Afternoon lovelies! I hope you’re loving the b.team takeover so far, aren’t they doing a fab job?!  This afternoon I’m so thrilled to share another fabulous new member, Vicky from Victoria Millésime, whose gorgeous pieces you might recognise from previous b.loved features!  Vicky will be looking after all things pretty and sparkly on the blog, as our bridal accessories expert.  I’m sure you’ll all welcome her to the team!

I’m very excited to be taking over this page for the afternoon, as I’m a big fan of b.loved and have recently joined the b.team as the sage of accessories! As the lead designer and owner of Victoria Millésime, a small but luxury bridal accessories boutique offering handmade vintage bridal accessories, I’ve been very lucky over the years to work with hundreds of brides to design their perfect accessories. I love designing pieces that are both very feminine but also make a statement. I use all kinds of materials in my jewellery, but I really love to use antique lace, velvets, vintage millinery flowers and leaves, and marcasite. Marcasite is a gorgeous stone that is perfect for vintage pieces – offering a little bit of sparkle but more demure and subtle than bright rhinestones.

When it comes to your wedding day, there are so many options for accessories you might find yourself a little overwhelmed: should you wear a necklace? Earrings? A tiara? And what exactly is a side tiara?

Here are my picks for the top 5 wedding accessories, and tips for how to wear them.

The Statement Headpiece

Image 1: Hannah Mia Photography Image 2: Shaneen Rosewarne Cox Photography

I love these. One of the few occasions in your life when you can get away with a huge amount of sparkle on your head. Wear this to the side, rather than on the top of your head, and ideally with a low bun. With a simple satin or silk dress you can pretty much have your pick of these, but if your dress is more detailed (think lots of lace, beading) you will need to make that the headpiece coordinates well.

The Cuff

Image 1: Hannah Mia Photography  Image 2: Victoria Millésime

Also one of my favourites, these can be statement pieces, either on their own, or to match a headpiece. They come in various styles – antique lace beaded with pearls and crystals, set with vintage pieces, or adorned with rhinestones all over.

The best part about investing in a bespoke cuff for your wedding day is that, unlike the headpiece, you will be able to wear this again and again on special occasions after the big day.

The Vintage Side Tiara

Image 1: Claire Penn Photography Image 2: Hannah Mia Photography

These have become very popular over the last 5 years and for good reason. More subtle than the traditional tiara, they rework various pieces of antique and vintage jewellery (think marcasite and rhinestone brooches, earrings and necklaces) with freshwater pearls and vintage crystals into a beautiful heirloom headpiece. Typically set on a ribbon-wrapped band to blend into your hair, they are very comfortable and easy to wear and work with most hairstyles.

 The Statement Sash

 Images: Hannah Mia Photography

These have been popular for a while in America but have only recently started appearing across catwalks and shops in the UK, and I love them! A statement sash is a fabulous way of adding a personal touch to your wedding dress (and accentuating that nipped in waist!) and can add colour and sparkle to a simple dress. A general rule for wedding dresses is the more detail, the more expensive. So choose a luxurious but simple silk dress from a top designer and enhance it with your choice of statement sash.

The Vintage Necklace

Image: Victoria Millésime

Another favourite of mine, the vintage necklace reworks antique and vintage jewellery in the same way as the vintage side tiara, but in a piece that you can wear again and again. Consider having a piece of your own family costume jewellery worked into the necklace.

So these are my top 5 picks for wedding accessories – when choosing yours, you can mix and match from all of the above, but not all at once! Great combinations include:

A statement headpiece and cuff Vintage tiara and cuff Vintage necklace and sash

And my top tip for your wedding?

Well, based on my own experience from my wedding (quite a few years ago now!) I always tell everyone: do yourself a favour and hire an on the day coordinator! You don’t want to be stressing on the day about whether everything is set up correctly, or answering questions from the guests about where to be and when, so leave that to a professional so you can just focus on having the best day of your life.

Vicky x

All headpieces by Victoria Millésime