Unique Handmade Wedding Jewellery

Like most every girl, I had a dream of getting married one day! I watched many of my friends get married years before I did, so I had plenty of time to develop ideas of what I wanted and didn’t want for my perfect day! I loved our wedding! It was a wonderful day with our friends and family celebrating with us. It was a beautiful day too! I still remember all the little details that made it beautiful, and it was just what I wanted! The best part was that I did it on a budget. Not because I had to, but because that’s just who I am! My wedding was simple but very elegant! And I included a lot of handmade elements in my wedding to give it unique elegance!

You can add unique elegance to your wedding when you hire artisan's who specialize in making beautiful things for weddings! When looking for someone to custom make items for your big day, there are a few things to help you with your process:

Give yourself LOTS of time. Delays and hiccups can happen - I know this from personal experience! My florist went into the hospital a week before my wedding! I was a crying mess in a flower wholesale shop trying to pick flowers to deliver to another florist. Everything else was already taken care of, so I had the time to run around taking care of this hiccup.  These hiccups can't be planned, but they can be planned for - if you give yourself time! As an artisan I like to get my orders to brides at least a month before her wedding. Depending on the size of the order, it could take some time to complete, when ordering handmade items for favors or custom designed jewellery. If there are any delays in the process, it will be less stressful on you to start early.

Clearly communicate the specifics in all initial correspondence. Include, color, size & theme preferences and pictures if you have them. Don't forget to give your wedding date. This helps the creator get a clear picture of what you are looking for. Let me emphasize don't forget the date! If you want something that takes 3 weeks to create, but your wedding is in 3 weeks, that doesn't leave any time for shipping, and then you may have wasted days of your time in correspondence with an artisan only to find out, that they cannot deliver what you are wanting.

Along the lines of specifics, if you are on a budget, find someone who is willing and able to work within your budget. Make sure you are up front with what you would like to spend.
 

If jewellery is what you are after, here are some tips when it comes to selecting jewellery for your bridesmaids.

 

Dress Style – Before deciding what type of jewellery you will be buying, think about how it will look paired together with your dress style. A choker style or 'Y' style necklace would look beautiful with any simple neckline. A bracelet or a very simple string of pearls could be considered for dresses with more detail around the neckline.

Swarovski Crystal bracelet custom made to compliment Tilly's Beautiful dress.

Dress Colour – Sometimes it’s nice to have accessories that match in colour, but it’s not always necessary, especially when considering how often the accessory will be worn after your big day. Neutral is a better alternative. Consider plain silver, crystal (clear), black or pearl to coordinate with dress colours.

Size does matter – The average neck size is 16” (choker style) and the average bracelet size is 7”. If you are buying jewellery for your bridesmaids and you are not sure if about sizing, ask them to measure their neck around the collar bone, or their wrist with a piece of string. Many of Wire Expressions necklaces and bracelets are adjustable in length and will fit a range of sizes. Of course, any piece can be made to fit any length as well!

Bridesmaid’s personal style – If jewellery is a gift to your bridesmaids, you’ll want them to wear it after the wedding. Be aware of their personal style. It is okay for your bridesmaids to be wearing different styles of accessories, if they all generally complement each other. Also, keep in mind any girls that do not have their ears pierced!

Bridesmaid gift vs. bridesmaid purchase – Jewellery is always a nice token of thanks to give your bridesmaids. But, if you already have a gift, and you’re asking your bridesmaid to purchase a certain accessory, do keep in mind their budget and how much they are putting up to be a part of your special day (because they love you!). Wire Expressions can accommodate almost any budget!

Allergies to nickel - Nickel allergies are quite common, especially in the ears. A bridesmaid with a flaming red earlobe, because she’s allergic to the earrings you so carefully picked out, would not make for a very nice photo memory! Unless otherwise requested, Wire Expressions uses all sterling silver wire and findings – there is NO nickel in the sterling silver that Wire Expressions uses, making it a great choice for gifts!

