Daily Blogs : wedding jewelry

Wedding Jewelry Ideas from a Bride-to-Be

Michelle M. — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:27:00 GMT

On August 2, 2008, my life changed forever. My fiancé Michael got down on one knee, took my hand, and asked me to marry him. The first words out of my mouth (wet with joyful tears) were, “Absolutely, 100 percent, yes!”...(read more)

6-Strand Pearl and Crystal Wedding Bracelet

Editor — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:00:00 GMT

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? No wisdom here on that question, but I can tell you that if you whisper the word "wedding" in an empty room, everyone within 50 miles will hear you--and regale you with wedding stories! When word got around the office that I was going to write about wedding jewelry this week, I heard from many others who had personal wedding jewelry stories to share, including Stringing editor Danielle Fox, who shares some photos and wedding jewelry memories below.

Heather’s Wedding Jewelry
Danielle Fox

I’ve never enjoyed making jewelry more than when I made my sister, Heather’s, wedding jewelry. I knew it had to be special—after all, she had asked me to make her something she would be wearing on the happiest day of her life and forever after in the photographs taken of the day. Talk about pressure!

Far right: Bride Heather with her jewelry-making sister Danielle

In keeping with the simple beauty of Heather’s strapless off-white lace dress, I made a classic one-strand “pearl” necklace with light cream rose Swarovski pearls mixed with clear and silk (my favorite!) Swarovski crystals. To match, I created dangly earrings and a bracelet with more than 60 Swarovski pearl and crystal dangles (but who’s counting?)—an exercise I’d recommend to anyone who wants to perfect their wrapped loops and develop arthritis. All joking aside, my sister loved her jewelry, she looked gorgeous in it, and that, we all know, is what it’s all about.

Is there any other type of jewelry that is made and worn with so much love? I doubt it.

Free Project: Rachael's Wedding Bracelet

Long-time Beading Daily readers might remember Rebecca Campbell's story last fall about creating some special jewelry for her sister's wedding ("A Wedding Story"). After several readers requested the instructions, Rebecca agreed to share the steps for the bracelet she created the morning of the wedding. Talk about giving the bride "something new" to wear!

This monochromatic bracelet uses elegant pearls and crystals. It also features crimp covers, which are a polished way to cover the crimps, making them look like little silver rounds. (For help with crimp covers, see the techniques page on the Beading Daily website.)

At right: The bride Rachael walks down the aisle with her father.

Free Project: Rachael's Wedding Bracelet by Rebecca Campbell

So, what's your story?

If you have wedding jewelry stories or tips to share, please post them on the website. I'd love to know--freshwater pearls or Swarovski--which do you prefer? What other types of beads work for weddings? Have you ever finished up a piece the day of the wedding? I personally have been asked to fix the clasp on a bracelet in between wedding photos. That moment was a weird twist on the cliché, "Is there a doctor in the house?"

Michelle Mach shares free beading projects and tips every Friday. If you have comments or questions for Michelle (or suggestions for future free projects), please post them on the website.

Avoiding Bridezilla: Tips for the Beading Bride

Editor — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Certainly many of you have come in contact with brides. Maybe you were a bride, or maybe you know one. And from what I've sussed, the bridal experience is, well, sometimes worlds away from what a wedding is actually for. I figure there's a fine line between “bridal” and “wedding”: Weddings involve two people, and, well, bridal revolves around one. It's not always a bad thing, but it can get out of control.

Me, for instance, twenty years ago--As soon as that ring hit my finger I hopped aboard the bridal train with abandon, my mom shoveling the coal into the fire. Choo choo--dress! Choo choo--veil! Choo choo--bouquet! Choo choo--banquet hall! Choo chooka choo--Bridezilla! It frightened my now-husband so much he cancelled the wedding. We got married just a few months later, but I think it was wise that he put the brakes on so we could concentrate on the celebration of our marriage, not all the frippery surrounding it. Having that reality check gave me space to look at the big picture and allowed me to have a lot more fun at the wedding—we were actually one of the last to toddle out the door at the end of the party.

Bridezilla Train Conductor and Engineer

It's a nice notion—to breathe easy and avoid that sneaky Bridezilla effect—but the reality is, if you're planning a wedding that involves more than a midnight climb out the window and a visit to the J.O.P., you're going to need to dip your toe in the bridal waters a little bit. As a creative person, you might as well as make the experience meaningful and memorable rather than dizzyingly commercial and impersonal.

I've thrown lots of bridal bead parties in the last few years and learned quite a bit about how a modern bride can enjoy the experience rather than be whomped by it. And certainly, adding your beading talents into the mix is a great way to personalize a wedding.

