Wedding necklace: floral pieces for the ceremony

Bridal jewellery is usually bought late, once the dress is settled and the neckline is no longer a question. That order makes sense, and it is the order this page follows: what the piece is made of, then how it behaves on the day.

How a wedding necklace is built

None of these are plain chains. Each one is an assembly, and the assembly is where the differences sit.

Colour, and what it says about your role

White and ivory belong to the bride, and everyone at a British wedding knows it. That leaves guests the more interesting end of the range: burgundy against a black dress, cherry red under a navy coat, blush with anything neutral. Bridesmaids sit in between. Picking up one shade from the bouquet is usually enough, and it looks considered rather than matched. If the ceremony is a register office followed by a long lunch, a piece that survives a coat going on and off matters more than the shade.

Short lengths, and where they actually sit

These are close-fitting pieces. The shortest sit at 27 to 32 centimetres and stay above a strapless neckline; the mid range covers 32 to 41 centimetres and follows a round or shallow V neck; the longest reach 45 centimetres and rest just below the collarbone. One design carries a floral cascade running twenty-eight centimetres down the front, which needs a plain bodice underneath and nothing else competing.

Getting it through the day

Fabric petals crush. Carry the necklace flat in its own pouch rather than knotted in a clutch with the lipstick, and put it on after the hairspray and the perfume, never before. Lacquer dulls faux pearls faster than anything else, and a scent sprayed onto satin can leave a ring that never lifts. At the end of the night, a dry cloth over the beads takes off any make-up transfer.

Around the rest of the outfit

Hair usually sets the tone, so our combs, clips and headbands are worth settling first. If the floral look is not the one you want, the wider costume necklace range covers plainer chains and pendants. And the full accessories department carries the belts, scarves and gloves that finish a formal outfit.