How to Accessorize on Your Wedding Day

We all have individual personalities and style, and we express who we are in many ways. You use makeup to highlight your face, which adds to your personality and style. And we are able to tell a story about ourselves by the accessories we choose. You accessorize your wardrobe with a variety of shoes, belts, hair accessories, scarves and more to create different looks and add more to your personality.

Wedding-day accessories—from your veil, to your shoes, to your bouquet and your jewelry—can contribute to your look in many creative ways. It is always important to me that my girls never overaccessorize: Each bride needs to take the spotlight with her personality and her femininity first. Too often, the dress wears the bride instead of the other way around. I’ve also seen bouquets take the focal point away from the bride and the dress. Successful accessorizing is always about adding to the personality of the bride, not creating a distraction.

Something Old, Something New...

You might want to wear an heirloom piece of jewelry that adds deep sentiment to your look and further makes your wedding day exclusively yours. Often, veils, jewelry, beads and trinkets can be worn as is, but if you have a heirloom piece that is no longer in style (and yet is close to your heart!), this is the time to think creatively. Your grandmother’s rosary or brooch may work perfectly as adornment on the handle of your bouquet. A vintage family veil can be adapted to a more modern style, or if it’s a bit the worse for wear, it can be restored by a professional. For something borrowed, you might want to wear your mother’s wedding band on your right hand or a piece of jewelry, a tiara or a purse from a bridesmaid. As for something blue, keep it subtle with a bit of the hue sparkling in your jewelry or headpiece, a blue flower in your bouquet or a pretty handkerchief with blue stitching—any of these should do just fine! (With something blue in mind, all of the rings in the David Tutera Bridal Jewelry Collection at Sears include a blue sapphire on the inner band.)

If you prefer to head straight to the store to get jewelry that's sparkly and new, choose something like dramatic chandelier earrings or a gorgeous drop pendant, but be wary as you select dynamic pieces: Some dresses don’t need necklaces, and you’ll probably find that some great earrings will provide all the glitz you need. Mainly, don't overdo the jewelry that you wear with your dress. Often, less is more.

Choose your bridal shoes carefully; they can be as ornate as your dress or as practical as your undergarments. Your shoe mission is to find the pair that combines both. Bridal shoes come in several shades of white to match the tones of wedding dresses. Take a swatch of your dress along when you shop for shoes to be sure you make a match.

Shoe Do's and Don'ts

Weeks before the wedding, wear your bridal shoes to break them in and avoid blisters on the big day! Purchase your shoes before your first fitting—you want to make sure your hem and the height of your heel are right. And please, pretty please, don’t switch to sneakers or flip flops at the reception. Always maintain your bridal prettiness and poise!