The Finishing Touch: Get Bejeweled Bridal Tips & Trends!

It was so fun to get to meet with Jenn Green of Drea James who is a bit of a local design celeb! She has a line of awesome jewelry, and I absolutely love it when someone is so passionate about what they do! We immediately hit it off when chatting (probably because I was loitering at her table looking googly-eyed at one of the necklaces) and she was kind enough to do an interview with us about some of the hottest trends in bridal and wedding accessories! Read on for the full scoop. And for anyone that knows me, Law & Order is my Achilles Heel of TV... she's bejeweled the show's star Tamara Tunie to boot!

Bridal Jewelry Tips with Jenn Green of Drea James

"What's your number one recommendation when it comes to pairing your wedding gown neckline with a necklace?"

You want your jewelry to accent you, to add something...not to be a distraction. Sometimes less is more, but depending on not just the neckline, but material of the gown, hair style, your shape and size - it's very fun to go more Hollywood glamour and put a bit of sparkle and glitz together.

"How do you recommend working in a family piece of jewelry that doesn't quite match your style into your wedding day attire?"

By adding chain and stones that do match the look and feel, I can usually make a piece blend in. Having a bit of contrast can really be quite stylish. I had one bride give me her grandmother's old ring to repurpose into a pendant for a necklace. She wrapped it around her bouquet during the ceremony.


"Have any mother of the bride jewelry and style recommendations?"

Everyone is so unique - I don't think there are overall "rules" that anyone should follow. I find that most mothers of the bride or the groom want to go understated - but it's all about what their personalities are and if it fits with the brides vision.

"What's the biggest trend you see happening in bridal jewelry for fall and spring 2011?"

I'm not a true believer in trends, since so many of them repeat and are present at any given time. I prefer to go for timeless, something that the bride and bridal party can wear over and over again. I do follow the Pantone color forecasts. I'm looking forward to incorporating hints of corals, tropical blues, pine greens, golds with pale blushes, light purple/greys, and purples for fall. Red is a fantastic accent color for fall too. Spring 2011 has a lot of very bold colors coming on board, but also some beautiful soft hues - an orange sherbet, lawn - pistachio light green, sea green - a cool sky blue, more gold, orchid - a hue slightly darker than light pink, and brick. I think using vintage components, fabrics and feathers will continue to be very popular as well.

Thanks so much for letting us in on the hottest scoop, Jenn! Check out her ready-to-wear and custom wares at Drea James!

xoxo.
deanna

photo: drea james (vintage Audrey)

Love Your Ladies! Three Creative Bridesmaid Gift Ideas for the Stylish Bride

They've faithfully been to all the showers, written the toast and listened to you wax poetic (or... sometimes not so poetic like the time when she made sure you didn't choose the regrettable won't-even-fit-in-the-doorway dress) about all the details of your big day.

Not to mention, been there for you even pre nearly-wed days, or you wouldn't want them with you on the biggest day ever. Of course, we're referring to your ladies in waiting for the day, the amazing bridesmaid!

Here's our roundup of creative bridesmaid gift ideas from Etsy.com, if you're hibernating in the aircon like we are from the Atlanta heat this week:



1. From the Modern & Simply Elegant Bride
via byebyebirdy's shop

If you and your girls like keeping the bling simple and modern, this beautiful pendant would not only be a perfect pair to their dresses, but also something she won't stuff in the back of her jewelry box and actually want to wear! The wire-wrapping gives a punch of visual appeal and texture to the piece.


2. From the Fashionista Bride
via lynndavid's shop

This creative craftster will whip together a bag based on your fabric choices from very chic fabric lines Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry (we're lusting over this particular print from the latter), so you can contrast your colors or even match each to each maids personalities. Take a pic with all of your ladies lined up clutching these cuties for a pop of color.





3. From the Classic & Sentimental Bride
via sealedwithYOU's shop

How sweet is the touch of color in these pendants made to look like wax seals? Though the envelope sealed with one of these is few and far between these days of e-everything, the design is still stunning. They pair them with a chain, but if your girl isn't a fan of wearing letters 'round the neck, using one as a keychain or bookmarker (with a fat swatch of ribbon tied to it) is a fun alternative.

Thanks for reading our roundup of this week's awesome Etsy.com finds for bridesmaid gifts! What are you planning on for a token for your ladies? Let me know!

xoxo.
deanna

Chic + Preppy Love

photo: Dabney Lee at Home website. lucite box with monogrammed stationery, $75.

Serious girl crush alert: Dabney Lee at Home's line of poppy, preppy designs. I adore personalized gifts and your bridesmaids are definitely deserving of these swank wares from Dabney Lee. My pick for your ladies is this stationary set which can be monogrammed and comes in fun patterns to match each one of their personalities! So adorable that you'll probably want to get one with your new initials too, right? ;)

xoxo.

deanna

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

The history in western culture takes it way back to Roman culture where the 'wedding party' concept was simply to have them as witnesses as well as similarly dressed to the bride and groom to confuse evil spirits.

Nowadays, the only evil spirits to deal with are the ones carrying hideous bridesmaid dresses. Bringing us to the trend of mismatched bridesmaid dresses. We've all either been a part of or attended a wedding with a cringworthy army of taffeta... and the trend could circumvent this all 'round.

Remember:

- extreme Type A brides that may want to pick out ALL of the dresses... beware. Think about how hard it is to pick just one! Solution of letting the girls all pick their own dresses but realize someone may pick one that you don't feel is a fit and you'll end up having a difficult conversation or letting it slide

- colors, like the neutrals, black, gray... are easiest found if they are in the neutrals category, at least at non-bridesmaid-y sources. If you opt for an array of, say, green, it will be more difficult to find. Why not opt for a brightly colored matchy-matchy accessory to unify, or all the same shoes in one of your bolder wedding colors?

- start the process early. The more browsing time you and your girls have, the better chances of finding not one, but eight dresses!

- the type of fabric can be a great unifying element... and if you're getting your 'maids to pick their own, remind them of this.

how you interpret the whole 'mismatched' concept can be as varied as:

- same dress, different styles
- different dresses in different tonal shades
- different dresses in totally different colors (works well with bright colors)

... you get the idea. Any element of 'mismatch' you're able to work in will give a modern take on the bridesmaid dress!


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