The Modern Bride’s Approach to Wedding-Day Jewelry

As National Jeweler’s resident bride-to-be, I enthusiastically accepted when the idea came up for me to attend New York Bridal Fashion Week, held Oct. 8-10.

In the jewelry industry, we’re attuned to engagement ring trends, but the wider world of wedding style is a whole other universe. 

From runway shows to store openings, I spent that week immersed in all things bridal fashion, exploring trends in dresses and thinking about how jewelry fits into it all. 

Strapless gowns, along with other elegant open necklines, were popular. For jewelry, it’s an open invitation for shorter pendant necklaces, collars, or chokers.  

I also saw bold, structured silhouettes as well as several ball gowns, and a number of dresses featuring a basque waist, a style that extends past the waistline with angled seams that form a triangular or curved shape at the lower front of the bodice, as seen in the “Rhiannon” dress below.

There is a sense of regal drama in this season’s wedding dress collections.

The vintage touch was undeniable, with several gowns featuring Renaissance and Victorian accents like frills, bows and corsets, which lines up with the uptick in Pinterest searches for a wedding aesthetic reminiscent of bygone eras.

On one hand, one might choose to let these grand dresses be the star of the ensemble, opting for understated jewelry to keep the attention on the gown, like in the examples above.

However, vintage-style bridalwear also poses a fun, and rare, opportunity to go big with ornate jewelry. 

Beyond a dramatic fur coat or other statement piece, there are few opportunities for the elevated jewels of the past to be styled to their full potential.

Material-wise, the dresses I saw at New York Bridal Fashion Week featured an abundance of textures, including lace and floral appliques as well as tulle.

While some trends transcend collections, each brand’s designs retain its own collective identity. 

Some bridal designers have taken to offering a jewelry component of their own, specifically designed to complement their creations.

At the Pnina Tornai show, the designer’s newest collection with Jared, the jewelry retailer she’s partnered with on bridal jewelry collections in the past few years, was on display. 

At her presentation, wedding dress designer Claire Pettibone debuted a jewelry collection, set to launch next month.