Buying a Bridal Tiara

In the UK we only tend to wear tiaras for weddings, school proms aren't common place like they are in the US, so wearing a tiara is likely to be a once in a life time experience.

You should only purchase your tiara once you have your bridal gown sorted, you can buy it from the same bridal shop as your dress but if you’re looking to save money you should buy it online. This is simply because your wedding tiara should complete your outfit, it shouldn't be the starting point for it.
To compliment your bridal outfit your tiara shouldn’t over power your wedding dress or your gorgeous face. You will need to also take into consideration any wedding jewelry or other hair accessories such as bridal hair pins you are planning to wear.

Your bridal tiara should compliment your face shape and bridal hair style so it enhances your natural beauty. If you choose a wedding tiara which isn’t right for you, then you might be the focus of attention for the wrong reasons and you’ll look back on your wedding photos wishing you’d picked a different one.
By choosing a tiara which is simple and elegant, you will give the impression of class and elegance. Chances are you’ll often look back at your wedding photos and don’t want to look back at any fashion mistakes so keeping it simple and classic will prevent this.

For some having a similar tiara to their favourite celebrity might be tempting, there’s nothing wrong with this as long as the wedding tiara suits you too, not just your role model. Just as perfume smells different on other people, wedding tiara look different too.

Bridal tiaras can be created from lots of different materials, for example, often pearl, diamantes and crystals are used, they are also available in many styles and heights. For more information on wedding tiara take a look at our blog at Wedding and Gems or download the free tiara guide.

Kerrie Giles is used to giving bridal fashion advice and offers a free tiara advice guide to download. You can download this guide here: Free Tiara Advice Guide from on Wedding And Gems.

Wedding Accessories Video

Crystal Wedding Jewellery - Is it all the same

When you search for crystal wedding jewellery in Google you will come across 2 different types of crystal jewellery, some of this jewellery is actually diamante jewellery and some crystal jewellery.  It can be frustrating trying to find one particular type of crystal wedding jewellery when searching on the term so the link in this blog post is to a recently published article on Ezine Articles which is the top article publishing website online which explains the differences between the diamantes and crystals and their quality so you can make an informed  choice.

Different type of Crystals used in Wedding Jewellery

New Wedding Jewellery

A while ago I promised that I would focus more on wedding jewellery and I've been researching new beading techniques as I didn't want to make the same stuff as every other jewellery designer.  I stumbled across this technique and create 2 different styles of pearl and crystal earrings from it.  Here's one of the pairs of earrings, you can view the other and more details by clicking the link below:

New Wedding Jewellery

Pearl Wedding Jewellery

Sometimes with so much choice it's hard to narrow down your wedding jewellery so I thought I'd ask the question should I wear pearl wedding jewellery? If you're not sure of the answer yourself then head over to Ezine Articles where my latest article has just been published by clicking the link below:

Should I wear pearl wedding jewellery?

Will you purchase a crystal tiara?

When I’m talking about a crystal wedding tiara I’m referring to a wedding tiara custom made from Swarovski or other types of crystal, not machine producted bridal tiaras which contain rhinestones or diamantes.

So why  choose a crystal tiara over a diamante one?

Diamante wedding tiaras are mass produced and therefore inexpensive, often imported and readily available, for some they make the perfect choice especially if there’s not a lot of money to spend on bridal accessories.  But since they are machine produced there’s no change to amend the design for example changing the colour. So if you’ve seen a style you want but want to shorter, in different colours or in a child size, you’re stuck.  This is where crystal wedding tiaras have a huge advantage. 

If you choose a crystal tiara you will be able to incorporate other crystal colours to your wedding tiara so you can co-ordinate your bridal accessories with your wedding colours.  For instance when I created my own crystal tiara I added fire opal crystals to match the orange of my bouquet. Another idea is incorporating the colour of the embroidery on your wedding dress into your crystal tiara.

If you’re planning on having similar but less detailed tiaras for your bridesmaids this can easily be done with crystal wedding tiaras where as it would be very hard to find a diamante manufactured tiara that will match.  Many brides that I’ve worked with have young daughters with are either being child bridesmaids or flower girls and they want a miniature version of their own tiaras which is only possible with a crystal wedding tiara and it looks really cute.

How much should I pay for a crystal wedding tiara?

Crystal tiaras are usually handcrafted.  Their prices range a lot and at the top end of the spectrum you could pay £100’s.  Be aware that crystal wedding tiaras that cost this much have a huge mark up and you can usually find a similar design for much less. At the other end of the scale there are very inexpensive designs which may be poorly finished with sharp wires and poor quality, glass or even plastic beads.  A price between £40 to £70 is considered reasonable for a full crystal wedding tiara but this depends on the time taken and the cost of the materials involved.  Clearly the more time it takes to create a crystal tiara the more you will pay.  You may also be able to purchase bridesmaids tiaras for much less than this.