Swarovski Wire Wrapped Studs

Now, I understand some brides spend a small fortune getting their day perfect, so I would be silly if I did not desire to get Wire Expressions involved in the wedding scene. And it’s only natural that I would lean that way as Wire Expressions was a part of my wedding even before it was a business! I made my own wedding invitations with wire hearts on each one. My bridesmaids also received jewellery I made as part of their gift.


So, if you hired me to be a part of your wedding, what can you expect? First off, you will get something unique. Whether it’s designed just for you or something I already make, it won’t be something that people can go to the store and just buy! You will get a unique memento for your day.
 

Secondly, I will work within your budget! I design and hand make everything I sell, so I can customize or design something to stay within your budget. Before I start making anything, I will go over what you want, what my fees and prices are, so that everything will be up front and open, and then you can decide if it works or if we need to trim it down a bit.

The ideas are endless! Wedding favors, bridal jewellery, mother of the bride jewellery, bridesmaid jewellery, wedding favors, place card holders, wedding invitations, cake toppers... There are so many ideas!

 

For any other tips or suggestions please email or call Wire Expressions, and I'd be happy to help you choose the right thing for your wedding!

These favors were made for Anna's wedding.

Starting Point - How My Brain is Wired to Design

Where do I start with this? I've never had a blog before, so this is all new to me! I suppose I just need to write something down, and go from there! I am a wire work artisan. I make things out of wire that have some sort of creative or artistic form. So let me give you some insight into my design process, since that is where everything starts!
 
My brain is wired to see things a certain way and that is reflected in my art. (yes, pun intended!) One of a kind pieces where the wire goes this way and that way, are beautiful to me, but when I sit down to do that...I just can't make it look beautiful. Or if I can, I've probably used practice wire and it's therefore not suitable to be worn or sold anyways. My brain just doesn't work that way! I need to plan things out. I'm afraid to screw up a nice piece of sterling silver wire, so I plan it. I get an idea, I sketch, I play around with cheap wire, until I get something that to me looks beautiful. Then I re-create it! This is why I rarely do one of a kind pieces!
 
Here's an example of a recent piece I made. I had an idea, I grabbed some wire and just went to it! The first run at it turned out perfectly! Unfortunately for me...I don't own anything that I can wear this red prototype with.

 

 

Here's a look at some of my tools used to make this project...wire cutters, various pliers, files, a hammer and a bench block, and of course wire! What you don't see is the pen and paper. I (try to remember) to write down all my measurements as I create. Then I know if a piece of wire needs to be longer or shorter. I also know how much to cut for the final product and I know how much wire was used, so I can figure out my prices.

 

Here's the finished product with a couple minor alterations to the beads!

 

 

 

I hung this pendant on an organza ribbon. The piece itself is so beautiful, that it needed something that would compliment the piece without detracting from it. And it needed to be pretty so a bride could wear it. Do you know how hard it is to find 1/2" white organza in a store? 3/8" was too thin. The pendant would slip around. But anything larger than 1/2" was just too thick, and took away from the piece. I didn't think it would be that hard either, I ended up having to order it online.

 

I give most pieces a name. Usually the name has to do with how the piece looks. This one is called 'Lovely Locks'. My daughter has the most beautiful curly hair you've ever seen, and this reminds me of her hair!

 

The hard part comes after the piece is designed...parting with it! Taking photo's and putting it up for sale is really hard! I will be jumping for joy though when someone buys it, because I know they will love it as much as I do! Then, I will make another one...because I put too much work into it, not to!

 

So, if you are reading this, and want to buy this item...It is posted here in my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/184007085/lovely-locks-wedding-pendant-sterling?ref=shop_home_active_6

 

Or you can just send me a note, and I will make it for you!

 

 

© All content on this blog including designs, photo’s, article copy and descriptions are copyright Wire Expressions™. Please Do Not Copy designs, use photo's, article copy or product descriptions without express written consent of the Designer & Owner. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Thank you for honoring the work I put into making a unique product.