Recruit moms, aunts, grandmas, sisters, friends, workmates, or anyone you know to assist in making your trousseau. Think about throwing your own bead party with your bridesmaids and have them make their own wedding jewelry in a colorway that matches their dresses. Maybe turn it into a bachelorette party? Warning: Don't bring out the vino until they've finished their projects!
If you're going to bead an heirloom-quality bridal piece like a veil, dress, or piece of jewelry, make up a portable tray with enough beads and supplies for just that one project. Put the tray by the couch so when you have some downtime you can bead. Never put more than one project in the tray, or you might feel overwhelmed. Always have bonbons nearby.
Count on help from your wedding planner, dressmaker, hairstylist, and florist for putting the finishing touches on your beaded projects. You can get the ball rolling, and they can finish it up for you.
Realize that you probably won't get everything crossed off your list--and that's okay! Just prioritize your list of beaded wedding projects and work on them from the top down.

Most importantly, remember that those attending your wedding are more eager to support and celebrate your new marriage than they are to judge the perfection of your accoutrement. Enjoy yourself—it's your (and your spouse's) day!

Jean Campbell writes about beading and life every Wednesday on Beading Daily. If you have comments or questions for Jean, please post them on the website. Thanks!

Wedding Jewelry by Readers: A Gallery of Designs

Editor — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Nothing makes a room full of jewelry designers more excited than hearing news of an upcoming wedding. Want proof? The Beadwork editors and I recently met with Hwa Soo Park of Ezel Jewels, a talented designer who creates her own tiny, delicate findings for her romantic jewelry designs. As we crowded together, chatting and admiring dozens of beautiful earrings, one of the editors blurted out, "Michelle, you should get one of these for your wedding!"

Everyone stopped and turned to me, "Your wedding? You're getting married? When is it?" There was quite a bit of laughter as I finally managed to explain that I didn't need earrings for my own, personal wedding, but to share as inspiration on Beading Daily.

At right: Freshwater pearl earrings by Hwa Soo Park with a close-up of one of the earring findings

Of course, the flip side to the excitement is the stress of creating something absolutely perfect. Not surprisingly, the word "pressure" popped up quite a bit in conversation with folks who designed wedding jewelry. After all, these pieces--the most photographed pieces of jewelry in a woman's lifetime--will be treasured as keepsakes for future generations.

Earlier this year I asked readers to send in photos of wedding jewelry that they had created. I received more than 20 photos from readers, which are all available in the wedding jewelery gallery. Among the submissions, I was surprised to receive two photos of beaded sandals. I never even thought about beaded sandals when I sent out the request for photos, but what could be more perfect for a beach wedding? You all continue to surprise and amaze me!

Here are three of my favorite designs from readers:

	Lynn Davy This lush collar is blooming with Swarovski crystal hearts, freshwater pearls, pressed glass flowers and leaves, and brick-stitched flowers. Absolutely stunning.
	Valerie Poulin Fresh and creative! I love how this simple necklace combines ribbon, beads, and wire.
	Carol Cooling I thought this tiara was very sweet. If you can't wear a tiara on your wedding day, then when can you wear one?

View the wedding gallery to see more inspiring designs from Beading Daily readers!

Flower Girl Barrette Update

Beading Daily reader Kelli Peduzzi of Pure Bliss Jewelry generously shared her tips for attaching beads to barrette using only thread, rather than the Tacky Tape that I used. Kelli wrote, "Over time and use, it is more likely that the metal barrette base itself will weaken before the thread does, if the thread has been firmly and properly secured." Kelli's instructions and tips have been added to the "Peyote Stitch Barrette with Picot Edging" page. Thanks, Kelli!

Coming This Week: On Wednesday, Jean Campell has some advice for avoiding the dreaded "Bridezilla" syndrome and on Friday I'll have a free multistrand bracelet project--the same bracelet that was featured in "A Wedding Story" last fall.

What I'm Working On: I'm creating a gallery of music-inspired designs by readers. If you have a photo to share on Beading Daily, please email me a link to the photo on your blog/website and the specific song that inspired your design. I'll need your information by March 28, 2008. Thanks!

Michelle Mach shares beading news, contests, reader galleries, and other beady stuff every Monday on Beading Daily. If you have comments or questions for Michelle , please post them on the website.

Peyote-Stitch Barrette with Picot Edging

Editor — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Creating the Flower Girl Barrette

Writers are often advised to imagine their ideal reader and write for that person. A recent Beadwork challenge proved to me that this advice could be adapted for jewelry designers as well.

