‘Statement wedding accessories’ get mentioned in plenty of blog posts (including my own) or articles on weddings, yet it’s rarely explained what a statement wedding accessory actually is!

Now, I know a lot of you reading will already be well-versed in the idea of making a statement with your jewellery but what about newcomers to the vast world of wedding accessories? It must be daunting to face so many gorgeous wedding accessories AND have to learn new terminology too!

In this post, I’m going to try and explain what is meant by a ‘statement accessory’ and, for those of you that already know, share a few tips on how to style a statement accessory.

A statement accessory is essentially the main accessory of an outfit and provides the ‘focal point’. A statement accessory will be immediately eye-catching and can be used to draw focus to a certain part of an outfit; necklaces will draw attention to the dress, while a tiara will accentuate your face for example. Of course, they’re also gorgeous in their own right!

Picking your statement accessory is by far the hardest part of shopping for wedding jewellery and accessories. It is the accessory that will say the most about you, acting as an expression of your personality and your style preferences. It’s also the piece to which other accessories will be matched.  A lot of responsibility to place on one accessory, I’m sure you’ll agree!

Actually though, the personal touch makes it easier to find the right accessory for you. You know what you like and finding something to match your preferences is easy; it’s usually choosing between four or five equally beautiful pieces that provides the headache!

So why not buy all of them, I hear you ask? Well, firstly, you’d probably be blowing half your wedding budget in one go! But there’s also the fact that you should only ever wear one statement accessory. As you’ll be creating a focal point, more than one statement accessory can overwhelm an outfit and leave your guests not knowing where to look. Accessories make up just one part of the overall bridal outfit, so don’t take the dress out of the equation by laying on too many sparkles!

Defining a statement piece is difficult; a lot of people mistake statement for meaning the most expensive or biggest piece available but this simply isn’t the case. Rather, a statement piece is one that catches the eye the most, whether that be a side tiara with particularly elaborate detailing, a diamond encrusted necklaces or – yes – a large bracelet!

A lot of women can get hung up on their particular ‘statement’ accessory and that’s perfectly understandable – it’s a vitally important part of any bridal outfit. But don’t fret too much; essentially, picking the right one (if there is such a thing) comes down to matching the accessory to your dress and personal preference, so hang in there and you’re bound to find something you love eventually!

Kate x

One of the big decisions facing anyone planning a vintage wedding is what theme to go for, and it’s a really difficult decision to make. There are so many gorgeous themes around and if we could, I’m sure we’d like to have a bit of all of them in our weddings.

Unfortunately, the laws of style mean we can only pick and choose from a couple! With that in mind, I’m putting together a couple of posts on some of my favourite vintage themes and how to accessorise for them. Hopefully they’ll provide you with inspiration for your own big day.

For the first post, I’ve chosen to cover one of the most popular themes with vintage brides; Old Hollywood Glamour. The name gives it away – this theme pays homage to the eternally glamorous starlets of Hollywood’s golden age. Think Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.

Accessorising for this theme means evoking plenty of glamour whilst maintaining the classy vibe we all associate with our favourite starlets. One of the staples of Hollywood glamour is pearls – and plenty of them!

Pearls play a major part in evoking that timeless Hollywood glamour and should be worn wherever possible. We love this Kelly pearl necklace from Stephanie Browne, which has three strands of gorgeous Ivory pearls suspended from two Swarovski crystal ornaments – an added bonus, as Swarovski crystals were another favourite of the Hollywood set!

To achieve pearl perfection, team the necklace up with this matching bracelet, also by Stephanie Browne!

You don’t necessarily have to load up on pearls for this theme however. Crystals were another Hollywood favourite, and luckily you don’t need to spend the kind of money Elizabeth Taylor did (£7.5million for a necklace?! It is beautiful though…) to achieve the look!

This gorgeous necklace from Ivory and Co is perfect for the bride looking for crystal jewellery. Versatile and crafted from Swarovski crystals, I’m sure even Liz Taylor, with her expensive tastes, would love this piece.

As for bracelets, the wonderful Audrey by Stephanie Browne is perfect – you can probably guess from the name who inspired this little number!

Headpieces are a must for the Hollywood Glamour bride, and I would recommend going for a side tiara for the ultimate in Hollywood style. The choices are endless, but I love the Grace and the Audrey from Jo Barnes – they’re effortless in their beauty and guaranteed to turn heads!

