Pearls are one of the most popular jewelry options for brides, because of their unmatchable beauty and symbolism. While there is some superstition surrounding the wearing of pearls on your wedding day, the increase in bridal pearl jewelry is evidence that pearls remain one of the best loved jewelry options for brides.
Because of its versatility, pearls can suit a range of wedding dresses and jewelry tastes. Let’s take a look at how to choose the best pearl jewelry for your wedding dress.
First of All, Why Pearls?
The neutral color of pearls easily matches any wedding ensemble without intruding too much into the overall look. They stylishly complement the bride’s attire often without stealing all the attention. The color white has traditionally been associated with brides and pearls neatly align with this association.
The symbolism of pearls is also ideal for a bride as these organic stones represent innocence, purity, loyalty and a new chapter.
Pearls also suit a wide range of budgets, with faux pieces starting at a few dollars while genuine pearls and genuine luxury pearls reaching into the hundreds of thousands. There’s bound to be a piece that suits your budget.
Pearl jewelry can be designed to suit a variety of styles, including minimalist and simple, boho and rustic or sophisticated and elegant. These stones are highly versatile and easily lend themselves to various jewelry designs making them perfect for everyone.
Taking all this into account, it’s no wonder that pearls remain a favorite among brides. With so much choice and range, the problem is to choose the right piece to suit your wedding dress, theme and look.
Here are a few pointers.
Pearl Necklace
A pearl necklace is beautiful with most wedding dresses and can be a statement piece or a simple strand that blends in quietly with your look. However, not every dress will suit a necklace so check the neckline first to determine if you need embellishing around your neck.
Necklaces are best paired with an open neckline, as it fills the space and sets a balanced look. Here are dress necklines and the type of necklaces that they go with:
- Best Necklines for a Pearl Necklace: Strapless, V-neck or low scoop necklines
A statement pearl necklace goes best with a low scoop neckline or a strapless dress. It adds drama and style to your upper body area and sets of the dress beautifully. You can also opt for a choker or bib necklace, which also suit this type of neckline.
For V-necklines, a pendant on a chain or a necklace that takes the V shape will accentuate the neckline and gracefully fall in place alongside the neckline.
Sometimes though, less is more, and you can skip a necklace altogether, instead focusing on the dress itself. This is ideal if you want all the attention to go to the dress or if the dress has some gorgeous detail that you want to emphasise, like beautiful pearl bead work or elaborate detail and embroidery.
No necklace needed for this gorgeously simple dress.
The pearl detail on this wedding dress is stunning and requires no distraction to take the focus away from it.
Dresses that don’t need a necklace are halter, high neck, boat and illusion. Remember Meghan Markle’s first and second royal wedding dresses, with the gorgeous boat and then the halter neck? For both dresses, she skipped the necklace and went with earrings instead as the necklines really didn’t allow for a necklace.
Pearl Earrings
If you think a necklace will look too busy or will take away from the beauty of your dress, simply add a pair of earrings to complete your look. Earrings go with just about any wedding dress and can be adjusted to suit the dress. For example, chandelier statement earrings are perfect for illusion necklines, boat necklines, strapless dresses and off-the-shoulder styles. They balance your overall look and provide the required bling to add sparkle and glamor.
For most dresses, a pair of delicate pearl earrings will suit beautifully. You can find a set that also features diamonds adding sparkle to the pearl earrings.
One main thing to factor in is your hairstyle on the day. Your earrings should complement your hairstyle and work well with them. For example, if you’re wearing your hair down, large, dangling earrings might get lost among your strands and just not make an impression. In this case, a pair of dainty studs with your hair elegantly pinned back a little to show them off, would be a better move.
Pearl Bracelets
A pearl bracelet can work with any dress, with the main consideration being the size and how much attention you want it to get. If you’re wearing a large statement necklace, then keeping the bracelet on the smaller side would be best, to avoid your attire looking too busy.
If you’re wearing a long-sleeved wedding dress, then it’s best to skip the bracelet unless you’re wearing it over the sleeve.
While the simple pearl strand bracelet is the most popular, there are innovative designs for pearl bracelets that look stunning.
Beautiful ribbon bracelet.
Gorgeous freshwater pearl bracelet with delicate design.
Choose a bracelet that accentuates the beauty of your dress and complements the other jewelry you’re wearing.
Pearl Rings
Because there’s already an important ring waiting for you on your wedding day, wearing a pearl ring on your wedding day in addition to your engagement or wedding rings doesn’t really make sense.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get one, though.
If you do want to wear a pearl ring, make sure that it’s on your right hand so that it doesn’t take attention away from your wedding ring. Keeping it on the minimalist side will also ensure that it doesn’t steal the show.
Other Ways to Incorporate Pearls on Your Wedding Day
If you’re not big on jewelry and want to keep it simple, but still want to add a bit of glamor to your outfit, there are other ways to incorporate pearls on the day.
You can always include pearls into your hairdo, in the form of pins or twisting vines as pictured above. This suits any type of hairdo, whether up or down and can be made to look sophisticated and elegant, or pretty and princessy.
Another way is to have pearl details added to your dress. As seen in the image above, the beautiful column of pearls ties the whole look together, adds some intrigue to the back of the dress and simply looks amazing.
Stylish pearl backdrop necklace layers.
A pearl backdrop necklace is also an excellent way to go about this, as you can keep the front of the dress necklace-free but instead have a backdrop necklace to accessorize behind you. This type of necklace works especially best with open-backed dresses and low necklines.
Elegant bridal shoe with pearl detailing.
Pearls on your bridal shoe are also a cute, stylish way to embellish your heels. The downside of this is that most wedding dresses tend to hide your shoes and you don’t really get to see them. However, if you’re wearing a hi-low wedding dress, a sheath dress or a dress with a hemline that allows your shoes to peek through, they’ll be beautifully visible.
Tips to Bear in Mind
When selecting your pearl jewelry for your wedding, one guideline to keep in mind is that often, less is more. Instead of going for large pieces that compete against each other, pick one piece to be your focal jewelry and make everything else work around that.
Let’s say you’re going to be wearing a statement necklace. Adding chandelier earrings and a large cuff bracelet might be going overboard. Instead, pair the necklace with a simple set of drop earrings or studs, and a minimalist bracelet to complete the look. This way, the necklace gets the attention, but it works harmoniously with the other elements of your attire.
Always factor in your neckline and hairdo when choosing your jewelry, using that as your starting point.
Finally, comfort is key so ensure that you’re pearl jewelry is comfortable and easy to wear all day. It’s also important to pick pieces that are similar to your normal style, so you feel comfortable.