Free Project:
Flower Girl Barrette
by Michelle Mach

For the February/March Beadwork challenge, four of us were given a handful of resin flowers and leaves from Dee's Place. While I was fascinated by these pastel flowers--especially by how easily they fit into one another--I was initially stumped on how to use them. I finally decided to imagine my ideal customer and design something for her. Once I came up with "flower girl at her cousin's wedding," the design came together quickly. (The fact that I don't know any 9-year-old girls and had never been a flower girl myself didn't even seem to slow me down!)

Using peyote-stitch, I created a base with size 8 iridescent white beads. The larger size of bead works up quickly--an important consideration seeing how much work for weddings takes place at the last minute! I chose to use Tacky Tape to adhere the beads to the barrette. You could also attach it with thread. (In my "flower girl" scenario, I was afraid that thread might not be strong enough!)

Adventures in Picot Edging

I knew right away that I would need some kind of edging on the barrette to cover the exposed threads on the sides. It took some experimenting to figure out what worked best. I had the perfect color of Delicas in my stash, but when I used them for the edging, I didn't like the awkward angles they formed. I decided to use beads that were rounded to emphasize the curves of the edging. I also tried size 11s and making larger netted loops for the edging, but that seemed too fussy. (Imagine a scaled-down version of the netting in the Netted Cabochon Necklace by Glenda Payseno.)

Ironically, the beads I ended up using--the tiny plastic pearls--were among the first beads I ever bought. They had been hanging around my stash for years and years. The more experienced I became at beading, the more I hated seeing those beads in my stash. What a waste of money! What was I thinking when I bought those? I resisted trying them for this project--I think they were my third or fourth choice--and yet, when I saw how they formed that first curve, I knew they were the perfect fit for this project. So, lesson learned: every bead has a purpose, even if it takes you years to figure out what that is!

Other Design Ideas

I was surprised when I visited Dee's Place that these flowers also come in white. You could make an all-white bridal version of this project, adding ribbons, tulle, pearls, and crystals. Or skip the flowers and try making a plain beaded barrette. Instead of peyote stitch, try a version using brick stitch or square stitch. The February/March 2008 Beadwork issue features the other projects made with these resin flowers: a simple wireworked ring, a gold chain bracelet with flower and bead dangles, and floral fringed magnets.

Update: Using Thread Instead of Tacky Tape

After this newsletter originally ran, I receive an email from jewelry designer Kelli Peduzzi of Pure Bliss Jewelry, letting me know that she'd successfully used thread to secure beadwork to the base of barettes and "over time and use, it is more likely that the metal barette base itself will weaken before the thread does, if the thread has been firmly and properly secured. At least this has been my experience."

Here are Kelli's instructions and tips:

"Use the thread emerging from the end of the beadwork to stitch that end of the beadwork through the hole at one end of the barrette, making as many passes through hole and up through beadwork as is needed so that the end of the beadwork isn't slipping. Then work your way along the length of the beadwork following the threadpath of each row, passing under the top of the barrette with each row, and snugging the thread tight. Be very careful not to pass under the snap bar of the barrette, or you will stitch your barrette closed! (It may help to open the bar in order to avoid this.) Once you have proceeded along the length of the barrette with these tight loops of thread, stitch through the other hole at the other end like you did the first hole, until good and tight. Trim thread and secure with glue or nail polish. The barrette should be give you years of wear. I think thread is preferable to thin wire as it's less likely to catch in hair and less likely to become brittle and break."

NEW Free Peyote Stitch Pattern eBook: Our first free beadweaving pattern e-book features 5 peyote stitch projects, plus two full pages of step-by-step illustrated instructions on even- and odd-count peyote, and a sheet of peyote stitch graph paper for creating original jewelry designs. Download Peyote Stitch Projects with BeadingDaily: 5 Free Peyote Stitch Patterns

Wedding Jewelry, Anyone? I'm collecting photos of beautiful wedding jewelry by Beading Daily readers to put in an online gallery so we can all be inspired by the creativity on this list! If you have a photo to share, please send me the link to your blog or website by January 28. (If you don't have photos online, but still wish to share photos, email me and I'll let you know where to send them.) Thanks!

Michelle Mach is the editor of Beading Daily. She is enjoying all the wedding jewelry photos that have been sent so far!

A Wedding Story

Editor — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 22:00:00 GMT

Many beaders I know got their start making wedding jewelry. When I heard how Rebecca Campbell created the Filigree Drops (from the book, Create Jewelry: Crystals) for her sister's wedding, I knew I wanted to share her story with you. I hope you enjoy Rebecca's story as much as I did! —Michelle Mach, Beading Daily editor

Bridesmaids Rebecca and Elizabeth
pose with the bride, their sister Rachael. My sister Rachael and I had been emailing jewelry ideas back and forth for months. When I saw the photo of the Filigree Drops, I thought it was very "Rachael" and she agreed! The color of the crystals was gorgeous with the turquoise sash of her wedding gown. I also made Rachael’s necklace and bracelet, my own jewelry, and earrings for my other sister, Elizabeth. But I didn't stop there!

