The Great Tiara Debate

Many brides-to-be have this dilemma and spend the months leading up to their wedding deliberating and agonising over whether to don the tiara.

So what's all the fuss with tiaras?

The tiara has a long and substantial history, some of the first origins date back to the ancient Egyptian Princesses. And in more recent times we have seen an exquisite collection of tiara's showcased by the grand ladies of the British and European Royal Families. Their majestic crowns signifying a romantic charm and fairytale glamour that is every girl's dream.

Today the tiara is a popular feature of the bridal trousseau, as an exquisite magical touch for the princess bride. Many brides feel the sparkling crown exemplifies hope, glamour, and beauty.

But is the tiara for everyone?

A tiara can be made from a fabulous range of materials including crystals or rhinestones, pearls, beads, feathers, lace, netting and set in either silver and/or gold. And as many brides depart from traditional white and ivory wedding gowns there are some very dazzling colourful tiara's to match.

Many decisions must be considered when choosing a twinkling crown. There are different styles and shapes, from traditional princess style, circular crown, a more simple Alice band, combs or hair pins, all ranging in their presence.

The style of your hair will also play an important role in what tiara to chose. And if you have long hair you must decide on hair down or a bun-style. If your hair is shorter try a more delicate style of tiara. In any case make sure your tiara is firmly secure. It might be a pain at the end of the night but the last thing you want is your beaded crown to topple off during the festivity. Strategically placed hair pins and combs will secure your tiara. This should be planned at a pre-wedding hair trial. Take your tiara and any hair jewels with you to ensure your hairdresser can experiment with your accessories and the length and thickness of your hair.

This brings me to another point - hair spray. It will work wonders on keeping your hair in place but please add the hairspray first as a layer of hair starch will dull your jewelled headpiece. And there is no need to take away any sparkle from your day unnecessarily.

There are lots of decisions but try to remember - if you decide to wear a tiara it must compliment the style of your dress, flatter the shape of your face and hair style you have for the day. And after all this you must feel comfortable and relaxed in your tiara. A tiara is a statement so if you are going to feel awkward then may be consider more subtle hair jewels such as a simple but elegant crystal and pearl comb or pins. The tiara is like the icing on the cake, the finishing touch - so choose wisely princesses.

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Jewels for the bridesmaid

So you have everything organised for yourself.

Working through the list you have the:

Gown tick Tiara tick

Veil tick

Earrings tick Necklace tick

But there is a big highlighter circle around the bridesmaid's accessories! There are two questions to be answered before you go any further - what colour for the bridesmaids dresses AND are all your bridesmaids having the same colour? A lovely touch is to have all the bridal party to be identical but this can be a difficult task, here you must consider the shape, complexion and style of each of the 2, 3 or 4+ maids you have chosen.

You want to pick a colour that compliments your gown, veil and tiara and at the same time suits the complexions and styles of each of the bridesmaids. Once the colour of the dresses is decided, you can start to add the finishing touches. Accessories compliment a dress, adding colour and sparkle, often completing a stylish and polished look for the day.

Accessories in a darker shade of the colour of the dresses can create an impact and highlight the tone of the dress. If you as bride are having pearls, then you can also carry this theme through to your maids. Or crystals in clear or any range of colour are always classic and compliment most styles without being too over the top. A popular bridesmaid colours this season is fuchsia which is summery and fresh, but don't forget traditional colours such as aqua blue or greens shades. There is also a move towards black or smokey grey tones for your bridesmaids.

The next decision to be made is how many accessories to have. There are lots of choices and combinations here. Hair jewels - clips, combs and slides are lovely compliments to the hairstyle. Unless your maid has very short hair and/or feels uncomfortable with hair accessories then adding a touch of sparkle to the locks is a necessity. Then you have more options with earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. It really depends on the style of each but often a combination of these 3 will be perfect. Your accessories are the final touch to a wonderful gown, so always aim to bring out the colour or cut of the gown, rather than overshadow.

