Editors Share | Accessories that Made our Wedding Attire Complete

It’s our privilege to be invited into your story and vocation. In gratitude, we love to share our stories with you, as well. Today, the team shares about bridal accessories that served as unique ways to personalize their wedding attire.

PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Jizo Zito, Co-Founder and Creative Director

My accessories were fairly simple, mostly due to budget. Since Etsy and the like were not yet in existence, I bought a mantilla off eBay for $30. My earrings and bracelet came from my mother. While the bracelet was new, the earrings were from her wedding day. I also purchased “dressy” sandals on a budget, but then I wore my old ballroom shoes for the wedding reception for my swing-dancing husband. 

Theresa Namenye, Contributing Writer

I am a super minimalistic person when it comes to accessories. I got my wedding dress on ModCloth for $200. I bought some pearl earrings at a thrift store for $5 and I wore a pair of dress sandals that I already had. I wanted my look to represent who I was in real life! I’m not fancy or formal, so comfort and ease were important for me to feel beautiful and truly myself on my wedding day. 

Kat Finney, Contributing Writer

One of my favorite accessories was a “going away outfit,” solely used for the last 10-15 minutes of the reception.  My parents have a stunning picture from their wedding day of them in their “going away outfits,” and it’s one of my favorite pictures of them. I thought it would be fun for my husband and I do our own take on the going away outfit. I got a birdcage veil, a lace cocktail dress, and some pale blue pumps, and we danced out of our reception to the limo in these outfits. It was a fun way to carry on the tradition my parents and their parents started.

Andi Compton, Business Director

I knew I wanted a tiara and cathedral length veil for the ceremony, and when I went in to purchase it I ended up trying on a blusher and loving it. The tiara and blusher have become heirlooms for our family as our daughters use them for their First Communion.

For the ceremony I also wore a crucifix that I still use daily, and has now been touched to relics from all over the globe and is one of my favorite treasures. At the reception, I swapped my tiara for a jewel encrusted comb and my crucifix for a sparkly necklace (which I’ve since lost!). My shoes felt like sparkly Cinderella stilettos and were so comfy I barely wore the accessory I was looking forward to the most: my jeweled jellies! 90’s kids will know what I’m talking about.

Bridget Busacker, Contributing Writer

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to wear for my wedding jewelry or what I wanted to give to my bridesmaids either, but it was quickly figured out by the generosity of one of my bridesmaid’s moms! She had recently been to the Philippines to visit family and she brought back jewelry sets for all the bridesmaids to wear (earrings & necklaces) of beautiful faux pearls.

I was stunned by such a generous gift and it was perfect! It was such a joy to not only gift my bridesmaids jewelry on our small budget, but to have the added sentiment that it came from the thoughtfulness of a wonderful woman in my life.

My aunt and mom also gave me my great grandmother’s pearl necklace to wear, which my grandpa had given her as a gift while he was fighting in the Korean War. I treasured wearing the strand of pearls, thinking about the beautiful women in my life who wore it and the great sentiment it had. The jewelry from our wedding day was such a sweet surprise and it was so wonderful to wear a family heirloom—it felt like having generations of women in my family close to me and praying for me!