For shoes, look no further than Rachel Simpson and Harriet Wilde, who specialise in creating gorgeous vintage wedding shoes. The Marilyn by Rachel Simpson is perfect for the Hollywood glamour theme and even comes in a deep red colour for the more daring among us! From Harriet Wilde’s collection, I really love the Marina design. They’re simple but classic, not to mention crafted from lovely ivory silk satin. They’re really comfortable too, meaning your feet won’t ache during the first dance!

No Hollywood starlet would be complete without a statement flourish and what better way to express yourself than through a feather shrug? Feathers are a big part of the Hollywood experience (as you’re sure to find out when planning your decorations), so incorporate them into your own outfit with a piece such as the Alexi marabou jacket from Sasso. I put together a piece on Sasso recently, so take a look there for some more inspiration.

Hollywood Glamour is one of my favourite wedding themes and can transform any woman into an absolutely gorgeous bride. I love to hear from you all, so if you’ve had a Hollywood-inspired wedding recently and want to share some photos or styling tips then please do!

Kate x

What’s that sound I hear? The combined tearing open of the first day on your advent calendar? Well yes of course. But that other sound, the gasping one, the ooh-ing and aah-ing. It must mean one thing…even more beautiful new vintage-inspired wedding accessories for you to look at on the website!

Fancy a sneaky peek at them?

Remember Summer? Feels like forever ago doesn’t it? Well here to help remind you are some beautiful images of a Queens & Bowl real bride who was blessed with sun, sand and sea on her wedding day!

Korinna first contacted me back in March during her hunt for the perfect wedding accessories. Top of her list was a knock-out crystal bridal tiara or headpiece and a pair of complementing earrings. After Korinna described her beautiful Grecian style wedding dress with leaf detailing, we decided that the perfect partner would be the Etta side tiara by Jo Barnes Vintage.

The large Marquise-shaped Swarovski crystals in the tiara were a great match for the detailing on Korinna’s wedding dress. We had a couple of options for earrings that would complement the headpiece, including the super versatile Manhattan earrings by Ivory & Co, but in the end Korinna decided on the Waterlilly earrings, also by Ivory & Co.

The little 3-pointed star shape reflected the Marquise shapes in the headpiece and were large enough to be noticed, whilst understated enough not to fight for attention – the ideal scenario when you have a statement headpiece!

I think Korinna looks absolutely amazing in these photos and I can’t wait to upload one to my new Gallery page.

All images courtesy of Cornwall wedding photographer Kirstin Prisk.

Kate. xx

My favourite blog posts are the ones where I get to show off my gorgeous brides, and this is a cracker! Salma and Richard got married in May at the stunning Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. When Salma first contacted me to discuss her wedding tiara, her enthusiasm was palpable – she was so excited about finding her wedding accessories and it was contagious.

Salma had a good idea about what she wanted, but, after emailing me a photo of the dress and a few other details, there were quite a few options that suited the ‘brief’ from my collection so I offered to meet her with a selection of pieces so she could see them in the flesh and try them on! So we met with my box of treasures and once Salma laid her eyes on bridal tiaras galore, there was only ever one headpiece for her – the gorgeous Audrey by the very talented Jo Barnes. And here she is in all her sparkling glory:

Audrey was the perfect choice for Salma, especially with her bold Ian Stuart Cabaret wedding dress and stunning jet black hair. Roses were definitely a big feature of this wedding, with masses of rose detail on the dress, white rose bouquets and buttonholes, so the Swarovski crystal rose detail on the Audrey tiara was a great match.

But Salma is no ordinary lady and certainly was no ordinary bride, I love that she went for such a bold and beautiful look and also that she broke from convention and styled her bridesmaids in retro tea dresses! It all added up to a super stylish day and some amazing photos.

Well done Salma and congratulations again to you and Richard!

Kate. xx

All images courtesy of PhilBarber.co.uk. Used with thanks.

If you’re searching for a really unusual, vintage-inspired wedding headpiece, then one of Jo Barnes’ designs could be just what you’re looking for. Her bridal side tiaras and combs are hand-made by Jo herself in her home in the south of England and take influence from the 1920s and 1930s. Here Jo told me a bit more about her business and designs….

