Choosing your wedding day jewelry...

The jewelry and accessories you choose can make or break your wedding dress. Because you have put so much time and thought into your dress, you want to be sure to choose wedding jewelry that will complement your dress and bring your entire look together. Here are some tips to do so...

A common mistake brides make is not matching the style of their jewelry with the style of their dress. If your dress is an elegant ballgown, stick with elegant jewelry. If your dress is more vintage, wear vintage jewelry. However you also want to keep your own personal style in mind. If you are not one to wear flashy chandelier earrings, wear something more simple. Pearls and diamonds are timeless and are typically safe with any dress style. This chunky layered look adds a twist to the regular single strand pearls.

Have your dress on your body when you are trying on jewelry. This is the only way to ensure that your jewelry is going to complement your dress exactly how you want it to. You also want to keep your hairstyle in mind so it wouldn't hurt to have your hair done or similar to how it will be on your wedding day.

One of the most important things to look at is the neckline of your dress.

For a sweetheart neckline, you may want to skip the necklace altogether and go with some chandelier earrings. You could also opt for wearing soft flowers in your hair and simple earrings with no necklace. If you do decide to wear a necklace, keep it simple so that it doesn't take away from the neckline.

For a strapless neckline, try either big earrings or a big necklace but not both.

If your dress is a V-neck or halter, try a necklace with a pendant, or Y drop necklace to imitate the neckline. Again, a simple strand of pearls works with these dresses too.

If you want to add color, use something meaningful like your birthstone, or even the stone of the month you and your husband-to-be met, or the month you are getting married in. You can also match some of the colors in your bouquet.

Consider incorporating "something old" or "something blue" into your jewelry. For something old, try some jewelry that one of your relatives or husband's relatives has. Vintage jewelry is beautiful and you may be surprised what you find in an old jewelry box. For something blue, try incorporating a bit of Sapphire, aquamarine, blue topaz or other shades of blue into your jewelry. It doesn't have to be bold and stand out, it can be something very subtle.

You should also take the color of your dress into consideration when choosing your wedding day jewelry. These color tips are from a great wedding website, theknot.com:

For a white gown, gold embellishments may clash with this bright white hue. We suggest sticking to pearl and platinum.

Diamond-white gowns (barely off-white) work with gold and silver (and rose gold, and pearl -- you get the idea).

This one works best with silver because of the silver embellishments on the dress.

Ivory Gowns often have yellow undertones. Adorn yourself with gold jewelry to highlight the creamy tint of the fabric.

This necklace is a mixture of pearls and gold.

All of these are general tips and rules of thumb, but every body type, dress color, neckline and skin tone vary. So the most important thing to keep in mind is that your jewelry shouldn't take away from your dress, it should add the finishing touches to it. Take pictures of you in your dress with different kinds of jewelry on and then see which ones you feel really bring your bridal look together.

Remember that this jewelry can be used as a sentimental keepsake to pass down to your daughters or granddaughters, so look for jewelry that is good quality and will last through the years.