Wedding Jewelry (Something borrowed or something new?)

When I was planning my wedding attire, I was sure I was going to wear the earrings my grandma got from my grandpa. There's a whole long romantic back story that I often tell about them, but I'm not exactly sure how much of it is accurate and how much of it I've romanticized over the years. But I can tell you for certain that they're from him to her. And I can also tell you that I wanted to wear them on my wedding day.

Except I didn't wear them.

I couldn't ever find a necklace to match the style and story behind the earrings, so I wore them for our rehearsal instead (sans necklace). My mom lent me a set of jewelry with pearls for our wedding, and since pearls are just as special to my grandparents' love story as the earrings, it worked for me.

I put a lot of thought into every single wedding moment. (That's partially why I drove myself slightly crazy and definitely why, fifteen months later, people still randomly talk about our wedding.)

More often than not, though, people buy new wedding jewelry because life isn't filled with enough moments to buy yourself something sparkly without hesitation. If you're on a budget, though, picking your sparkles from someone else's jewelry box will save you money.

So, I have to ask: Wedding jewelry. Is it something borrowed or something new?

For bridesmaids, my vote is something new. At every wedding I've been in, the bride has given the bridesmaids jewelry to wear at the wedding. I followed suit and gave my bridesmaids Alex and Ani necklaces (and my maid of honor got a matching pair of earrings). I also gave my mom a necklace from Dogeared (which she wears all the time, but didn't wear on our wedding day).

For the groom, I'm voting with something new as well. We got Pete new cufflinks to wear with his tuxedo. He did choose to wear his own rings, though. And, now that I think about it, I did buy a new Alex and Ani ring to wear on our wedding day. It matched the necklaces I got my bridesmaids.

So, I guess my real vote with be: go with a mix of something borrowed and something new. If you do that, you can cross those items off your list, sending you on a hunt for something old and something blue.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Are you planning on buying or borrowing jewelry for your wedding?

Review: Mom Necklace From Dogeared's Bridal Suite

A Bride On A Budget received this necklace for this review. All thoughts are my own.

When my cousin got married in March, she gave all her bridesmaids gorgeous necklaces that we all wore on her wedding day. (I actually ended up giving my bridemaids necklaces in their bridesmaids thank you gifts).

It was such a sweet and very special item to wear around our necks.

The necklaces were all the same, but all had different meanings to each of us bridesmaids. She wrote us a note with the necklaces, letting us all know how special we were to her.

What if your necklace could say it for you?

That's where Dogeared Jewels & Gifts comes in. The Dogeared Bridal Suite was launched recently and it is the absolute perfect place to find jewelry for your bridal party.

The site sells rings, bracelets, and more, but the Bridal Suite sticks to pearl earrings and gorgeous necklaces that will make you cry.

Well, not the necklace itself; it's the what's written on the card behind the necklace that makes a difference.

I received a necklace for my mom that reads: make a wish and put on your necklace. sharing this day with you is so special, and this is a celebration i will never forget. i am so grateful for your love, wisdom, encouragement and all that you do ... wear your necklace as a reminder that i love you.

So sweet, right?

The one for the maid of honor hit me the most (but maybe that's because my maid of honor was just here visiting). it reads: make a wish and put on your necklace. thank you for your love and encouragement and all you've done to make this day unforgettable. you have a very special place in my wedding and in my heart... wear your necklace as a reminder that i love you.

And then there's the bridesmaids ones that say: make a wish and put on your necklace. wear it as a reminder that i am so grateful for your presence in my life. thank you for standing with me on this special day, as you have so many times before!

You can purchase the necklaces at 16 or 18 inches, unless you decide to customize them, then you also have the option of 20 inches.

If you do customize, you also have the choice of the background card and charm. You can choose anything from hearts to horseshoes. Personally, pearls are really special to my family (my grandparents honeymoon in my grandma's native Japan was in a place called Pearl Island) so the pearl on my mom's necklace was perfect.

The pearl charm is actually a really decent size. It isn't small too long cheap, but it isn't too large to look gaudy. The chain is thin but not flimsy. The entire necklace is lightweight, so it can be worn throughout the entire wedding day without anyone actually realizing that they have a piece on.

The necklace I got my mom was $56. It's sterling silver. I could have had it gold dipped for an extra $6, but I'm not a fan of yellow gold, so silver worked for me.

With the prices being so reasonable, you could buy these for everyone in your wedding party. Each necklace comes in a gorgeous pearl-colored box made in the United States from recycled materials.

The only thing that I didn't like is that there isn't a grandma necklace in the bridal collection. Dogeared does sell a grandma necklace, but the card doesn't make mention of the special day (aka the wedding) like the other bridal items do. I'm bummed because I would definitely pick one up for my grandma.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Who would you pick one up for?