One final point to consider are your little maids. Be careful not to over glamorise your tiny princesses. Try not to have miniature versions of you the bride, avoid jewels and accessories which may be too grown up.

Often simple and classic jewellery and accessories make the perfect statement.

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Autumn Accessories for the Bride

You may be concerned about having an autumn wedding - worried it might lack the spray of colour and sparkle of a summer wedding. However besides not sweltering like many summer brides this year, there is a richness to autumn weddings. With rich burnt orange, brush pink and delightful greens surrounding you this is a lovely time of year to tie the knot. Autumn weddings have a cosy and warm feel to them, and everything through to your accessories should reflect this. Your jewellery and accessories can mirror the seasons shades of greens, olive and warm tones of fuchsia pink accessories.

Peridot swarvoski crystal flower necklace with matching bracelet and earrings.

Don’t forget traditional pearls which are always delightful, and will certainly make you feel like a princess. There is a magical essence to pearls and don’t stick to just white, mix your pearly shades or add colourful crystals.

Cultured Pearls and pale pink crystals in 2 strand stretch bracelet.

Crystals always add sparkle and shimmer to your wedding gown. I often think crystals are like a sprinkle of sparkly dust that adds a wonderful shimmer to the bride.

Olivine and pearl necklace and earrings. Last week I attended a friends wedding in North Yorkshire where the bride revolutionised wedding accessories, setting a new trend. Besides her spectacular gown she wore a magnificent cube shaped crystal necklace with a mixed turquoise and green decorated pendent - it was simply gorgeous and so delightfully original. To compliment this she wore a wonderful bracelet with quartz-like mix of green and light aqua stones (this was her something borrowed). The blend of colour with her white gown was perfect. So Autumn brides good luck with your wedding! Forecast is for fine weather - enjoy!

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A Merry Wedding

It is the silly season and reason to be jolly - especially so, if you are getting married over this festive period.

Christmas weddings are becoming all the rage. An obvious reason is you can have about 10 days holiday over the Christmas break while only taking 4 days off work. So for many it is an ideal chance to have a cosy wedding and then dash off somewhere warm for the romantic honeymoon. If you are one of these wise ones and are planning a festive ceremony, then here are some suggestions for accessories and jewellery.

You don't have to pretend it is not Christmas - get into the silly season and incorporate Christmas colours and themes in your bridal ensemble. Add bold red vintage earrings

Although be careful it is not a Christmas Party so I don't advise wearing a Santa suit as you walk down the aisle, unless of course BBC are filming you for a series of Wacky White Weddings.

Traditional and classic tiara will make you the majestic princess.

Or if you feel a tiara is too much for you try different types of hair jewels.

You may not show as much flesh this time of year but that doesn't mean you won't need to have the right accessories for your neckline. This classic set crystal earrings and necklace set is simple but sparkly.

I think this is a lovely time of year to marry as generally people seem in happy spirits and excited about the festive season. So Christmas brides make sure you have a merry wedding.

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HoneyMoon Must Haves

I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but after your stunning march down the aisle you still want to look glam on location at your exotic honeymoon destination. Here are a few easy accessories that are perfect, sparkly and pretty jewels for your honeymoon holiday.

These sparkly hair jewels are ideal for pulling back beach-blown hair as you sip your cocktails by the pool.

Star Bursts Hair Jewels - bright colourful jewels for your hair… simple, easy and they look fab!

Lime Green Star Clip

Red Stars Clip

Especially if you have a tan, then sparkle away with bright colours, such as Emerald and Aqua Green Swarovski Crystal Flower Studs.

Casual beach wear can be glam too, brighten up your bikini ensemble with these lovely shell earrings.

And don’t forget to take a little black dress for your romantic candle-lit dinners and then just add a beautiful matching set for some sparkle.

Lime and Olivine Crystal and Pearl Set, also available in other colours, including lovely pink shades too.

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