That's me, forty years ago this coming Sunday.
I was a June bride, and a Victorian one at that. My dress was based on the one my Great-Grandmother had worn 75 years earlier. The biggest difference was that hers had leg of mutton sleeves that buttoned up to the elbow. It also buttoned all the way down the back.
My sleeves were short, but my dress DID button all the way down the back and had a short pull up train.....and I also wore a hat.
Hats were really popular in the early to mid-70's for bridal headpieces. Mom made the dress; I made the hat.
Whatever became of Grandma Agnes Brenneman's wedding dress is anyone's guess, but my Grandmother, Blanche Glotfelty, had a wonderful photo of Grandma in her wedding day attire. So, it was easy to copy the look from the picture.
This month at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group we are doing a June bridal challenge. It's going to be so much fun because you can go in several different directions. The B'sue Boutiques Design Team chose this challenge and these are the selected design styles:
1. Glam.....pearls, silver, glitz, big, over the top, chunky. Make a big necklace and earrings or a statement bracelet with long chandelier drops.....or an effusive charm bracelet that can be converted into a necklace. Lots of bling....
I found some pictures at the B'sue Boutiques Gallery of Inspiration that might help you get a direction! Maybe you are busy designing jewelry for your wedding...
Or maybe you would like to join us in the challenge! Many artisans have a good following for their wedding jewelry. You may find that you can make a nice sideline to your jewelry design work with bridal jewelry as well!
This bracelet was made by Mocki Rangne of MockiDesign at Etsy. You could use all silver or mix it up even more.
This is a large collar assemblage I made some time ago with silverware findings and some repurposed crystal:
Patty Kruger made this large statement cuff which would be PERFECT for a glam bride:
Renee Webb Allen made this lovely floral assemblage, perfect for a glam June bride:
And another of my faves on the Gallery is this glitz and silver necklace made by Tara Wilson of LuluMax:
Take this design and go all white with it for a glam bride....I actually did this one for a mother of the bride many years ago:
This bracelet was made for my niece, Andrea's, wedding....and it is convertible to a necklace....
The next design style chosen was 2. Victorian.
Here are some inspiring photos for you to consider:
This is a delicate Shabby Whites style by Catherine Shattuck:
Just a demure touch of pink makes it perfect!
Don't you love this gorgeous bouquet bracelet made by Judy Jones King of Apt to Wander, also a member of the B'sue Boutiques Design Team?
She used our silverware luggage tag finding for the base on that one.
A modern Victorian style bride would love something sentimental in a message bracelet. This was made by Cynthia Wainscott of Exotic Peru, also a design team member.
Cherie Barnes of Cherie's Pottery does a beautiful job with brass colorization and filigree which she layers and manipulates. This sentimental design could carry a mother or a grandmother's photo.
Do it in whites with a little blush pink and a hint of silver or gold.
Another beautiful Victorian look is crafted bib-style by Marcia Tuzzolino of Aurora Designs from findings found at B'sue Boutiques
The flowers are polymer clay, and made by Marcia, who is also a Design Team member.
The following delicate, sentimental pieces are made by Pamela Anger and could easily be adapted for June brides....just change color! Also great for the wedding party attendants!
These are from Pam's Tre Rose line, which she perfected for the Build a Line Challenge a few months back. Pam hand-makes all the little polymer clay roses.
Find Pam at Novegatti Jewelry at Facebook.
Then we have 3. Boho:
Boho looks are decidedly retro hippie-chic with an aside to Art Nouveau design of the 20's. The dresses are long, loose and filmy, perfect for outdoor and beach weddings. The bride commonly wears a floral wreath as a headpiece and many times, ankle jewelry. Necklaces are layered and long. Here are some looks from our Gallery that might inspire you:
These earrings are colorized in pale pastels and pearl drops and are made from the handle part of one of our smaller brass spoon findings. They would work for a Victorian bride as well!
Cindy Cima Edwards made this long necklace with a cameo pendant.....which would work nicely for a Boho bride:
As you can see it was published in Jewelry Affaire magazine.
