The dress is the decision. These are the pieces that make it yours. A cathedral veil or a feather cape for the ceremony, a pearl comb set into an updo, a drop earring that catches the light at dinner, a clutch small enough to carry down the aisle, a satin flat you can dance in. Browsing them together is how the last decisions actually get made, with the veil beside the hair pins that will sit under it and the cape beside the shoes you would wear with it. There are honeymoon pieces in here too, raffia sun hats and sunglasses, for the week afterwards.
If you know what you are after, go straight to veils, jewelry, shoes, capes and robes, hair accessories, bags, gloves and sleeves or intimates. Or bring the gown to the Santa Monica showroom and let us put the whole look together in one sitting.
Bridal accessories, answered
What accessories do I actually need?
Fewer than the internet suggests. Shoes you can stand in, and something for your hair if you want it. Everything after that is pleasure rather than requirement. The pieces that change a look most for the least are a veil and hair pins; the ones that change it most of all are a cape or a pair of detachable sleeves, because they alter the silhouette.
In what order should I buy them?
Gown first, always, then the pieces that are made after you order: veils, capes and made-to-order shoes. Jewelry and bags are the ones to leave until last. Buy your shoes before the gown is hemmed, though, because the hem depends entirely on the heel and your seamstress will ask for them.
How do I keep accessories from competing with the dress?
Pick one thing to carry the detail. If the gown is beaded or lace, keep the veil plain and the jewelry small. If the gown is a plain silk slip, that is when a statement earring, a lace-edged mantilla or a feather cape has room to work. Keep the materials speaking to each other: pearl with pearl, crystal with crystal.
Can I return bridal accessories?
Not all of them, and the rules follow the category rather than the designer. Anything made to order is final once production starts, because it is being made for you. Lingerie and swim are final sale on hygiene grounds, and a number of jewelry pieces are too. Read our full return policy before you order.
Can I try on bridal accessories in Los Angeles?
Yes, and this is the appointment worth making, because accessories are the one thing far better decided in a single sitting than one order at a time. Bring the gown to 145 Bay St in Santa Monica and we will put the veil, the shoes and the jewelry against it together. Book a private fitting, or read what else there is beyond the veil and the jewelry.