Choosing The Right Tiara

When I set the date to get married 18 months ago I considered myself extremely lucky to be in such
a fantastic position? I had just joined Annie Laurie Head-dresses and with as many as 10 top designers
alongside me to offer help and advice, I assumed that choosing the centre piece of my outfit would be
a breeze???

Every girl wants the fairytale wedding and no princess is complete without her crown. However, as I soon
learned, no one princess is the same and not all head pieces will suit every princess. Regardless of what the
latest ‘It’ girl is wearing, what bridal magazines tell you, what’s hot and what not; its important to remember
that choosing your bridal accessories is all about you, your dress, your surroundings…….your fairytale.

Choosing your wedding outfit is a journey which we would recommend you set out on at least 12 months
before your wedding day. Once you have found your dream dress, you can begin your search for accessories
to complete your outfit.

The most valuable piece of advice we could give to any bride is listen to your heart. Don’t be swayed by
others hopes and desires. This is your day and if you want to wear the crown jewels, then that’s what
you must do. Plus, you don’t need an hour long consultation with someone else deciding what head-piece
suits you best. All you need is time and variety allowing you to try on as many tiara’s, head bands,hair combs
and many more accessories as possible from a number of different bridal studios, shops and internet based
companies. We would also advise an open mind because the head-piece you desperately hate may be the
one that flatters yourself and your outfit the most. Your journey ends when you make your purchase so be
sure to go down every avenue before you make your final choice.

Today’s bride can choose from an in expensive crown from a high street accessory shop or a bespoke
head-dress designed to order. The bridal market is brimming with ideas from bling diamante studded
tiara’s; circular bands to encircle a bun; a more delicate, flower based hair-band; romantic crowns
adorned with stones or sequins; or a floral wreath.

Think of your wedding as a whole and make sure that all the elements complement each other.
The starting point is normally your dress which will determine the style of head-piece and jewellery
you require. It is worth considering that busy dresses with lots of bling look better without busy
accessories. You don’t want to end up looking like a Christmas tree!!!! On the other hand, a plain
dress can look fabulous with lots of added sparkle.

My dress was very plain with clusters of pearl, crystal and sequins. Therefore, I mirrored my tiara and
accessories around this. In addition, I married in a 16 th century monastery and so required a traditional
style head-piece and jewellery to compliment my surroundings.

Your surroundings are another source of inspiration. Flower hair pins work well for beach weddings,as do
feathers for winter weddings. A venue may suggest a historical theme requiring medieval style accessories.

The time of year also suggests certain colours and themes; blues and yellows in spring; fiery red, oranges
and yellows in autumn; deep purples, red and even black in winter; sugared almond pastels – pale pink,
blue, green, yellow, lilac during the summer months.

Before I set out on my search for the perfect head-pieces, I made a decision on how my bridesmaids and
I would wear our hair. Items that suit hair up may not suit hair down so it is worthwhile thinking about this
before you purchase your head-piece and find that at your hair practice your dream hairstyle looks ridiculous
with your choice of head-dress.

For my bridesmaids I wanted a sophisticated look as their dresses were so elegant and therefore, decided on
sleek side buns with tiara’s. It very quickly became apparent that a tiara did not suit such a style and head-bands
turned a sophisticated lady into a child dressed up in mum’s clothing!!! Instead I settled for flower hair combs
placed on the side bun which added glamour and elegance and also a uniqueness from the norm.

I choose to wear my hair up and made sure that whenever I was shopping for the perfect head-piece; my hair
was tied back in a similar style to the one I would wear on my wedding day. When I finally made my choice I booked
my pre wedding hair cut many weeks before the wedding day to ensure that the length would grow backand go up
neatly as desired. It is worth consulting with your hairdresser the deadline for a trim because the last thing you want
is not to be able to achieve the style you have set your heart on and that best suits your head-piece. Additionally,
it is worth ensuring that your bridesmaids don’t have any intention of cutting their hair of aweek before the wedding!

Today’s white dress does not necessarily have to be accompanied by white and silver, nor do ivory dresses
require ivory and gold. Both colours sit equally well on white or ivory. It is personal choice.

As a base colour I chose silver, that is, the tiara was set on a silver band using silver wire to accommodate
the Swarovski crystal and freshwater pearls. Therefore, my necklace and bracelet, although classed as a floating
design on transparent thread, had a silver clasp matching my tiara. Even my matching pearl earrings had silver posts
and butterfly backs and the colour of all pearls used were the same, ivory. Continuity is the key to a perfect wedding.

I chose silver as this is the colour of jewellery I would always wear; plus, I chose iced mint for my bridesmaids and
silver was the perfect compliment to their dresses.

Comfort is a very important factor when choosing your head-piece and accessories. Tiara’s are available on a variety
of different bases, some solid and some flexible. As a bride, you have enough to worry about and so require a head-piece
you can forget is there from the moment it is placed on your head. Alternatively, you may prefer to wear hair crystals or
curlies, hair pins or hair combs. Instead of a tiara or head-band there is also the option to wear a veil trim which, attached
to the comb of the veil, looks identical to a tiara but is fixed to the veil as opposed to your hair.

My two younger bridesmaids wore head bands, much more comfortable for little princesses. When you go to the time,
effort and expense of choosing the perfect head-piece for flower girls and younger bridesmaids, the last thing you want
is for them to pull them out before the photos because they are hurting or rubbing. We would advise you to look out for
bridal collections designed especially for little people, with all these factors in mind. As their hair was French pleated up
the back and finished off in a side bun on top of the head, I chose to use crystal hair pins to decorate the pleat. A pain
free but extremely effective accessory.

Veils are personal choice and today’s fashion magazines infrequently use veils when modelling bridal wear.
A recent customer of Annie Laurie was in no way wearing a veil for this reason. Admittedly, I too strongly
resisted the idea of a wearing a veil and insisted I would look like I was in fancy dress. Today, I look back
and am so relieved that I changed my mind.

Veils don’t have to be worn traditionally. Nowadays many brides wear their veils lower down, hanging under
their hair style and without wearing the blusher over their face. A veil is simply a finishing touch available in
different lengths; made from fine materials such as chiffon and organza; and in a variety of detailing to match
any dress including sparkly embroidery using beading, sequins and diamante.

Curlies, hair pins and hair crystals can be worn underneath the veil in wait for the evening reception when
the veil is shed and yet another beautiful hair style is ‘unveiled.’

My final piece of advice would be to set yourself a budget and to shop around. You’d be surprised how little
your bridal outfit need cost. Leave yourself plenty of time to avoid impulse purchases and to enable you to
enjoy every step of your journey in a relaxed state.

My journey ended on 25 th August 2006. I lived my fairytale and truly it was everything I could have wished for
and more. I hope the advice given above helps you create your dream day.

Everyone at Annie Laurie wishes you a magical journey and congratulations for your wedding day.