The morning of the wedding, I ended up making several aunts and a friend a pair of earrings. I had gone out the week prior to the wedding to help my sister with the final wedding details. I took all of my beading materials with me, thinking I’d have plenty of time to make Rachael’s jewelry. Of course, with a wedding, there’s always way more to do than you think. When the morning of the wedding arrived, I still hadn’t strung a single bead! At some point, I just had to stop what I was doing and sit down and make the jewelry. I’ve always said I work well under pressure, so I had my game face on!
Rachael and her dad. Anyway, various family members were coming and going, helping with all the last minute preparations, and there I was in the middle of the kitchen feverishly making the bride’s jewelry. I do like pressure, but even I was stressing myself out. This jewelry was to be Rachael's "something new"—and it was her wedding day—so I wanted her to absolutely love it.

I sat there in deep concentration, asking opinions of aunts, uncles, and cousins as they meandered through the kitchen on some sort of wedding-related mission. I tried to ask Rachael which beads she wanted for the bracelet. "I trust you," was her only response. What a great compliment—but what a lot of pressure! In the end, she loved it and had so many compliments on it. And I had several requests for earrings as I sat in the kitchen. Aunts and friends would casually ask, "Hey, my dress is brown. Can you make me something to go with that?" I’d only brought beads in the palette of my sister’s wedding, so everyone ended up with a variation on the bridal jewelry, but it was fun, pressure and all!

Meet the Munroes,
Rachael and Ryan! Nearly everything in the wedding was handmade, not just the jewelry. My mom's sister made the ring bearer’s pillow from my mom’s old handkerchiefs and sewed teal satin ribbon and Swarovski crystals onto Rachael’s veil. Rachael and Aunt Rose created the Birds of Paradise centerpieces, which represented the first flower my dad ever gave my mom.

The wedding took place in my dad’s backyard in Pennsylvania. Rachael and Ryan got married in the gazebo my dad built after our mom passed away. It was a very personal, sentimental ceremony with only 50 people. The pastor who performed my mom’s funeral service performed the wedding ceremony. With my mom and dad's wedding song playing, Rachael came in through the back gate of our yard and walked into the gazebo with my dad. There wasn't a dry eye in the place.

Free eBook
Making Jewelry with Beading Daily
How to Make Earrings: Five Free Jewelry Projects

This free earrings ebook, Making Jewelry with Beading Daily: How to Make Earrings: Five Free Jewelry Projects, includes five earring patterns that use a range of techniques (simple stringing, wirework, simple metalwork, seed bead netting and fringe) and a variety of materials (silver, copper, seed beads, crystals, pearls, gemstones). Both beginners and more experienced jewelry makers will find at least one beaded earring design that will inspire them to catch the handmade earring craze!

Rebecca Campbell is the managing editor for Interweave Press books. Her original beading designs have appeared in Stringing.

Special Occasion and Holiday Jewelry

Editor — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:00:00 GMT

More than 3,200 Beading Daily readers filled us in on beading for special occasions. In response to the question, "What one special occasion or event usually inspires you to design a new piece?", fifty-three percent said, "I design for many special occasions—I can't pick just one!" Surprisingly, the second most popular answer (14%) was "I never design jewelry for special occasions or events." The events that inspired jewelry most often were birthdays, holidays, vacations, and weddings.

Tatted Bridal Set with Beads Here are several very different holiday/special occasion beading projects. The first is a tatted bridal set is from PieceWork magazine. Looking at this beautiful piece, I'm reminded of how nicely beads fit into many different crafts. Adding beads to another craft you enjoy, like quilting or knitting, might be just the creative challenge you're looking for.

The second project is a bead embroidered heart pin that Amanda Berka created in a class taught by Amy Clarke Moore.
Amanda's Heart Pin I liked how Amanda used the traditional colors for Independence Day (red, white, and blue), but not a traditional shape (a heart, rather than a star). The holiday tie-in is there, but it's subtle. This pin has made me rethink my ideas about holiday jewelry!

The last project is the Lacework Tiara Necklace below which was inspired my a designer's memories of working on prom decorations. Even though a piece may have been made with a special occasion in mind, you don't need to limit yourself to only wearing it on special occasions. Our graphic designer Kat created a version of this necklace with unakite, rather than sunstone, and she wears it to work sometimes. Think of it like using the good dishes for a weekday dinner—sometimes it's just fun to celebrate an ordinary day!

Kat's Lacework Tiara Necklace

Original Lacework Tiara Necklace
by Monica Lehn