Miss Cupcake, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 27, Graphic Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Construction Project Manager
Engagement Date: February 10, 2007
Wedding Date: September, 2008
Blogging Since: December 7, 2007
Venue: The Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PA
About Me: Mr. Cupcake and I hit it off at a Halloween party and immediately began a long-distance relationship. After two years, he moved to my neck of the woods, and a year and a half after that, he proposed at the “place we fell in love.” I am a true perfectionist who enjoys designing and creating more work for myself, so wedding planning is my perfect outlet. Mr. Cupcake and I are both old souls, and we hope to weave that aspect of our personalities into our wedding day.
Accessories For Dummies
February 21st, 2008 @ 10:29 am by Miss Cupcake
Confession: I am a terrible accessorizer. I wear the same few pairs of earrings and two or three necklaces in a constant rotation, because they’re safe and I *think* they don’t look stupid together, but I usually don’t have a clue. I usually feel silly wearing bracelets. I can spot great jewelry on anyone, but when it comes to putting it on myself, I never know how much is enough or too much, or what looks best with what, or if earrings and necklaces should match each other. As an artist, you’d think I’d get into it, but this is one blank canvas I can never quite figure out.
Wedding jewelry is no exception. (Mr. Cupcake, this is where you stop reading). My dress is v-neck, so I’m assuming that unless I want to wear a choker-type of necklace (which I am pretty sure I don’t), I should go sans necklace. But then the earrings…. should I make up for the lack of necklace with dramatic earrings? Or keep it simple?
Another point of contention is that my dress has a lot of beading, but no crystals. When I tried on veils and shoes with crystals, they just didn’t go with the overall look. For jewelry, I’m sure I’ll have to stick with beads and pearls, which seem to be a lot less popular right now (which means they’ll be harder to find). I’m not even sure where to begin looking for inexpensive but well-made jewelry.
Eek. Me confused 
30 Responses to “Accessories For Dummies”
you should try wearing a really simple thin (like almost invisible thin) chain in white gold or silver with a small pendant (it can be a swaroski crystal or de beers has some pretty ones with initials and a small diamond)..but not too long ..it will fall like a v and emphasize your V neck!
http://www.bridaljewelryblog.com/home/what_jewelry_should_i_wear/index.html
This is a link to an article specifically about jewelry for V-necked wedding dresses. I hope it helps you.
I agree with NH about the small pendant on a thin chain. If you wanted to keep everything simple and streamlined you could get a set that has a simple pearl pendant and matching earrings, like these:
http://weddingshop.theknot.com/weddingwarehouse/ProductPage.aspx?scId=OnSaleKWS(KnotShop)&pId=P611(KnotShop)&cId=&cTypF=OS
http://www.bluenile.com/Pearl-Pendants-Solitaire?filter_id=0
A small diamond circle pendant is also a classic jewelry look, though I don’t know if it would work with your dress.
I think that diamond stud earrings and a bracelet would look pretty. The dress is beautiful (and looks more beautiful on you), and it doesn’t need a lot of accessories to complete “the look”.
you don’t have to go for no necklace, something really delicate like this would look lovely, especially with matching simple earrings.
https://www.debramackjewelry.com/mall/rosanecklace.htm
I would definitely avoid a choker, they look best with strapless.
Or you could wear no necklace and more fancy earrings. I wouldn’t bother with a bracelet as your dress is so detailed. If you do wear a bracelet though be careful of anything that would catch on the lace and rip it!
I think since the dress is so beautifully beaded, you don’t want to compete with it. A pretty pair of pearl drops/diamond studs and a pearl bracelet and you are good to go.
I had a V-Neck style dress and had a beautiful custom swarovski pearl necklace made by BijouStudio http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5091520 at etsy
It wasn’t very expensive, and it turned out amazing!!! The necklace had a plunging neckline which really acentuated the deep V of the dress
p.s. I had never heard of pearls before consulting with BijouStudio
I’m not the greatest at pairing jewelry either, but I can advise a great place to look for pearls/beads. Etsy! They have a wedding section, though most of what I’ve found hasn’t been there. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a beautiful drop pearl earring. . . or 10 
If you’re looking for a less traditional drop earring Anthropology has some beautiful pieces. Good luck!
Correction: I had never heard of swarovski pearls before consulting with BijouStudio
Ohhh you look lovely!! I had the same V neck style dress and opted for simple dangly earrings (w/a pearl) and a pearl bracelet. My second choice would be (as others suggested) a simple pendant necklace with stud earrings.
Don’t worry, you are not alone! I am also accessory-challenged in my every day life. I also only have a very few number of earrings and necklaces that I rotate. I always envy women who accessorize with chunky or unique jewelry and make it look EASY. Unfortunately I have metal allergies so I can only wear certain types of jewelry, which makes shopping harder. =/
Cupcake, here is a necklace I was looking at getting for the wedding.
