Your choice of what to wear on your head for your wedding day will partly be determined by the design and look of your dress. Generally wedding veils are made of lace or tulle and made secure by a circlet of flowers or a tiara. As a rule, though, the more formal the dress, the longer the veil should be. You’ll also need to consider how your veil is going to be secured.

Veils and tiaras can be passed down through family generations, so you may wish to use one from your own family or the groom’s. Alternatively you might like to have a headdress made of real flowers – ones from the same varieties as your bouquet. It would be best to have these made up and delivered on the day. Most bridal florists will offer several designs of headdresses you can choose from.

Although it’s more sensible to buy your wedding rings and engagement rings from diamond specialists or traditional jewellers, some brides choose costume jewellery like necklaces, bracelets and tiaras. There are a few wedding accessory shops, especially specialist retailers for tiaras.

Fabric flowers are another stress-free option as they’ll stay in perfect condition throughout your busy day. Bridal shops and stores will have an extensive range for you to choose from. It would be advisable to try a selection of headdresses with your dress before purchasing one. A hat might complete your outfit, too, especially if your wedding dress is less traditional. If you do decide on a hat, thought, the custom would be for the bride to carry a prayer book rather than a bouquet of flowers… but again, it’s your choice.

Shoes

Shoes are significant accessories. They must be comfortable, non-slip and have a heel that complements both your height and your wedding. Try your best to find these well in advance if you can. Walk about in them at home to give them some pre-wear and take them with you to dress fittings. And on the day, do remember to have a spare pair of tights or stockings with you for those inevitable ladders!

Traditions

Traditionally a bride should have; Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Apparently it gathers all the available mystical influences into a bride’s possession! Something old represents the past, something new, the future; something borrowed, the present, and something blue is a symbol of purity. Carrying a lucky charm like a silver horseshoe or an old sixpence is still quite popular, as well.

As with everything, taste is the most important factor in choosing your jewellery. Start by selecting your bridesmaid’s dress colour; your Matron-of-Honour with be happy to help you with that decision. This will help you decide what will work for all of your bridesmaids and she can try on some of the dresses.

Jewellery

Before deciding on your own jewellery, consider the style and cut of your wedding dress. A sleeveless dress can support a different shaped necklace than, say, a halter-cut dress, which may be better for a simple, single-strand necklace. An off-the-shoulder gown, however, would look good with a more extravagant necklace; one that fans out onto the chest. Alternatively, you may want to leave out the necklace all together and plump for a pair of earrings and a bracelet. As with everything, your taste will be the deciding factor.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to the stones, shapes and design styles of your jewellery. Keep in mind integrating the bridesmaid’s dress colours into your jewellery as well. This will create visual harmony between the bride and bridesmaids.

A beautiful addition to a necklace, earring and bracelet ensemble could be a hair barrette or a comb with crystals and freshwater pearls. Beaded Jewels could also custom design both. Earrings, too, need to be complementary to the neckline of the dress. Dangling earrings or drop earrings look fabulous on plunging necklines while studs are more suitable for higher necklines. And, as before, the individuality of each bridesmaid is to be considered when choosing your own.

Wrists are greatly accentuated with a beautiful bracelet as well and they make all dress styles look lovely and if you’re planning to make your bridesmaids wear long gloves, then you might consider a single row crystal bracelet as an option, or freshwater pearl bracelets, which look better on bare wrists.

 Wedding lingerie

Finally, don’t forget that every bride needs good foundations! Comfortably fitting bridal lingerie is a must and it’ll keep you feeling safe, sexy and comfortable throughout the day. Most bridal lingerie is flesh coloured so it won’t show through your gown and will give you a smooth contour.