Your wedding dress might out-stage your bridal jewellery, but you're unlikely to wear your wedding dress a second time (unless it's to see your colleague's reaction when you enter the office)!
Your bridal jewellery is different. Choose well and you will have a future heirloom in your hands - perhaps it will one day become your daughters 'something old' or something 'borrowed' when she gets married.
If that has got you thinking, then here's the ultimate piece of bridal jewellery, to truly inspire you to commission your own.
It all starts with an idea.
Annette wanted to surprise her daughter, Nicola, with a bespoke bracelet. The idea was born to create a jewellery piece matching the lace on her wedding dress, but with two exciting differences. The lace would be stitched by hand, and the bracelet made of solid sterling silver. If there were ever an oxymoron, this was it.
Annette somehow managed to get an actual sample of the lace without arousing suspicion (even though a close up photo would have sufficed) and we both fell in love with the leaf motif. After a crude sketch we were buzzing!
Stitched by hand
Hand-stitching the lace motif to match the lace on the wedding dress is done one stitch at a time, using silk thread. It's this stage which gives the design its charm, so of course the bangle needed a similar texture.
The magical transformation
With the lace leaf and bangle stitched to perfection, it was time for a magical transformation. It's not quite alchemy, but the lace is completely transformed into solid sterling silver.
Then the detailed work continues; sawing, filing, drilling, constructing hinges with silver tubing and finally hallmarking.
The final piece exceeded all expectations. The bangle was a complete surprise and so it was given as a keepsake with no expectation for Annette's daughter to wear it on her wedding day. However, before she was even given the bracelet she mentioned that she would have liked to have something more antique looking than the bracelet she had originally planned to wear. So without knowing, Annette had chosen the perfect gift for the bride to wear on her big day!
Blog coming soon... The do's and don'ts when choosing jewellery as a wedding gift
Model Photography: Whitney Lloyd Photography, Emma Jane Wedding Planning