I have always been one of those girls that likes to have something that not everyone else may have, especially when it comes to dresses and accessories, which is why I have never been keen on the whole idea of matching bridesmaids. I'm pretty sure most women will agree with me on this. Don't get me wrong it adds a nice consistency to the look of the wedding, but sometimes it is a little hard to stomach. So, when it was time to help my sister decide what the bridesmaids would wear, I was a little scared. Sorry Em, but I was.
Luckily, my sister and I have very similar style so we happily agreed (along with the other bridesmaids) on some really great dresses from J.Crew, in a soft graphite gray. Those of you that know me, know that I am extremely pale. I was a little nervous about getting completely washed out in a gray dress (as was my mother), so I thought it would be great to add in color with accessories. On my hunt for the perfect colorful statement piece, I stumbled across these AMAZING handmade necklaces by Elva Fields.
{Elva Fields necklaces}
They are really incredible and were perfect for the bridesmaid dresses. It would add color and give us that little bit of difference that I wanted. Sadly these necklaces were a little out of our budget for bridesmaid gifts. So, being the super craft team that we are, we made our own versions with the help of my sister's talented friend Michelle. (Michelle, luckily, is an expert jewelry maker.) Here is the how to...
Materials:
vintage broaches/pins/earring
beads and/or stones (we had about two strands per necklace)
jewelry wire
pliers
wire cutters
clamps (so the beads don't slide off)
necklace clasp (we used S clasps so that the necklaces are easy to take off)
glue to seal the back of the earring and pin clasps in necessary
some felt or fabric to work on
Once we made the decision to make the necklaces, Emily and I went to the Brooklyn Flea to hunt down some treasures to use in the necklaces.
{various vintage earrings and pins that we found at the flea market}
Emily and Michelle then went bead shopping and picked out different beads/stones for each bridesmaid. We then all assembled at Michelle's apt in Brooklyn and made the necklaces. Here are some shots of the necklace making process...
{LOVE the rhinestone centers on mine!}
It was a lot of work, but the necklaces came out perfectly. I loved that we all had very different necklaces, perfect for each of us. Here are the finished pieces!
{Michelles' necklace}
{Lauren's necklace}
{Chelsae's necklace}
{Lyndsey's necklace}
{My necklace}
The pictures are not the greatest sadly, but I can't wait to see the ones that the photographer took! Thanks Em for our beautiful bridesmaid gifts, they really were perfect to give us our own look at the wedding! (And sorry I gave you a hard time about my stone colors...I LOVE THEM!)
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