This was some easy fun I produced a few years back. It would be perfect for a Boho bride if you went with our antique silver bead and link chain, pearls and pearl button dangles, adding some little silverware charms to accent!
There are many ways to go with a style like the one I'm showing you, below. Do it all in silvers and whites with maybe just a HINT of blush color. Lengthen it for a Boho Bride.......shorten the length a bit for a Victorian bride. This is a design I've made many different ways in the last fifteen years since I began to play around with it and it's become a favorite of our group, too!
I thought Leila West's (Leila Nicole Design at Etsy) bracelets would be perfect not only for Boho brides but also for their attendants:
Boho design lovers love to layer bracelets.! So, think of other looks you could make to pair with pieces like these, and wear multiples.
These charm bracelets made on our skinny bangle with 20 ga Beadsmith wire and random charms would be great for the Boho bride!
Here is video on how you can do it:
At last we have 4. Steampunk:
The Steampunk style gives a wide berth for creativity as both the bride AND the groom wear jewelry.
Here's a great design from Robin Taylor Delargy:
For a groom OR a bride!
Renee Byrd of Designs Bloom crafted this layered statement cuff:
I made the piece in the photo below, it was easy to craft:
Linzi Alford of Magpie in the Sky will very soon be a bride, herself! Check out this great looking set of jewelry that she made a little while back from B'sue products:
Beautifully crafted in sparkling silverware and crystal bling....and definitely Steampunk-inspired!
Another showy piece from Cherie Barnes of Cherie's Pottery could be Steampunk OR Boho. Just go with silvers, pale golds or shabby white colorization of the brass, for your bride:
I hope you enjoyed our little show of inspirational pieces and that they've given you some great new ideas.
If you need more ideas, simply visit the Gallery of Inspiration
There are almost 900 photos there of amazing work done by users of B'sue Boutiques products and members of the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group.
By the way....
If you have not yet joined the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group please consider this your personal invitation.
We are a large, welcoming group of mixed media jewelry designers but we also bead, do metalwork, wire jewelry, and polymer clay! I actively promote great work that has employed products from our large website, B'sue Boutiques
You do NOT have to be using our products to join or share in the fun.
Some folks find this sort of work new and may feel they need to observe for a bit. No problem!
We have monthly challenges, weekly events and on **Mondays**, you may also post assemblage pieces like decorated frames, candles, altered bottles, bridal bouquets made of jewelry, decorated purses and lunch boxes, etc.
There are lots of surprises and gifts for participation.
You owe it to yourself to check it out....and share the news with your creative friends!
Great inspiration Brenda .. I really enjoyed taking a stroll thru all of these beautiful pieces ..
Posted by: Jann Tague | June 10, 2015 at 05:27 PM
As always a most interesting read,
My daughter had my mothers wedding dress dismantled and parts used in her dress when she remarried 2 years ago. Mums dress was 78 years old at that time and had started to fall apart.
Posted by: Lynn | June 10, 2015 at 05:47 PM
Lovely inspiration! Happy Anniversary to you and your husband, B'sue!
Posted by: Renee Hong | June 10, 2015 at 06:24 PM
How lovely and inspiring all these gorgeous jewels are, everything is just breathtaking.
Posted by: kristy leTrendy Jewelry Desings | June 10, 2015 at 08:32 PM
Fantastic blog post, Brenda!! Thanks for sharing my Victorian bridal necklace. Lots of inspiration here.
Posted by: Marcia Tuzzolino | June 11, 2015 at 01:28 PM
Fantastik pieces, great read.
Posted by: gloria allen | June 12, 2015 at 10:35 AM
I LOVED this blog! All the photos and ideas of the 4 styles of jewelry were wonderful. Enjoyed seeing pix of Brenda and reading about her family. :):)
Posted by: Alexandra Sefton | June 13, 2015 at 10:21 PM
Beautiful, awe-inspiring jewelry to make a bride even more beautiful
on her big day!
I am almost a year late with this comment but I only just now found
your blog.
I loved your wedding picture; you were as beautiful as the wedding dress you were wearing; thank you so much for sharing precious memories with us! May God continue to bless you and yours.
Posted by: Kay Baldwin | April 28, 2016 at 11:40 PM