1. First of all, could you briefly describe your business and ethos?

Jo Barnes Vintage is my wonderful vintage headdress and accessory business, which I set up after creating my very own bouquet and headdress for our wedding in 2009 with my Nana’s vintage jewellery. All items are hand crafted using the finest materials. It was my mission to create accessories for brides that they will be able to wear again and again and not just on their wedding day. You can choose from an original vintage “one off” piece if you are after something unique or a vintage inspired piece, which-ever you choose you will be sure to sparkle like a Hollywood starlet….

2. Can you describe a typical working day? What do you like / dislike the most?

No day is the same, that’s what I love about it. I get to meet and talk to lovely brides to be and I get to design and create pretty sparkly things, what more can a girl want!!!  I love what I do the only downside is the state of my fingers (nothing a good manicure can’t fix…)

3. Who would be your dream client and why? What do you think they’d choose to wear?

My dream client??? Ummm (I’m really not sure to be honest) It would be really fab to have a famous person wear one of my creations but all my brides are a dream to work with, I can honestly say I haven’t yet had to deal with one bridezilla….

4. What’s the most unusual request you’ve had from a bride-to-be?

No unusual requests so far, I do get brides asking me to copy other designers work, my reply to that “If you want to wear a creation by another designer then go and purchase it from them”

5. What’s your greatest achievement of your career to date?

The greatest achievement for me is just how quickly my business has grown, it really has been incredible and I cannot thank my brides enough and also the lovely Annabel at Lovemydress who helped me get to where I am now…

6. What’s the most memorable thing you’ve seen at a wedding as a guest?

Our good friend married an Italian lady, they had a traditional Italian wedding and I can honestly say I have never seen so much food, it was unbelievable…. My husband and I had what we thought was the main meal and was totally full and that was just the starter, there were 4 more courses after that and then they had a BBQ!!! It was unreal but it was such a beautiful wedding it was like being on a movie set… and in the evening they had a huge pool party, just fabulous…

7. What are the overriding trends we’ll see in your next collection?

1920’s inspired headdresses, with lots of pearls…

8. What advice would you give to a bride-to-be starting her search for a headpiece?

I always tell my brides to “Choose your wedding gown first” this will avoid extra spending when you realise the headdress you bought doesn’t match your gown…  It’s also a good idea to have an idea of how you would like to wear your hair on the day, and this will help decide whether you have a comb or headband and if you have pearls or crystals in your gown try and incorporate these in your headdress as this will compliment the gown.

9. What career path would you have taken if you weren’t a designer?

I always wanted to open my own tea shop, I adore baking, which is what I do when I get a bit of spare time, I love to be in my kitchen with my music blaring out whilst making yummy cakes…I’d like to think that’s what I would have been doing now if I wasn’t a headdress designer…

10. What would you do if you won the Euro Millions?!

Create headdresses with real diamonds….

~~~

Ooh – real diamonds?! I’ll take one of those! If you do choose one of Jo’s gorgeous designs, make sure you check out Rachel Simpson‘s beautiful range of vintage wedding shoes – just perfect for Jo’s Art Deco designs!

Kate x

In amongst all the pre-Christmas rush, you may not have noticed that quite a few new wedding accessories designers have come on board at Queens & Bowl Wedding Accessories. One of these such brands was no-less than the amazingly talented Jo Barnes, with her Jo Barnes Vintage headdress collection.

I’m really excited to have Jo’s work as part of my collection after being a fan for quite some time after seeing her very own wedding on Love My Dress. Married at the Fairmont in Banff, Canada, Jo started on her accessory designing career by creating her very own vintage bridal bouquet from her grandmother’s antique jewellery, plus pearls and cufflinks from other relatives. Already a huge fan of the 1930s era, she started designing and creating bouquets and headpieces for other brides-to-be using genuine vintage pieces.

As well as genuine one-off items, Jo has now branched out into designing vintage-inspired items, based on classic 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s designs. And the good news is that Jo’s bridal headpieces, side tiaras and wedding hair combs they are now available at Queens & Bowl. All of Jo’s are created with the following features:

• The finest materials, including Swarovski crystals and Swarovski crystal pearls
• Light, flexible bands for a comfortable fit and easy re-shaping around your chosen hairstyle
• Silver or gold-plated bases for extra twinkle!
• Some headbands are also covered with satin ribbon in either ivory (for blondes) or brown (for readheads / brunettes) to help the band become invisible against your hair, making the adornment even more of a statement.
• Finally, Jo’s designs come in GORGEOUS packaging

I’m so glad to have Jo on board – please check out her range now for some gorgeous and inspiring pieces!

Kate. xx