Non-Traditional Wedding Jewelry Ideas
By now you all should know how I feel about jewelry: I kind of think it’s a big deal. I mean, my husband and I refurbished a dresser from the Salvation Army and repurposed it into a jewelry armoire…don’t judge. It’s pretty fly, if I can borrow the accolades of a good friend of mine. And in no single life event does jewelry play a bigger role than in your wedding. One of the main features of a wedding is the giving and receiving of wedding bands (to learn more about the modern double-ring ceremony, check out this blog). But the standard expectations for what kind of jewelry you wear and how you wear it may not work for every bride. In the spirit of inviting you to see other options, I thought today would be an opportunity to chat about some different avenues of jewelry use in your wedding ensemble.
When we think about wedding jewelry, most people’s minds probably conjure images of men’s wedding bands, ladies’ diamond wedding rings, pearl necklaces, and diamond chandelier earrings. And when they think about those items, they probably don’t stretch their imaginations to consider them in any light other than what they are expected to be in. Earrings go on the ears. Rings go on fingers. Necklaces around the neck and so on.
But let us not be so quick to jump to these pedestrian conclusions. Do necklaces really have to go around the neck? Many cultures use jewelry prominently featured in interesting ways. For example, Hindu brides are commonly seen wearing the maang tikka. The maang tikka, while not strictly a necklace, looks very similar to a necklace planed delicately in the part of the hair. Maang tikka is a phrase that has literal meaning. Maang is the part in the hair. The part in the hair is done straight down the middle. In the part, a chain (with hooks that anchor it into the hair) is placed. At the end of this chain is the tikka. The tikka is the pendant that rests gently in the middle of the forehead. This jewelry is common among brides because the tikka falls right where the sixth chakra is thought to be located. The sixth chakra, which is presided over the by the god Shiva and the goddess Parvati. The pair represent perfect unions, without unbalance and compromise. It makes sense that a bride would choose such symbolic jewelry while entering into her own perfect union.
If you are not Hindu, you can still capture the beauty of this jewelry tradition. Jeweled headpieces are nothing new, but instead of a run-of-the-mill tiara, consider having your hairdresser weave a necklace or bracelet into your hair. Kim Kardashian, when she wed Kris Humphries, sported a Lorraine Schwartz headpiece draped across her forehead. The 65-carat sparkler featured pear-shaped diamond drops. A very similar effect could be achieved by using necklace. Brooches are another great option for adorning the hair with jewelry. Elizabeth Taylor (come on, a jewelry blog is hardly complete without at least one passing Liz reference) often wore brooches, pendants, and necklaces in her coif.
Incorporating jewelry into your hair is a perfect way to weave a little of your family’s history into your big day (it could be your something old and something borrowed, maybe even your something blue if it has sapphires in it). Heirloom brooches are a pretty regular occurrence, as brooches and pins used to be far more popular than they are today (with the exception of a brief resurgence among trendy girls in the early 2000s, although that will hardly count as heirloom or vintage at this point). Many families have antique jewelry that can be integrated into a bride’s big day.
If adorning your hair with jewelry doesn’t sound like the right fit for you, don’t worry, there are many other ways to use jewelry in non-traditional ways for your wedding. Most brides carry some form of a bouquet or nosegay or some floral arrangement for their walk down the aisle. For the bride who has antique jewelry, but she doesn’t want to (or can’t) wear it, consider adding it to the bouquet. Brooches, necklaces, even earrings can be beautifully added to the bride’s bouquet. The jewels can still be part of the big day without intruding on the bride’s personal style. This is an especially great option for those brides whose family jewels aren’t really her taste but carry deep sentimental meaning for her and her family.
My sister-in-law, who was married this past summer, took a novel approach to remembering family members who had passed. She has five nephews and one niece, and since she dearly loves them all, they were all a part of her big day. Our niece was the flower girl (obviously), and so she carried a basket with petals. But the boys carried a single rose each that had a picture locket attached to it. In each locket was photograph of our dearly departed relatives. The frames, a simple jewelry piece, were proudly carried by the kids. And they represented our family members who had once walked down an aisle to the loves of their lives too. It was a beautiful sentiment that touched the hearts of all who attended the wedding.
Whether you’re doing it to honor your family’s legacy or because you have a highly developed sense of personal style, the incorporation of jewelry in non-traditional ways is the perfect way to showcase who you are. When considering the use of jewelry in your ensemble, think outside the box, whether that means featuring your grandmother’s favorite brooch in your bouquet or having your great-aunt’s trademark strand of pearls stitched on to your dress’s neckline. Any way you wear it, it’s going to be grand.
Outside the jewelry box,
Rebecca
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