<a href=”http://www.goldcoastwebdesigns.com/change-hyperlink-color.shtml”>hyperlink color
It has a super fine chain, as NH recommended, but a fun dramatic pearl. It also comes in gold, and is less $$.
I’m something of an accessories whore. I generally change my necklaces up every day, but wear the same earrings (my grandmother’s pearl studs) almost all the time.
If it were me, I wold likely go for a simple, single strand pearl necklace. You wouldn’t want anything too long, preferably something that sits right at the base of your neck (probably a 14″ strand). I always think pearls looks gorgeous and timeless on brides and they’re what I plan to wear.
The idea with a v-neck like that is to wear something simple that complements the lines of the dress without detracting from its beautiful details.
Good luck!
I had a v-neck dress and just wore chandelier earrings and pearl bracelets. I got my earrings from creme-de-luxe.com Jen makes custom jewelry for brides and bridesmaids and has a pretty big following on the knot. It was affordable and she made me exactly what I wanted. I looked everywhere for jewelry and could never find exactly what I wanted until this site.
Just to point out, there is a lovely Y-necklace on the mannequin behind you which is wearing a v-necked dress.
I have a halter dress, so no necklace for me, but I bought a really stunning CZ set of earrings and bracelet on overstock.com
Look for jewelry on Etsy, of course! I bought a bracelet from seller Nanda.
My photographer warned me against wearing a pendant on a chain because the chain won’t be visible in photos, making the pendant look like a blob on my skin. If you’re going to try a chain pendant you might want to take some photos first and see how well the chain shows up. You don’t want to look like you have the pox!
First, let me just say that you are so adorable and your skin is fantastic, so jewelry is not needed. However, in looking at your photo, I noticed a dress in background (off to the left with the grey-ish green-ish sash) is about the same neckline as yours. The necklace looks very simple, but would show up in your photos. It would look great on you.
Have you considered making your jewelry your “something blue”? I wore a simple chain with a light blue sapphire and matching simple dangly sapphire earrings. That sort of thing might work with your lovely dress.
Your dress looks fantastic! I love it. Maybe you don’t even need jewerly? I think the dress may speak for itself. I’ve designed a few necklaces here and there for brides if you want to check out, my whole point is to try and make it affordable! I myself just bought my shoes at Target, awww yeah. http://carolinegrace.etsy.com
I actually have the same gown as you. I plan to wear a single strand of pearls (I LOVE my pearls), but I’m still waiting for my dress to come in, so I haven’t had a chance to see if my plan will work. Since the straps sit on your shoulders (rather than closer to your neck), I think a round necklace will work with that particular neckline.
I was going to say the same thing as Brandi. The necklace in your photo looks perfect to wear.
You can definatly wear a longer necklace with a v-neck. The necklace should be a simple pendant (a lcoket would work) on a chain or it should reflect the shape of the v-neck, such as a “Y” shaped necklace or a rigid necklace with a deep “V” shaped design.
If you vetoe the necklace go for an elegant but slightly chunkier bracelet. Your grandmother’s pearl necklace wrapped multiple times around your wrist would be great and it’s your something old or borrowed!
I really like the affordable wedding jewelry at Anna Bellagio.
I am wearing chandelier earrings. This shocked my groom (I’m bad about secrets) as I’ve worn the exact same diamond studs for the past 4.5 years we’ve been together. Glad to hear someone else is accessories challenged
hi there,
i actually have my own jewelry company, which i work with brides to customize not only their jewelry, but their bridesmaids as well. the only unfortunate thing is that my website is in the process of being built!
if you would like to check out my most recent jewelry via my wedding blog you can do that at:
you can find it there, or feel free to contact me directly and I’d be happy to consult with you via email, phone, or whatever you prefer!
i work within all budgets, and use sterling silver and gold findings along with semi precious stones & pearls (which would work well with you dress), i also use swarovski crystal too.
i’d be happy to help you out with your jewels, and can customize to whatever you would like!
Blair
Oh your dress is so. BEAUTIFUL. I think you can definitely wear a necklace– if you want to go the minimal route, I think a delicate sort of necklace that has one main focal piece would work really well (something that hits around an inch below your collarbone). Although because of the lovely intricate stuff on your dress, you can def go with out a necklace and do the large earring thing. It doesn’t even have to be chandelier– it can be just something long and dangly. Good luck!!
This fabulous lady creates beautiful beads and would make you something unique. The site is in German, but she is from Australia so you could email in English.
click on Unicum
I know what you mean about having a hard choosing the right pieces! I found this article to be helpful for special events. http://www.abazias.com/diamondblog/?p=1051
Good luck with your special day!
[…] I then headed over to the jewelry department at Macy’s. I mentioned in a previous post that I am accessorizingly challenged (yes, I made that word up). SIL Cupcake has a great sense of style and always has great jewelry, so […]
