the warm months or is held outdoors, heat and sun change what feels comfortable. Lighter pieces sit better through a long afternoon in the garden, sunscreen should go on well before your jewellery, and a pair of earrings you can slip into a pocket is worth more than a heavy necklace you cannot wait to take off by the speeches.

Gifts for the bridal party

Jewellery is a good thank you gift from a bride to her bridesmaids, because it can be worn on the day and again after. Choosing a different piece for each person within one material keeps the group matched in photos and gives each of them something to keep.

See the pieces in pearl and warm white in bridal and bridesmaid jewellery, and the bolder pairs in statement earrings. To understand the pearls themselves, read freshwater, baroque and shell pearls explained.