The bride’s choice of jewellery, along with other accessories may well reflect the formality of the wedding celebration. Gowns which are strapless or have low necklines are perfect to showcase the wonderful array of today’s beautifully designed jewellery.

Historically considered the wedding gem, pearl jewellery is traditionally presented by the Father of the Bride or the Groom and symbolises love, virtue, spirituality and prosperity. Throughout history, pearls have been at the height of wedding fashion, especially pearl necklaces and the tradition continues to this day. In ancient Rome, pearls were considered the ultimate symbol of wealth and social standing. The Greeks associated the pearl with love, marriage, beauty, and believed the pearl would promote marital harmony.

It is unfortunate that many items of pearl jewellery for the wedding and bridal market sold today and labelled bridal ‘pearls’ are not real pears but ‘faux’ or fake pearls. The word ‘pearl’ on its own is widely accepted nowadays as referring to cultured pearls. Faux pearls should be clearly described as fake pearls.

Today’s modern designs often include faux diamonds (CZ's), rhinestones, swarovski crystal, semi-precious stones and glass beads – it is of course a matter of personal choice and budget. The choice in colour of the pearls is second to none with freshwater pearls now dyed in a hue of shades and of course the designs can be made to measure to match the bridal parties gowns exactly. An ivory gown may therefore be best suited to pearls of a similar cream colour whilst a gown with gold could have a necklace which incorporates champagne or gold coloured pearls.

Necklaces vary in style and length and some classics include:

The Choker - worn close around the neck is traditionally from one to three strands, although many modern designs have up to 60 strands of finely ‘floating’ pearls creating a wonderfully luxurious effect. This style works well with a jewel or bateau neckline.

The Collar - Usually of three or more strands this fits snugly around the middle neck. A traditional Victorian style that is suited to a strapless or plunging neckline.

The Princess - This is perfect for a strapless gown, as the full length falls below the hollow of the neck in front, usually adorning a pendant. The Princess style is suited to most gowns with exception to those with a high neckline.

The Matinee - Longer than the princess, usually falling to the top of the bust line, just above the top of the dress, and looks fabulous with a bateau, jewel or a lower neckline with lace/sheer fabric covering the de colletage area.

The Opera - or lariot as it is popularly referred as now, consists of one or two long single strands which fall below the bust line and gives a classic look when worn with a very high neckline. These strands of pearls are worn loose around the neck, looped around or casually knotted at waist length – usually more suited to everyday wear than bridal gowns.

The back of the necklace should always be taken into consideration. Our back jewels vary between jewels that attach to a necklace or lariats which elaborately drape down your back.

Choosing pearl bridal necklaces for yourself or bridesmaids to complete the perfect finishing touches is as important as choosing the gowns. No matter how beautiful a necklace is, if it's not suited to your gown's neckline, it may never look quite right.

To help you choose your perfect pearl bridal necklaces, why not use Suzy our interactive stylist? Firstly select the neckline of your gown and then have fun experimenting with different pearl bridal necklaces to see which one suits the best!

Girls Love Pearls has an unrivalled choice of pearl necklaces. From floating pearl necklaces for the bride and bridesmaid to classical chokers for a more tradition look to long ropes of pearls which are ideally suited to an informal beach wedding. Our floating pearl bridal necklaces are available with or without Swarovski crystals, and in a choice of colours to match your bridal gown. Classical choker pearl necklaces are available in a range of colours, sizes and shapes of pearls – you may decide on a more informal theme, and require a mix of modern shapes of pearls. Long ropes of pearls are so versatile and can be worn twisted around the wrist as a chunky bracelet or worn as back jewellery - loosely knotted down your back with a low cut dress back.

Bracelets and Watches

Bracelets are suited to being worn with sleeveless, short-sleeved and three-quarter sleeved gowns. A bracelet may also be combined with gloves.

A watch may be worn if it is in keeping with the bridal gown - possibly a family heirloom, or the strap made in pearls in keeping with the rest of the jewellery.

