Bridal chic: Go yellow, go bold, and embrace “organized chaos”

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Brides looking to warmer hues for wedding color palettes

BY ERIN ADLER

In a business built on heirlooms and tradition, trends can be hard to identify and slow to emerge. Even the most traditional brides tend to pursue new and emerging fashions while paying homage to tradition.

This tendency is most evident in the bride’s engagement ring selection. “You can chase trends, but most brides stick with something simple and classic,” says registered jeweler Bryan Moeller. He cites the popularity of the halo setting, a large round diamond encircled with smaller diamonds, as a classic look. About 80 percent of bridal wedding rings his Minneapolis location sells feature “traditional, round brilliant” diamonds, he says, though the cushion cut is making strides.

Moeller notes that the desire for larger and larger diamonds in women’s engagement ring settings is one that began years ago in Europe and shows no signs of abating.

The desire for bigger jewelry may also extend to women’s necklaces. In contrast to playing it safe with their rings, however, brides increasingly want bold and chunky necklaces, says Moeller. And layering multiple necklaces is a way to couple boldness with elegance.

“Jewelry is getting bigger and chunkier and people love it,” says Christina Herrmann, manager of L’Atelier Couture Bridal Boutique in Minneapolis. She notes the connections between the dramatic style of her best-selling designer, Vera Wang, and bridal jewelry trends. “Wang’s dresses are known for being incredibly well-made, but have a look of organized chaos,” she said. Not surprisingly, many necklaces brides choose follow the same route.

Floral arrangements are one way to inject color into a wedding. Even a bride’s flowers might wear jewelry— and a bouquet jewelry trend is going strong, according to Lacie Swartzendruber of Pearls and Lace Floral in Minneapolis.

Diamonds, pearls and broochlike pieces mounted on stems might be inserted into a bouquet of flowers for a mixed-media look. Diamond letters can be used to create a monogram that peeks out of peonies. A whimsical animal brooch, perhaps a bejeweled frog or ladybug, might sparkle in a cluster of dahlias.

Swartzendruber is thrilled to see the way the general color palette for weddings has shifted recently.

“The palette is softer, with more yellows in it; you even see a vintage-y mustard or gold color,” she said.

Moeller, who said 95% of wedding rings he sells are in silver metals like white gold or platinum, agrees that change is on the horizon, and predicts that the horizon is painted in warm colors, with tones of yellow gold.

 

-October 2012