Happy Thursday, friends! I’m looking forward to being back at the Howard County Farmers’ Market this afternoon, but before I set up shop there I thought I’d pop in here to show you some photos from another recent wedding that I created jewelry for. Hold on to your hats, kids – it’s time for Lauren and Shane! 

Lauren and Shane are relatively new friends of mine – I met them both earlier this year when my husband and I started going to the same church that they attend. Shane is the youth pastor there and, as it turns out, a childhood friend of my husband’s. They hadn’t seen each other in years!

I got to know Lauren when the two became engaged and she reached out to me about wedding jewelry. She had a good idea of what she wanted and was already a big fan of my jewelry, so coming up with designs was a breeze! Here’s a look at what we came up with:

For Lauren’s bridesmaids I created a set of matching necklaces featuring two strands of ivory glass pearls and an asymmetrical white rose cabochon pendant. The cabochon is mounted on a silver plated filigree setting and connected to a silver finished chain. (Note: using silver finished chain, while not as durable as silver plated or sterling silver, is a great option for brides working on a tight budget!)

The delicate neutral necklaces ended up being the perfect complement to the strapless bridesmaid dresses in sunny yellow with a sweetheart neckline!

I love the way the entire look came together! With a color scheme of yellow and blue, it can be easy to err too far on the side of preppy and inadvertently lose the feminine look that many bridesmaids seek. I think Lauren did an excellent job of keeping the look soft by opting for lighter hues of her signature colors and keeping the dresses flowy with layers of sheer fabric. Well done, girl!

For Lauren’s flower girls, I created bracelets to mirror the bridesmaids’ necklaces, using the same ivory glass pearls and mounted white rose cabochons to make a sweet stretchy bracelet to complete the girls’ wedding day style. I think they look so darling with the bright pink nail polish!

Lauren couldn’t have chosen two cuter little girls to lead the way down the aisle for her. I am dying over those adorable matching dresses and flower baskets!  I can’t handle it.

Many congratulations and so much love to Lauren and Shane from J’Adorn Designs! Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!

Xo, Ali

To see more pictures from Lauren and Shane’s wedding, click on over to the J’Adorn Designs Facebook page and check out the album “Bridal Jewelry + Custom Designs.”

I’m so excited to finally be sharing my recent wedding work here on the blog! Today the spotlight is on Jessica and Kristopher, who were married in November. (I did say it’s been a while, didn’t I?!)

When I met with Jessica over Skype to discuss the style she had in mind for her wedding, it quickly became clear that she had classic, elegant taste for her big day. I decided that creating multi-strand necklaces incorporating her color scheme and a matching bracelet for the bride would be the way to go. Let’s take a closer look:

Jessica told me that her bridesmaids would be in navy blue dresses with accents of ivory and dark grey. With this color palette in mind, I designed a necklace with three separate strands – ivory glass pearls, grey glass pearls, and navy blue glass beads – strung from a delicate silver plated chain.

I think the bold look of the necklaces was a perfect complement to the girls’ strapless neckline!

For Jessica’s matching bracelet, I incorporated these same elements to make a statement piece mimicking the layered look of the necklaces without overpowering the bridal gown and hairpiece. I think we were able to find the perfect balance to complete her look!

One additional touch that Jessica requested was to make the necklace for her sister (who was also her matron of honor) extra special by adding a floral accent as an embellishment. I chose a gunmetal rose piece with inlaid rhinestones to give her sister’s piece that extra wow factor.

I loved the idea of giving her sister something special to make her stand out in her place of honor among the bridesmaids. Here’s a closer look at the final piece:

My favorite part of this piece is how the different tones of metals and greys complement one another. Ordinarily mixing metals is risky business, but the darker hue of the grey glass pearls acts as the perfect transition point between the shiny lighter silver of the chain and the darker tone of the gunmetal embellishment.

Many (belated) congratulations to Jessica and Kristopher! Thank you for letting me contribute to your special day!

Xo, Ali

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about my wedding work, but I have been so busy with bridal designs this season! I’m finally getting a chance to catch up on sharing these events, and I’m so excited to start off the post-a-thon with these photos from Abby and Josh’s wedding!

Abby is a friend of mine from college days; we met in the fall of 2005 when we both moved onto campus as freshman and found ourselves living on the same dormitory floor. After college she decided to volunteer with AmeriCorps, which is where she met Josh – first her best friend, and later her love. The two were married in Carmel, California, and though I was sad not to be able to attend the ceremony, I was so proud to contribute to their special day by designing custom jewelry for Abby and her bridesmaids.

The necklace I designed for Abby is made in a lariat style, featuring a handmade chain of white glass pearls and faceted clear glass crystal beads in various shapes and sizes. From the chain hangs a faceted glass teardrop with a halo of small white glass pearls (slightly jumbled in the photograph). I designed her earrings to match, using the same elements of clear faceted glass beads and white glass pearls.

Abby’s custom jewelry draws from the colors and embellishments of her wedding dress. I especially like how the lariat style necklace complements the sweetheart necklace of Abby’s gown. Stunning!

For the Abby’s bridesmaids, who wore short dresses with royal blue lace overlay, I created complementary earrings and necklaces featuring luminous glass beads in sapphire, dark grey, and clear. The bright yellow accents in the bridesmaids’ bouquets completed the look!

Here’s a closer look at both pieces. As you can see, the earrings consist of a pear-shaped set glass stone with three drops of sapphire blue rondeles and dark grey teardrops. The bracelets feature the same elements in different shapes, all strung together on a durable stretch cord.

Congratulations to the beautiful Abby and her new husband Josh. May your new marriage be every bit as beautiful as your wedding day!

Xo, Ali