As a bride-to-be, you're probably abuzz with excitement right now, and dreaming of wedding dress shopping. But the good news is, that isn't the only amazing sartorial moment you'll experience - finding your bridal jewellery can be just as special.

Congratulations! You’ve found The One. Your dream wedding dress! Now, it’s time to accessorise that beautiful design. While selecting your bridal jewellery can seem just as daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.

Choosing the perfect bridal jewellery is all about complementing your chosen gown, and not completely reinventing your whole look. A good rule of thumb is to trust your instincts, and not veer to far from your natural style.

Today, we thought we’d share our best style tips that will help you create a wedding day look you’ll remember fondly for years to come.

Choose the Perfect Bridal Jewellery

Find Your Comfort Zone, Then Test It.

While it’s probably not every day that you wear a bridal gown, chances are you’re slightly more familiar with jewellery. You should know what works best on you, and what you feel most confident in. Take that as a baseline for your wedding look. For example, if you never wear earrings, don’t use your wedding day as the first time you choose to sport a statement earring.

Instead, consider the pieces you feel most comfortable in and think about how they could be elevated. Never leave home without a pair of studded earrings? Find a more formal version with multiple stones, or a larger stone.

Another approach can also be to think back on outfits that you’ve worn, and loved on other formal occasions, such as other people’s weddings, and pick bridal jewellery pieces that are in a similar vein.

Consider Your Wedding Dress Neckline

If you want to wear a bridal necklace, you don't want it to compete for attention with the neckline of your dress - and at the same time, you don't want your carefully chosen jewellery to get lost. It's about striking a balance. 

While the shape of the neckline does play a part, it’s also important to consider the fabric of your dress.  

If your neckline is embellished, be it with sequins, beading or lace, it's generally better to choose a shorter chain. That means your necklace won't rest on the fabric and get lost or clash with the sparkle or the pattern of the lace. 

Of course, if you're wearing a high-neck embellished wedding dress, this isn't even an option. In this case, choose a statement style in the same metallic as the beading, or with a similar shape to the lace pattern (for example, floral or geometric), so it stands out while still feeling like part of a cohesive look.

A plainer fabric gives you many more options when it comes to necklaces - both pared-back pieces and statement designs will work, depending on the overall bridal look you want to achieve.

Decide on Your Bridal Hairstyle Before Your Jewellery

It's not impossible to shop for bridal jewellery if you haven't chosen your big day hairstyle, but it will really help if you have. That's because your jewellery will need to work with any hair accessories you're wearing, while also not covering your carefully chosen earrings or necklace, for example.

Don’t Panic About Perfectly Matching your Rings. 

Your engagement ring and wedding band are meant to be worn every day of your marriage, so they should already reflect the personal style you want to emulate in the rest of your bridal jewellery. That being said, things don’t have to match perfectly. Choosing an emerald-cut engagement ring, for example, doesn’t mean you have to wear emerald-cut diamond earrings. Metals don’t have to perfectly match, either. If your engagement ring is platinum, for instance, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring gold into your big day look.

Want some expert advice on pairing your wedding band with your engagement ring? Get in touch with our expert jewellers Custom & Co. Their team have truly brought the Hatton Garden experience to Kent with their stunning range of on-trend, and timeless rings and bridal jewellery. Check out some of their beautiful designs, and schedule an appointment with their experts via this link.

Lock in Something Old, Something Borrowed From the Beginning. 

While bridal jewellery is a great way to work in a ‘something borrowed,’ the last thing you want is for Grandma’s pearls, or your favourite aunt’s bangles to feel like an after-thought. If there’s a particular piece you know you’ll want to wear on the big day, bring it along while dress shopping, that way there’s no risk of it not matching. 

Prioritize Your Style over Insta Trends. 

The wedding world is not immune to fashion trends, and there’s no shame in embracing the ones that you love. That being said, don’t chase a look that doesn’t feel right for you just because it’s all over social media. Trends come and go, but your wedding photos will last forever, so it’s much more important to make decisions based on personal style and sentimental reasons. That way, you can look back and say, ‘my bridal jewellery really meant something to me’ rather than ‘I saw someone on Instagram wearing this, so I wore it, too…’

Consider Bridal Sets

Think the classic pulled-together look is for you? Rather than trying to match up earrings with necklaces, you might find it easier to buy a set, for that harmonious feel. After all, they're specifically designed to work together. Our amazing bridal jewellery experts, Magpie Accessories, have a wonderful range of sets that will instantly create your dream look, and eliminate the fear of pieces not matching. Take a browse here.