You have found the perfect dress and have your wedding rings, now the accessorizing begins! Your bridal salon should be able to help you sort out which accessories are required for your gown and the look you want to achieve. Accessories and jewelry help complete the picture that is “you” on your wedding day. The accessories you choose are all personal taste and style. Don’t feel obligated to wear a veil for instance, just for traditions sake, if it doesn’t feel like you.
Trains, like the gowns they accessorize, usually come in six different lengths:
• No train: Well, obviously, there is no train, but that is an option.
• Sweep: This is the shortest of the trains and just brushes the floor.
• Court: Just a bit longer
• Chapel: Probably the most popular because it still has the elegance of a full train but is still not overly cumbersome, trailing three to four feet behind you.
• Monarch or Cathedral: Very long, very formal, trailing six to eight feet behind you.
• Royal: A train that is still out the door when you reach the alter, and only used for the most formal weddings, such as Princess Diana’s.
If you’ve decided to use a long train, your bridesmaids will need to be available to help arrange it after you arrive at the altar and help arrange it before you start back up the aisle as a married couple. Some trains are detachable, but if not, consider your comfort in the dress at the reception with all of the festivities. If you really want to have the elegant look of a long train, but not the hassle on the dance floor, consider a removable chapel or cathedral veil.
In older legends, veils were originally meant to symbolize the virgin bride’s innocence and modesty, but now they are purely a romantic custom. They can be fixed by a tiara, a wreath of flowers, or simply affixed directly to the hair with ribbons, clips, or a headband.
If you choose to have a veil, do so at the same time you choose your hairstyle. I would suggest taking the veil to your hairstylist and discuss how your hair should be arranged with the veil ahead of time.
Tiaras are known as the “princess of headpieces” and can be simple and elegant
or extravagant and glamorous. They are a wonderful accent to any gown and can be worn with or without a veil. When most people think of a Tiara, they picture Cinderella with the traditional tiara climbing into her carriage with her prince, but there is an endless array of options these days for a more modern, unique look. Most bridal shops carry very little options in tiara styles, opting for only two or three of the most popular styles, so many brides are buying theirs online.
Bridal garters are one of the easier accessories to choose. They usually come in creations of satin and lace and are adorned with ribbons, pearls, crystals and charms. You can even have them custom made with any accessory, material and color you choose. Many brides choose a garter with some blue detail to honor the “something blue” tradition, but I say pick a color that you really like! A color that is sexy to you and maybe matches the details on your shoes or dress.
Your wedding day is NOT a day you can afford to have sore, achy unstable feet, so unless you are use to walking around all day in four inch heels, choose a pair of stylish shoes with a shorter heel that will be more practical for walking around in. You want to be able to enjoy your special day without thinking about how much your feet hurt. Or, you can have the best of both worlds and choose a sexy stiletto for the ceremony and a more comfortable pair for the reception. You can even choose to have a third pair so that after several hours of dancing you can slip into some cute, bedazzled white flip flops or sneakers.
Where am I gonna keep my lipgloss? Certainly your wedding gown was not designed with pockets, so choose a small decorative handbag or bridal purse to keep those little things that you just have to have! I couldn’t go more than thirty minutes without my lipgloss at my wedding reception.
Most people think of gloves for keeping your hands warm and toasty, but wedding gloves are also a very sexy accessory choice for a bride, with many varying lengths and materials, such as lace, satin, silk, or velvet. I personally think the elbow length gloves look very classy with a strapless dress and minimal other accessories.
Don’t forget about the one accessory that nobody sees, but makes your wedding dress look and feel just right – your intimate apparel. You’ll want to purchase undergarments that work specifically with your gown, such as your bra, corset, hosiery, slip and maybe even a control top or underwear if you need.
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