A Modern Bride’s Guide to Classic Wedding Jewelry
To say that I was #blessed to have planned a successful wedding of my dreams during the pandemic, without having to postpone or cut my guest list is an understatement. And, all the while, to work at the Natural Diamond Council, where I had access to classic wedding jewelry and pieces from incredible designers? I truly felt like the luckiest bride in the world.
More classic prep than boho or anti-bride, I quickly found that my wedding style included a-line or column-shaped gowns with minimal lace or beading, and delicate jewelry to match. I wanted to look back at my wedding look in ten years and still love my dress and accessories. However, without treading into trendy territory, I still wanted to feel like a modern bride whose outfit was of the moment. Thumbing through my photos from my incredible photographer, Shannon Moffit, I’m confident I achieved just that.
Read More: Take Our Diamond Quiz To Discover Your Bridal Style
When it came to putting together my wedding look, I started with the hardest part: The Dress. After visiting too many stores to count over the course of six months, I finally found The One at Amsale. It was simple and classic with a statement bow on the back. Though my mom and I worked to add a few custom details like the band on the waistline and fabric lining at the top of the neckline, as soon as I tried it on I just knew.
Next, it was time to pick out the jewelry. Since my dress had a straight, strapless neckline, I knew I wanted to forgo a necklace and focus on the earrings for my classic wedding jewelry look. They needed to be bold but not chunky, classic but not boring, stylish but not too trendy. I narrowed my categories down to drop earrings and hoops, forgoing anything too traditional like studs, or too ornate like a chandelier earring
Enter: Kwiat’s Starry Night hoop earrings with diamonds. These earrings felt perfect for my look the moment I saw them. I’m definitely a hoops girl and these were dainty enough that they didn’t overwhelm my face. But with 3.65 carats, they definitely made a statement. I loved the unique oval shape of the hoops rather than a traditional round shape, and I loved the illusion style placement of the diamonds so it looked like they were floating in photos.
When I first started working at the Natural Diamond Council, I fell in love with Suzanne Kalan’s signature Fireworks baguette tennis bracelets. I love that they have the same feel as a classic tennis bracelet but with a slightly more modern twist thanks to the angled baguette diamonds. I loved stacking the yellow, white, and rose gold metals, which perfectly matched my mixed metal engagement ring and wedding band. I took a cue from the mixed metal trend, stacking the yellow gold, white gold and rose gold bracelets on my left wrist.
On my other wrist, I wrote an initial bracelet in rose gold from Alexis Jae Jewelry, who also made my engagement ring and wedding band. I gifted these initial bracelets to my sisters, mom, and mother-in-law too so we could all match on the big day. I’m always wearing some sort of “J” jewelry, whether it’s on a necklace, a statement ring, or this new bracelet and I was so excited to share my love of personalized jewelry with my nearest and dearest.
Speaking of my mom, we were fortunate enough to borrow from Sara Weinstock these drop earrings with an illusion round diamond cluster for her to wear on the big day. My mom leans more traditional when it comes to her jewelry style and these statement drop earrings certainly fit the bill. She was so excited to be able to wear these stunning diamonds and looked just as stunning in them.
The modern bride in me came out in my outfit change, which I reserved for the end of my reception and after-party. Instead of going with the traditional white after-party look I decided to bring in my favorite color: pink. And to match my sparkling pink party dress I opted for a pair of rose gold hoops from Suzanne Kalan. Plus they matched my bracelets, which I kept on all night long.
Being able to shine my brightest with some help from our friends at the Natural Diamond Council made my wedding that much more special. The compliments I got from friends and family on my wedding jewelry look didn’t hurt either! And a special thank you to Caitlyn Mayer whose luxury bridal hair and makeup team made me look my best on this most special day.
