Your Stylish Guide (November/December 2009)
by Elise Lininger

Your wedding day is almost here. You have chosen your location, caterer, dress, flowers, music, and bridal party. What about your accessories? 

Many think of pearls and diamonds. The fashion trend in bridal jewelry is letting your personal style shine through. After all, today's bride is as fashion forward, trendsetting and stylish as ever; her jewelry should be too!

Pearls 
The classic strand of pearls are updated with new designs and styles. Try colored, cultured or freshwater pearls. Think champagne, mocha or black.  You might want to wear a statement or a few layered, longer strands.

Chandeliers
These gorgeous earrings will catch the light in your eye, as you dance. They look great with a t-shirt and jeans and a stack of bangles, too. (see below left)

20th Century Vintage
Look for sparkling faceted stones and quality glass beads set in Sterling Silver. (see above right)

For a bracelet, cuffs are all over the runways.  Brides love the look of beautifully cut stones inlaid in matte gold.  Simply stunning.  An unexpected, statement.

Embroidery
Gorgeous hand embroidered silk fabric with Swarovski crystal and glass stones. Talk about affordable luxury. This black cuff was hand embroidered at the couture house that services Lanvin, Prada, Dior, and Jason Wu (designer of Michelle Obama’s inauguration gown). Every last one of these beads was handstitched onto the silk. (see example below left)
 

Black!  Many brides are accentuating their look with black, from black embroidery on their gown to incorporating black ribbons or stones in their accessories. Black stones such as onyx or black pearls look fabulous as a stud earring and can also provide great contrast with a white dress.

Color!  Adding a pop of color is eye-catching and fun!  Let your personality shine through. There are no stead-fast rules in choosing your look to walk down the aisle. You want to create a distinctive memory. Take a closer look and see a pave ladybug atop the enamel flower. Perhaps best of all, colorful bridal jewelry can be worn very easily after the wedding with anything from a little black dress to jeans. (see above right)

Bridesmaids' gifts are treasured memories. 

Choose an item she can wear on your big day and ever after, remembering you fondly. A very popular look is the pavé setting. These unique settings are made up of lots of small gemstones, often diamonds or CZ, set closely together. The gems are separated and held in place by little beads of the setting metal. The result is what looks like a continuous surface of diamonds or other gems. (soiree pave bracelet)  

This pavé set heart pendant looks like it is set with a solid surface of diamonds.

All photos used with permission from SellaDot.com.
You may visit Elise at her site .