Rules for purchasing a crystal tiara

There are some general rules when choosing a crystal tiara.  When deciding on the height of your crystal wedding tiara ensure it will compliment your face shape.  You can read more about this in our free tiara advice guide.  Ensure your  crystal tiara will match your other bridal jewellery, many crystal wedding tiaras are available with either silver or gold base and clear or clear AB crystals, so don’t choose an all clear AB tiara then match it with clear crystal jewellery it just won’t look right. 

So will you be purchasing a crystal tiara?

There are so many advantages to choosing a crystal tiara over a diamante one, even if your not 100% won over, its definitely worth taking a look at crystal wedding tiaras and having a chat to see if your dream tiara can be made within your budget.

Kerrie G specialises in handmade tiaras and you can view all her available wedding tiaras at Wedding And Gems.

How To Position A Wedding Tiara

Tiaras are a bridal tradition often one which makes a bride feel like a princess on her big day.  But it’s something you’re not used to wearing and you may be unsure of how they should be worn. So is there a correct way to wear a tiara?

Actually there isn’t a correct way to wear wedding tiaras, I’m sure someone will argue with me though.  There are lots of different ways to wear a tiara, it can be worn at the front of the head, on the crown, even at the back.  The placement of the bridal tiara does depend on how you’re wearing your hair.

We’ll take a look at each place in turn and how hair styles influence this decision of where the tiara should be placed.

Wearing a wedding tiara at the front of the head

A wedding tiara can be positioned just on the parting of your fringe and the rest of the hair.  This is a fantastic position if you aim to backcomb the front of your hair and your wedding tiara is short enough to frame it.  For example a bride that I worked with had a very dainty tiara featuring butterflies, it was created from wire so you could see her hair through the natural spaces in the wedding tiaratiara, the top part of her hair was back combed to give it a more height and had she wore the tiara in another position it would have got lost in her lovely hair.

Placing a wedding tiara on the top towards the back of your head

If you’re aiming to placing your tiara on the top of your head further back make sure you’ve not increased the height to the front of your hair otherwise your wedding tiara won’t be seen.  Most people will see this as the “traditional” area to wear a tiara.  If your tiara band is long, ensure that it is bendable enough to be bent around your head with grips so the ends of the band don’t protrude.

Positioning a wedding tiara at the back of the head

It’s far more unique to wear a wedding tiara around the back your head but it increases the interest to the back of you which is what most people see during the ceremony.  Wearing a tiara around the back of the head is much more challenging than any other placement so you might want to ask your hair dresser for advice.  If you’re wearing your weddingtiara around the back make sure you have something of interest in the front such as crystal or pearl pins.

Using your tiara as a bun wrap

If you buy a flexible bridal tiara these can effortlessly be used as bun wraps and secured with pins.  If you’re planning on doing this ensure you pick a bridal tiara with a thin wire tiara base which is flexible enough to be bent and won’t refuse being pinned into position.  Some tiara bases which are manufactured just won’t do this, so always ask if you’re unsure.

Wearing a tiara with loose hair

You might have decided to do your own hair on your wedding day and for most, the easiest way is to wear it down.  If this is what you’d like to do think about wearing it at the front of the head.  Tiaras aren’t worn in the same position as a headband, so to get it right, just position it on the top of your head and push the ends down a little.  Make sure they are hidden under your hair and add a grip or two for extra security.

If you want to get more information about finding the perfect tiara for yourself including how your face shape, dress detail and other jewellery have an impact visit Wedding And Gems and receive your free e-book – A Wedding Tiara - choosing the right for you.

Crystal Wedding Flower Pin

I've been meaning to make a comb / pin in the shape of a large crystal flower for a while now and I finally got the chance this week. As usual I try to design my items with cost in mind as in this currently penny pinching climate and it's important to get something you love without a high price tag.

The crystal flower is 12 cm wide so is rather large and pefect for making a dramatic statement.

You can read more about the creation of this crystal flower at

Large Crystal Wedding Flower

How should you wear a wedding tiara

Since you generally only wear a wedding tiara once you might be struggling on placing a wedding tiara, so I've written a blog post on the main blog on the many positions a wedding tiara can be worn.  Click the link below to read it.

How to wear a Wedding Tiara

Is a wedding tiara right for you?

For some brides a wedding tiara is an obivous choice for others their not to sure, it may depend on how they want to wear their hair on the big day.  Some brides shy away from wearing a tiara as they don't know how to place it or think they might be uncomfortable to wear. If you're unsure whether a tiara is right for you, you should take a look at the article written on the main site:

A tiara or not, that's the question