The perfect bridal jewellery bracelet has to be the Romantica pearl heart bracelet - available for the bride, bridesmaid or one for your teeny bridesmaids. This lovely pearl bridal bracelet is made from freshwater pearls and has a silver toggle clasp and a delicate pearl heart charm attached to the silver clasp. There is a necklace from our bridal jewellery collection available to complete the set, and earrings may be made to match upon request. Another of our most wanted pearl bridal bracelets is the Valentino. This fabulous bracelet is made using freshwater pearls and has a silver toggle clasp and a delicate Italian glass heart charm attached to the silver clasp. The Valentino pearl bracelet is featured in bridal magazines as a recommended choice for bridal and bridesmaids jewellery and is available in a range of colours, from gold, silver, ice blue, pink, aqua, blue or black to suit your wedding theme, or keep it simple with a silver heart and beautiful cream pearls. A bracelet is also available for your teeny flower girl - a gift she is sure to be thrilled with and treasure as a memory of her fairy tale day as your flower girl. All of our jewellery is presented in a Thai silk pouch or box, making it a wonderful keepsake gift which can be treasured after your wedding day.

The Girls Love Pearls new limited collection of bridal watches are stunning - incorporating crystals and swarovski pearls on to silver or gold coloured watch faces they are an elegant finishing touch to your wedding day attire. Our brides have requested watches for a while and we are thrilled to be able to offer you our exclusive limited edition collection of bridal watches. The pearls and crystals are threaded onto a stretchy thread, so there is no need to worry about sizes fitting or fiddly clasps. The watches may be tailored according to your individual needs - so the colours may be changed, as may the size. Your watch will be made to order, so please allow around 10-14 days for delivery and prices start from £36.95.

Earrings

When choosing earrings, there are a number of factors you should consider – hairstyle, the shape of your face and other jewellery.

Remember:

• A dangle/chandelier earring helps to widen a narrow face.
• A button/plain pearl stud accentuates a round face.
• Short squared earrings will add interest to a long face.
• If you are not wearing a necklace, or your necklace is plain, you may wish to consider wearing more elaborate earrings.
• Many designs are only available as pierced earrings, and a good supplier will accommodate altering earrings to clips for you.

Whilst traditional pearl studs work well for most brides, it is worthwhile considering the overall design of the gown, face shape and colouring before making your decision! We can suggest designs from our extensive collection which includes tiny pearl and crystal drops to more opulent chandelier earrings.

At Girls Love Pearls we provide the best choice of pearl wedding jewellery, to ensure all our brides sparkle on their wedding day.

Our on-line boutique now offers a fabulous collection of wedding jewellery, including freshwater cultured pearl earrings and faux pearl and diamante mixed earrings. Using an array of colours, our cultured pearl bridal earrings range from natural white, cream, pink, purple, light peach coloured cultured pearls in round, near round, to give the most beautiful combination of colours and styles for your Perfect Wedding jewellery. We can also offer a collection of pearl bridal earrings with the pearls being dyed in colour, and can therefore tone in with the colour of your bridesmaid dresses. The faux and diamante pearl bridal earrings are an exciting addition to our collection and are ideally suited to pearl bridal jewellery or evening jewellery. Many items of the Girls Love Pearls pearl wedding jewellery collection are available in necklace sets, to give the complete look to your perfect day. The Girls Love Pearls branded packaging will also give your wedding day jewellery presents an unforgettable touch and make a lovely keepsake for your bridesmaids presents.

Our most popular choice of faux pearl earrings include the chic bridal earrings collection, with hearts and butterflies incorporated into the designs, and prices start from an amazing £12.95! Our freshwater pearl collection of pearl bridal earrings includes pearl studs priced from only £15, pearl drop earrings priced from £15.50, and are ideal to be worn by both bride and bridesmaid in a wedding ceremony. Our collection includes keepsake wedding jewellery which is also suitable for the mother of the bride to match with her own outfit.

Of course, don't forget that most items area available using our tailor made service, so your necklaces, bracelets and earrings can be altered to suit your needs, and our pearl bridal necklaces and bracelets are all sold with our 7 day returns service.