Custom Jewelry, J'Adorn Brides

Custom Wedding Jewelry: Kelly + Chris

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As you may remember from an earlier post,  my bestie got married this summer. I needn’t wax poetic once again about how beautiful and perfect the day turned out to be (it was seriously AMAZING, you guys), but I will tell you a little bit about the custom jewelry I made for her and show you some pretty pictures to sweeten the deal. 🙂

If you know my girl Kelly, you know that she loves pearls. It came as no surprise to me that she would want to include pearls as a staple element of her bridal jewelry, and I had so much fun designing a set to go with the delicate, feminine look she had imagined for her bridesmaids.

Pale peach, pink, and seamist were the colors of the day. I decided to use white pearls as a starting point for the bridesmaids’ necklace, then added a peachy-pink floral cabochon to the design to bring in a little color and texture. Since the matron of honor’s dress was unique from the bridesmaids’, I used mint-colored mother of pearl beads to tie in the full color palette to her look.

 

Kelly wanted the coordinated earrings to be simple and elegant, so I suggested a small drop earring with white and pink freshwater pearls. All of the bridesmaids wore this same earring design, which did a nice job of tying together the collective look.

Photo by me 🙂

 

Kelly and Chris’s wedding day was one of elegance, joy, and beauty. I’m happy to have had the chance to contribute to that beauty, and to have stood beside my dear friends on the day they committed their lives to one another.

 

Xo, Ali

 

{Many thanks to Lauren Fair for sharing her beautiful photos with me, and for taking the close-ups of my jewelry! All photos in this post are from Lauren Fair Photography, unless otherwise noted.}

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Custom Jewelry, J'Adorn Brides

Custom Wedding Jewelry: Mallory + Jake

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I had the pleasure of creating custom wedding jewelry for a number of beautiful couples and their bridal parties this past summer. It’s a side of my business that I really love, and I hope to develop it further as J’Adorn grows.

Mallory and Jake’s wedding in late July was a beautiful affair, and I was especially happy to contribute because Mallory has been a close friend of mine for nearly a decade. Mallory and Jake are electric together, and that quality flows from their deep love for one another and their shared passion for life & adventure. I loved collaborating with Mal to create an elegant, classic set of bracelets for her and her bridesmaids for their vintage travel themed wedding.

 

For Mallory’s bridesmaids, I created stretch bracelets with grey and ivory glass pearls. The grey pearls were slightly smaller than the ivory pearls to give the piece some visual interest within the simple design. These bracelets were all identically matching, with the exception of size (obviously those adorable junior bridesmaids had tinier wrists than the rest of the girls!)

 

Mallory’s bracelet was designed to match the bridesmaids’ without being completely identical. I used ivory glass pearls for her stretch bracelet and added some round sapphire crystals to coordinate with the navy blue bridesmaids’ dresses – and to serve as her “something blue!” I finished the piece with a silver “E” charm to symbolize her new last name.

The bracelet ended up matching the rest of Mal’s bridal jewelry perfectly, which was wonderful given the fact that I didn’t actually see any of it until the day of the wedding!

I loved the glamorous, classy style that Mallory chose for her wedding day and am honored to have had the opportunity to contribute.

Congratulations to Mal and Jake! May this beautiful day be only the beginning of your adventures together!

Xo,

Ali

[All photos in this post are by Pill Photography.]

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Designer's Diary

Girls’ Night Out: Beading Class Edition!

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Yesterday I made the journey up to the town where my parents live to spend the day with my Momma.

I always love going back to the house where I grew up. I get to do laundry for free, I get fed awesome food, and everything is familiar. Also, I get to see some of my favorite people… human and non-human!

My doggie Ringo (a.k.a. Wink-O, a.k.a. Captain Destructo, a.k.a. my faithful steed)

 

I had a special reason for this trip up north, though. My mom and I had a date to take a beading class together at one of my favorite shops – The Potomac Bead Company. This place is like a beader’s dream world. If they would let me set up a tent in the corner and live there for a week, I’d do it in a heartbeat. (Do you hear me Potomac Beads?? I’m just waiting for your OK!)

 

Ahh, the colors!

OK, getting back on track…

My mom gifted me with a Living Social coupon to a class of my choice at this wondrous place for us to do together, so I chose one where I could learn how to make a different type of jewelry that I’ve been wanting to offer in my shop  for quite some time: Wire rings!

 

We learned how to make a few different styles of rings at this workshop (although only one is pictured in the above photos). It was so much fun learning a new skill and spending some much needed quality time with my Momma. I hope we can do another class together sometime soon!

Me & my Momma, all smiles after a fun night of beading together (Yes, I know I look just like her!)

I’m still refining my technique, so I’m not ready to put any rings up in the shop just yet. I’m really excited to keep working at it and have some new designs to offer you all before too long. 🙂

Is there a new skill that you’ve learned recently that you’re proud of? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Xo, Ali

 

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