White Opal Swarovski Crystal Necklace

The Wedding Steps brides-to-be who entered the giveaway are:

1. Elizabeth

2. Gina

3. Jennifer K

4. Nicole

5. Katie K

6. Katie M

7. Dawn

8. Kari

9. Katie E

And the winner - per www.random.org is ... number 1

Congratulations ELIZABETH!!!

Bridal Tweet Giveaway

Are you a bride from the Bridal Tweet forums?

If you are then you're in the right place for the BT giveaway.

If you aren't then you aren't eligible for this giveaway - although there will be another one coming up July 12th, so stay tuned!

Now ... back to jewelry.

This past week I launched my new line of customizable bridal attendants' jewelry - affectionately dubbed THE STACKABLES.

Want to win a set of THREE?

Entering is easy!

* Like my fanpage on Facebook.

* Leave a comment in this post saying which piece you like best and when your wedding date is.

* Leave a comment in the blogpost on Bridal Tweet.

* Become a follower of this blog.

* Leave posts here saying which of the above you have done.

Each one of them will earn you an entry.

Random.org will determine the winner on Tuesday July 7th, 2010 at 1900EST

As a side note, turnaround will depend on my customs list at the time. It will most likely be two weeks.

And, again, the prize ..

A set of THREE of your favorite piece for your bridal party - customized in your wedding colors.

Match the pearls to their shoes, their flowers, or even their shoes.

Wedding jewelry should be worn long after the wedding day - so give your attendants something classy that they'll want to wear over and over again.

Good luck!

Pearls with Personality

Is your mother or your future mother-in-law looking for something unusual to wear at your wedding?

Are you?

If so, you might want to consider wearing something made with Biwa pearls.

The bracelet above features Biwa (sometimes referred to as stick) pearls which have been dyed - but if you look closely you will see their luster shining through. And look at the bridal choker below. You will see the pearls' irridescence very clearly.

The fun fact associated with these elongated freshwater pearls?

They grow in ... mussels!

The Orchid & The Pearl

I put this together for a fundraiser, but as I was setting the freshwater pearl into the heart of the orchid (coated in polyresin for durability), it occurred to me that it would make a wonderful piece for an attendant.

Or a bride who prefers to think outside the box.

These orchids come in a variety of colors - from this glorious fushcia to yellow and orange, purple and cream, red, pink and white, orange and rust, brown ..

Each one of them is gorgeous.

Span sizes vary too.

You can get them as wide as 70mm - and they are as stunning as they are original.

Crystals and pearls are a lot of fun,

but there are lots of other avenues to explore.

This kind of jewelry not only gives something that was once a living thing immortality, but it will be worn long after the wedding has come and gone ... and add another splash of color to the world!

Wrap it up

You spend time and effort choosing the perfect jewelry for your attendants; something which will complement their dress and their personalities.

So present it in style.

A little ribbon goes a long way - and so do recycled shopping bags!

These are a few packages I put together for clients, but take a look around you. You'll be surprised what you can utilise to let your attendants know they're precious to you, and that you appreciate them being in your wedding.

We have a winner

The $150 custom jewelry giveaway from the Budget a Wedding launch has been won by a very enterprising bride-to-be all the way on the West Coast.

Congratulations!!

She has a wedding blog all her own; a blog which I highly recommend because it is well laid out, and has some very good information on there for brides who are intent on taking care of as much as they can themselves to stay within their budget.

And she has some spectacular giveaways too.

It's always nice to see good karma!

Her blog can be found here -

I do hope you will follow her.

For myself, I am really excited that the wedding is just over two months away - because that means we can move to the drawing board immediately.

Again, congratulations!

As for my blog, stay tuned. The new giveaway for brides will be coming to a screen near you over the weekend.