Custom Styling: Designing Your Perfect Bridal Look

From the time we were little girls and first played dress-up with our friends, we began dreaming of how we would look on our wedding day. Some prefer to go the traditional route, with an all white aesthetic, set off by lace and long veils. Others might elect to make their look eclectic and stylistic, leaning into colors or patterns. There’s also the opportunity to follow the beloved wedding day tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, in your choices.

However you decide to shape your bridal look, it should be a reflection of your personality and dreams for your day. A big part of that is, of course, the dress. But the dress and your role as the centerpiece of the day can be accentuated with certain custom styling choices and accessories. Here are six ideas to help craft your perfect bridal look.

Find Your Shape

Wedding dresses, while beautiful, iconic, and a once-in-a-lifetime kind of dress, can be difficult to match to your body shape. And since the majority of us don’t have the budget for a custom dress made just for us, we have to adjust with alterations—to the dress and ourselves. There is a miracle solution though, known as shapewear. A magical clothing piece that many women are already familiar with, strapless shapewear will help give your body clean lines, smooth surfaces, and even thinner waist-lines with the right option. Find the shapewear that works best with your dress and spend the day unworried about your dress looking rumpled.

Add a Pop of Color

When we think of wedding days, we often think of lily white color palettes with the only deviation possibly some traditional greenery. Your wedding day though is about you. Don’t be afraid to show your personality, and the best way to do that is often through pops of color that reflect you and your taste. This can be achieved through flowers and decorations. It can also be achieved through your bridal look. Perhaps you add a colorful sash at your waistline, or complete your look with a comfortable and colorful pair of shoes.

Color at a wedding doesn’t have to be tawdry either. With the advent of the bohemian look in recent years, you can add color in more subtle and natural ways with hues found in nature. This style has even found its way into the dress itself, with soft shades and embroidered designs in the dress.

Dress Up the Accessories

Regardless of how traditional or modern you elect to be with your wedding dress, you can dress up the look and tie it all together with chic accessories. This can be the iconic wedding veil, done simply or standing as a statement piece. If a veil isn’t your style, pull everything together with a headpiece, such as a headband or shawl. This can also be how you incorporate color into your look.

Match Your Girls

Whether you are having a larger bridal party or going small with just one or two witnesses, you can tie the entire wedding look together by matching with your special attendants. Your dress needs to still be unique to you, but you can achieve this cohesion by having matching or similar accessories. You and your bridesmaids could sport the same belt on the waist of your respective dresses, or put the color of their dresses in your bouquet.

If you have a flower girl as part of your wedding party, choose her accessories with your vision of the day in mind. Depending on the little girl’s age, you don’t want to overpower her. It’s also important to keep in mind she is going to require different needs than your bridesmaids. Keep her warm, give her a token of some sort to remember the day, let her play dress up with hair and her outfit, and then let her feel connected to you, the bride, with a similar headband or hairpiece, or lace overlays that are a call to your own dress.

Don’t Forget the Jewelry

What’s a wedding day without a special piece of jewelry? You can go the simple route, sporting just your engagement ring–and your wedding band by the end of the day. You could add a few pieces while keeping things elegant, such as a small necklace (make sure it works with the neckline of your dress) or a tennis bracelet. If costume jewelry is more your style, then dress up your look with big pieces that make their own statement.

Jewelry is a great way to incorporate your “something new or borrowed” with either a sentimental family heirloom or a new piece that will become an heirloom for the family you are creating. As with every accessory chosen for your special day, make sure it reflects you and the look you’ve always dreamed of for your wedding.

Something Old

The best part of our wedding day is how we are combining two families and making them one. This can be reflected in your bridal look as well with your “something old.” This can be any of the aforementioned accessories, or it can be something smaller, a token known just to you. Did your grandfather have a favorite handkerchief? Use that to wrap around the bottom of your bouquet. If your mom still has her garter, slide that on under your dress. Even if you don’t do the garter toss, it can be a way to carry something of hers on that day. No matter what you choose, as long as it has meaning to you, it will be the perfect final piece to your most special day.