You know how in Project Runway the contestants are often given a client-based challenge, but afterwards chastised for not incorporating enough of their own "voice" into the final design? I will admit, this is often the case when I create wedding jewelry - I do what the bride asks and often tone down the Bead Up flair so as to keep it wedding respectable.
But when my dear friend and sorority sister Regan asked that I not only make her wedding jewelry, but also consulted for my Bead Up design itself, I knew this would be a different kind of wedding job :) Regan started with the basics: she planned to wear a white wedding dress but wanted to accessorize with dark greys and charcoals with a bracelet, earrings, and a broach. After a few more series of questions, we agreed that making a dangly charm-crystal bracelet of sorts would be great, but an exaggerated one would be even better! Though as for the broach - she was leading that all up to me! Lastly, she asked for some matching dangle earrings - but not dainty bridal... funky bridal! LOVE IT. So, after showing Regan some hues of crystals and findings, we agreed on these:
I have never purchased so many crystals for one piece of jewelry in my life! You can also see the materials I bought for the broach at the 3 o'clock of the photo. I am not going to lie - I had never made a broach before, but I love a good challenge. So I finally found a random pin holder thing, and along with some unique oversized Swarovski crystals and floral wire, I twisted and tied up this:
And when I applied the base to the form, we had this:
Next was making the charm dangle bracelet. I wire wrapped over 200 Swarovski crystals and, one-by-one, bound them to a gun-metal chain. I loved how the crystals reflected the sunlight!
After 200 rounds of measuring, clipping, wire wrapping, applying, and arranging, we had this bracelet!
I sent Regan a photo of the earrings as seen above, though we both agreed that they needed a little "umph!" So...!
Regan's was the first wedding I was able to physically attend this year (that whole moving across the country thing got in the way of traveling across the country again)... and best of all - she got married in the exact same Garden Court where my hubs and I married nearly three years ago! It was a great "homecoming!" As for the jewelry, the trio was the perfect finishing touch to the already perfectly beautiful bride!
http://www.angiewilsonphotography.com/
She and Matt looked so chic and modernly romantic!
And though I had a hard time initially conceptualizing the dark grey accents to this wedding outfit...
But it even matched Regan's shoes! PERFECT combo!
http://www.angiewilsonphotography.com/
Oh, and let's not forget the Bridesmaids (and many of my other sorority sisters)!
...which were a combination of some gold leaf charms from LA's jewelry district and small orange crystals (which included a clip-on version, too!).
...which, I must say, went very well with the orange fall leaf theme. Who would have known it would have gone so well with the dark grey?
And when I wasn't helping with the jewelry at the wedding, I was busy taking photos of the guests at the photo booth! Regan's wedding was so well planned and Bead Up is still thrilled to have been a part of it. Thank you for including me, Matt and Regan - you are loved!
