Hi friends!! I apologize for skipping out on you for a few days! On Friday I was scheduled to fly up to Boston, but my flight got canceled! (That’s never happened to me before!) Luckily I was able to get on a flight that night to Hartford, and my saintly mother and sister drove from Boston to Hartford to retrieve me – and then back up to Maine (whew!). We went to sleep at 2:30 that night/morning, and then were up at 8:30 the next day for my uncle’s wedding, where I was the “official” photographer :) Sunday we drove home to Connecticut, and I’ve been catching up ever since!

All this to say, I’m looking forward to sharing my wedding day accessories with you this week! Today let’s start with my necklace and bracelet. Necklace first.

A little back story: that pretty silver + pearl pendant necklace was one of the first gifts that John ever gave me. I’ve worn it pretty much every day since, going on about six years now. I love it! Since my dress is a bit complicated on top, I knew I wanted a simple, delicate necklace, and so I always assumed I’d wear my Dogeared one. THEN I spotted the gold + diamond number on the right and bottom. Gorgeous, no? I can’t help but think it would make a perfect wedding day gift, as it’s basically my necklace, except fancier :)

I do know that I will for sure be wearing the lovely sapphire, gold, and diamond bracelet above. I found it while pawing through my Mom’s jewelry chest on my last trip home – score one for heirloom (and free! and gorgeous!) accessories! I wasn’t planning to wear a bracelet, but this one is too perfect to pass up. We just have to take it in to fix the clasp, and it will be good to go.

Back tomorrow with the goods on my clutch + earrings!

We have almost finished up John’s shopping for the big day! As you know, he’ll be wearing a classic tux, but we still needed to outfit it with a few accessories. The nice thing about classic accessories is that you can usually find options at a range of price points. To demonstrate, I’ve rounded up some options above – more expensive on the left, less expensive on the right. We chose from both columns for John. Happy shopping!

Suspenders:
J. Crew Drakes London 9/10″ wide suspenders for $70 OR The Grunion Run 1″ wide suspenders for $14

Bow ties:
Brooks Brothers self-tie bow tie in English silk for $60 OR Bows ‘N Ties self-tie bow tie in sateen silk for $20

Shoes:
Johnston & Murphy dress lace-up oxford for $175 OR Pronto Uomo patent leather tuxedo shoes for $70

Ladies (and gents – I know you are out there), I have lately been hearing the call to accessorize. The most recent nudge was seeing this article featuring the adorable ladies of Ritzy Bee, but really, this has been going on for at least a few weeks.

Abby Jiu

Oh, hello, most stylish people ever. Also, I would like Ms Kelly’s hair, please and thank you.

I have never been a shoe person, and I have really never been a jewelry person. I wear my engagement ring, pearl studs, a silver link bracelet, and a Dogeared necklace day in and day out, without fail. (In fact, I sleep in everything but the earrings.) Yes, I have a few necklaces hanging in my closet, and a few earrings and bracelets in a bowl in the bathroom, but we’re talking very few. And they’re all pretty much neutral pieces. My clothing budget is so tiny that allocating money on accessories always seemed like kind of a waste to me.

But THEN. I bought a belt. A fairly simple, fairly wide, caramel-colored leather belt. From Old Navy, of all places! I bought this belt kind of on a whim, after I pinned a particular outfit on Pinterest that featured a similar piece. And ladies, the ability this belt has to make an outfit feel put together is nothing short of incredible. White v-neck tee, greige shorts, and Jack Rogers? Basic. White v-neck tee, greige shorts, Jack Rogers, and belt? Instantly super stylish (at least in my easy-to-impress opinion). I don’t know what it is, but it’s sure changed my thinking on accessories. Also bold color and tunic-style tops – see below for evidence:

Clockwise from top left: Trina Turk Suzette dress ($248), from What She Wore 365, Boden Long Island top ($78, but I got it for 15% off and free shipping by Googling for a coupon code – whoo!), Rikshaw Design Classic Kurta ($70), Trina Turk Brecita blouse ($228), Kate Spade Kati cardigan ($298)

Sorry about that, y’all – I don’t usually like to dangle so many expensive and awesome things in front of your (our) eyes, but I couldn’t help myself.

And unfortunately, my budget has not changed alongside my thinking, so the truth is that in all likelihood I will end up purchasing maybe one of the picks below. But I had fun dreaming, and perhaps one piece below will be just what you’ve been looking for to put some pep in your step! I hope so!

A. Kendra Scott Allison earrings ($65), B. Kate Spade bangle ($128), C. Design Darling studs ($32), D. Kendra Scott Cassie bracelet ($130), E. Kendra Scott Carly earrings ($55), F. Trina Turk Sao Paulo sandal ($165), G. Target enamel bangle ($18), H. J.Crew Tessellate necklace ($85), I. Target gold and coral bamboo bracelet set ($14), J. Bridier Baubles Campbell Chandelier earrings ($23), K. Target Gold Square enamel bracelet ($15), L. Target enamel bracelet ($15), M. J.Crew Classic link bracelet ($88)

Tell me: If you could only pick one piece from this post to add to your wardrobe, which one would it be? I am having a VERY hard time choosing between the link bracelet and the coral and turquoise studs…

Yikes! I meant to post yesterday, but between my first wedding gown fitting (yahoo!) and an impromptu mother of the bride shopping trip on the way home (where we were very successful!), it slipped through the cracks. Never the less, here I am, and here are my ideas for personalizing a groom’s formal look :)

While a classic tuxedo leaves less room for personality than, say, a suit and tie combo, there are definitely still ways to make one your own.

John isn’t wearing a cummerbund, but for those who are, I like the idea of embroidering initials on the edge:

Embroidering initials and your wedding date on the inside jacket pocket – so sweet!

For groomsmen, you could tweak the inside-pocket-embroidery and leave clever messages like “rings go here” or “toast goes here.”

My favorite might be these embroidered, initialed cuffs – such a small detail, but it looks so sharp!

Which one would you pick? Also, does anyone have any suggestions for great embroidery resources in the Triangle? :)

Images from top to bottom: Studio222 via Southern Weddings, Lisa Poggi, A Bryan Photo via SW, Ali Harper via SW, and Maggie Harkov via SMP