What Type of Jewelry Matches Your Wedding Dress?

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Today's Bride

More than likely after you pick out your dress, the next step to complete your fabulous wedding look is to pick out your jewelry. This one may get tricky, as there are so many types of wedding dresses and jewelry out there.

First, take into consideration the color of your dress. You want your jewelry to accent your dress, not clash.

For a bright white gown, select silver, platinum or pearl jewelry. Gold may clash with your dress because of the bright white hues.

For an off-white colored dress, you can use just about any color: gold, silver, platinum, rose gold, pearls, etc. An off-white shade works great with almost everything.

For an ivory dress, consider gold jewelry. Gold works great with shades of ivory because it highlights the creamy tone, and some versions of ivory even have yellow undertones.

The next step in picking out jewelry for your big day is to look at what type of neckline is on your dress.

If you have a strapless dress, you can wear just about any necklace, such as a choker, single- or double-stranded necklace, a simple pendant or a y-drop design. Typically, you want to keep the length to at least 1 inch above the neckline of your gown. You want to make sure that your necklace doesn’t take away from your dress or your face, so try not to go overboard. If your dress happens to be very intricate in detail, you can always skip out a necklace all together and wear large, chandelier earrings and a bracelet that makes a statement.

When it comes to sweetheart necklines, you have endless options as well. If your dress is a strapless sweetheart, an extravagant y-drop pendant or a choker may work best for you.  If your dress has a sweetheart neckline with straps, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not crowding your neckline as you have less room. A y-drop pendant looks good here because it helps to highlight your neckline.

For a v-neck wedding dress, you’ll want to pick your jewelry out depending on how deep the v plunges. If it’s a very low plunge and you’re feeling bold, try a low y-drop pendant. If you want to remain a little softer, try a single chain pendant. A single strand of pearls can add a sense of elegance to this look. If you’re planning on having your necklace as your statement piece, keep your earrings and your bracelet here simple.

A halter style dress makes it more complicated to wear a necklace. Instead, opt to dress up your hair with a bedazzling headband. If you’re not into headbands, try adding subtle sparkle with single crystal hairpins or small hairpieces. This dress is another great time to pair it up with some eye-catching earrings and a bracelet.

Other dresses with straps, such as scoop necklines, square necklines or bateau necklines give you some room to choose still to wear a necklace. When picking out jewelry for these styles, pick something that complements the neckline of the dress without crowding it. With a bateau neckline, stick to a smaller necklace, while a scoop or square neckline offer more room for a longer or larger piece.

If your wedding dress has an asymmetrical neckline, like a one-shoulder or is more detailed like a Queen Anne dress, you might want to consider staying away from necklaces altogether. A necklace could look crowded and even take away from you or your beautiful dress. Dresses like these are an excellent opportunity to wear oversized bracelets or let your hairpiece jewelry make a statement.

No matter what type of jewelry you choose, you shouldn’t be afraid of adding a little color. If a stone you like matches your theme and won’t distract people from you or your dress, go for it. However, you also don’t want to overdo it. You only need one statement piece to make the look complete. Otherwise, you might take away the attention. Lastly, remember that picking out jewelry is meant to compliment you on your big day. If you’re not into big, wild pieces, then keep it simple. You should always stay true to yourself when picking out jewelry for your wedding day.