Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Bridal Jewelry on a Budget

There's no doubt about it. Times are tough. But there is no reason why recessionista brides can't have the wedding of their dreams on a budget. Of all the things you will need for your wedding, dress, veil, flowers and shoes, jewelry is the one thing that you can wear again!

One thing that true recessionistas do is to break down the cost of an item in "cost per use". For example, if that fab pair of shoes you've been eyeing cost $100 and you know that you'll wear them at least 50 times then the cost per use is $2.00. Not bad.

So, if you choose jewelry you can wear again your cost per use comes down. It's as simple as that. It's amazing how many opportunities you can find to wear your jewelry again. Sure, you're not likely to wear your tiara to the office but there's no reason why you can't wear your bracelet out to dinner or your earrings to a birthday party.

Here are 6 tips to get the most mileage out of your bridal jewelry.

1. Go neutral.
White, Ivory or Cream pearls and Clear crystals are the easiest to wear again. Clear AB crystals are beautiful but might be a bit too "blingy" for everyday. Moonlight, Golden Shadow and Silver Shade crystals are also easy to wear and quite neutral.

2. Separate your pieces.
Wearing your necklace, bracelet and earrings all together looks fantastic with your wedding dress but may be too much for other occasions. Try wearing your earrings and bracelet together sans necklace, or wear your necklace with a simple pair of hoops or pearls. Don't be afraid to mix your jewelry up with other pieces in your jewelry collection.

3. Bring it on your honeymoon.
Chances are you'll be going out for dinner a lot which is a great opportunity to wear your jewelry again.

4. Choose the right metal.
If most of your jewelry is white gold or silver, choose sterling silver as your metal. If most of your jewelry is gold, gold-filled might be the best choice for you. Don't be afraid to mix your metals though. This is a hot trend in jewelry right now.

5. Try layering
My sister-in-law is excellent at this. She can wear 5 bracelets at once and make it look good. Try wearing your necklace with chains of various lengths or pile on several bracelets together. This is a great way to create a new look with your jewelry.

6. Protect it.
Most importantly, the best way to get the most mileage out of your jewelry is to take care of it. Wearing your jewelry regularly will help prevent tarnish. The oils from your skin will help protect the metal. Tarnish is much easier to prevent than to remove so keep your jewelry in a sealed zipper baggie with an anti-tarnish tab inside when you are not wearing it. Anti-tarnish tabs are specially coated papers that help absorb tarnish producing gasses. The zipper baggies also help keep tarnish at bay and prevent your jewelry from getting scratched in your jewelry box. We include these bags and anti-tarnish tabs with your purchase.

When you break it down to cost per use, your bridal jewelry is really an investment in your jewelry wardrobe. Trends may come and go but classic bridal jewelry can be worn for years to come. What's best though is every time you put your jewelry on you'll be reminded of your special day. And that, as they say is priceless.....

3 comments:

Bridget said...

Wedding day is one of the most important events of our lives. That's why most of us do a lot of preparation for this event. I handled my brother's wedding event last year. Budgeting is very important in order to avoid overspending. I jotted down the things that we need before buying. The highlight of every wedding event is the promise ring. My brother was very worried in choosing a good wedding ring. Luckily, I found one of the good and trustworthy jewelers in Indianapolis. My friend, Tina, referred a jeweler (Indianapolis-based) that gives good deals. Thank goodness that we didn't overspend.

CharmN Jewelry said...

Very good idea of separating the pieces of jewelry to create new looks.The prices going higher by the day most often i see woman settling for very minimalistic and simple yet beautiful jewelry that can be worn often after the wedding also.
Charm Bracelets

CharmN Jewelry said...

These are very useful tips here.Of course how you create the look with the jewelry that you have is the most important.Protecting them and taking care of them is also very useful.Charm Bracelets