Wedding jewelry

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What with the myriad details required, planning a wedding can be overwhelming and more than a little stressful. Music, favors, seating arrangements, food, attendants’ gifts…it’s enough to make a frazzled girl elope. Luckily, bridal jewelry is easy to choose if you let your personal style—and the feel of the season—shine through. Follow this handy guide for picking the right bridal jewelry to go with the time of year in which you plan to wed and you can’t go wrong.

• Winter: Planning a winter wedding? Cozy indoor winter weddings are characterized by elegance and sophistication—think a softly lit, warm, festive party with the crisp, black night air as a backdrop. Classic pearls and diamonds are your best bet here. They’ll beautifully complement the heavier drapes and fabrics of a winter bridal gown, and look just gorgeous in the glittering night. Think pearl drop earrings, diamond and pearl pendants, or a multi-strand pearl or CZ-encrusted cuff bracelet. A popular trend right now, according to Brides magazine, is to add contrast to your wedding-day white with a black belt, clutch or hair accessory. “These cool opposites combine for graphic glamour.” This cosmopolitan look is perfect for winter. A long sophisticated black pearl necklace would look especially sharp against a black-sashed gown.

• Spring: A spring wedding is the perfect opportunity to lighten up your look. The choice here? Light green gemstones like aventurine or prehnite (think the color of new shoots of grass) or freshwater cultured pearls, which come in a wide range of pastel colors that are luminously beautiful and very affordable—and perfect for a spring wedding. Lavender pearls, pink pearls, and today’s hottest color—orange pearls—are all easy to find on the Internet. Bonus: These shades are so luminously flattering (not over the top color-saturated) that they’ll make your skin glow and your features pop. If you choose something green, choose one bold piece so as not to overwhelm your dress, like an aventurine cuff bracelet or a prehnite-and-pearls necklace. For a uniform look, choose jewelry for your attendants in a matching hue and consider a matching sash. If you’re wearing a lavender pearl strand, for example, have your bridesmaids wear lavender pearl pendants or lavender pearl bracelets and perhaps a dress with a lavender sash. Or try an elegant lavender clutch.

• Summer: Summer weddings just radiate a laid-back beach vibe. (Think Drew Barrymore with flowers in her hair, boho Kate Hudson or a barefoot Julia Roberts.) If you’re getting married in July, August or September, it’s all about the sandy beaches, outdoor dance floors, and coral, mother-of-pearl, pearl and jade jewelry. If your dress is sophisticated or ornate, stick to classic pearl jewelry, but if you’re a little more laid-back, mother-of-pearl, coral and even wooden accessories, depending on the setting, can look great. Superstitious? According to WeddingChannel.com, jade symbolizes good luck, health and prosperity in many Asian cultures, but don’t buy jade jewelry for yourself—tradition dictates that it must be given to you. Timeless picks: go for a jade ring or jade necklace.

• Fall: Why opt for all classic white? While diamond and pearl jewelry is always in style for brides, today it’s acceptable to incorporate blazing reds, oranges and browns. In fact, orange is all the rage right now. To incorporate a blast of color into your wedding day jewelry, choose a pearl choker with a stunning ruby centerpiece, a pearl necklace or pearl earrings made with rich brown pearls, or earrings or a bracelet made of citrine. You’ll stand out and feel beautiful, and best of all, you’ll be able to enjoy your jewelry long after the big day is over.

Tips for buying bridal jewelry on the Internet:

• Consider the source. Who owns the site? A prominent toll-free or other contact number plus the site’s address should be clearly visible.

• Is the site secure? Only shop at sites that have a Verisign or other safe shopping seal. Check the FAQ page or the bottom of the home page for a SiteSafe™ or other logo—usually a lock—or call customer service.

• Will your information be sold to a third party? Check the site’s privacy policy.

• Check returns. A generous, 90-day money-back guarantee allows ample time for you to change your mind without remorse.