For a bride, her bridal jewelry is as essential for her as her bridal outfit. Indian weddings have the concept of Solah Shringar—the ritual of sixteen adornments for the bride that transforms her into a true bride, into a goddess. Without these sixteen adornments, each having its own symbolic meaning, her bridal ensemble is incomplete. One of these adornments is the bridal necklace.
Irrespective of whether every bride adheres to this ritual religiously or follows a condensed version of it, bridal jewelry is now an indispensable part of the bridal trousseau. And among the entire set, the bridal necklace is arguably the most important element and the most versatile one as well.
Over the years, the trends have changed and the options have become more and more abundant, making it easier to find something that reflects your style and personality or create something through mix and match that does. This is where the art of layering comes into the picture.
Image courtesy: Threads WeRIndia
With the inexhaustible range of styles and designs available, you can take two or more bridal necklaces and create a completely unique look that’s true to you, with the added benefit of being able to wear the necklaces individually to different events in the future.
The Art of Layering Bridal Necklaces
Perfectly layering your bridal necklaces is nothing less than an art. It takes understanding the type of necklaces and what would go with the style of your bridal outfit—trust us, understanding the relationship between necklines and bridal necklaces is in itself a skill. But once you do, you’re going to ace your every single time, no matter what the occasion, the outfit, and the style of your necklace. And that’s why we’re here!
As your trusted personal wedding stylists, we’ve created this unique guide to help you ace the art of layering bridal necklaces, be it your own wedding, some other Indian wedding that you’re attending as a guest, or a different occasion altogether. So, let’s get straight into it!
Take your outfit's neckline into consideration.
It might not seem important but the relationship between necklaces and necklines is more intertwined and deeper than you think! The right necklace-necklace pair can add chaar chaand to your bridal look, whereas a mismatched necklace can break it.
If your outfit has a crew neckline or a V-neck, you can go for a choker necklace, which you can then pair with a longer necklace, such as rani haar. Alternatively, specifically in the case of a V-neck, you can pair a dainty choker with a heavier bib necklace of a similar color palette.
Experiment with different shapes and styles.
Making an exquisite look requires choosing the perfect wedding necklace in terms of size and pattern. But that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with varying sizes and styles! If you’re wearing a heavy medium or long statement necklace, you can wear it with dainty single-line chokers or longer pendant necklaces.
Consider the rule of three.
If two also isn’t enough for you and still would like to add more to the opulence, you can try the golden rule of three—pairing a heavier necklace with two relatively simpler necklaces. Keep in mind the three common locations—the neck, collarbone, and over the neckline on the chest.
Experiment with lengths and proportions.
Choosing necklaces of various lengths is the secret to successfully layering necklaces. Start by choosing a couple of necklaces in short, medium, and long lengths. The medium necklace should ideally rest on/around your collarbone, the long necklace should rest on your chest, and the short necklace should rest just at the base of your neck. This will produce a layered effect that appears balanced and pleasant from a visual standpoint. Keep in mind that the longest piece of jewelry you wear shouldn't extend below your naval.
Maintain a theme.
It's vital to keep to a theme even when blending different textures and designs to add variety to your layered necklace appearance. Choose necklaces that share a characteristic, such as color, type of material, or style. By doing this, you can make sure your layered necklaces look intentional rather than accidental.
While maintaining the theme among necklaces, you should also keep in mind that your layered bridal necklaces go well together with your attire as well. Consider wearing gold necklaces, for instance, if your dress contains gold embroidery. On the other hand, you might choose silver necklaces if your attire is silver. Metals can also be mixed and matched, but exercise caution. Your necklaces shouldn't contrast with one another.
Look around for inspiration!
While you can mix and match and experiment with different shapes, styles, and colors by yourself, if at any point you feel stuck, or don’t know where to start, you can always look around for inspiration! And the easiest place to start with is, you guessed it, Bollywood. A number of Bollywood brides sported perfectly layered bridal necklaces for their wedding day.
While Anushka Sharma decided to go for the classic choker necklace-rani haar combination, Sonam Kapoor went traditional by pairing the Rajasthani Aadh necklace with the Guttapusalu necklace, which is an ode to the Coromandel coast of Andhra Pradesh. While these two stuck to the classic two-necklace combination, Priyanka Chopra went all out by layering multiple long-length bridal necklaces that covered her entire upper body.
Image courtesy: Sonam Kapoor
Don’t overdo it.
Although layered bridal necklaces can be elegant and chic, it's vital to avoid overdoing it. Too many necklaces layered at once can appear jumbled and disorganized. Stick to two to three pieces, and make sure they go well together.
The art of layering bridal necklaces is a fantastic way to add style, grace, and an element of YOU to your bridal ensemble. The tips we just shared with you will help you create an elegant appearance that will reflect the true you. Keep in mind to experiment with sizes, combine various materials and styles, and adhere to a theme. Keep experimenting and with a little effort and time, you can master the art of layering necklaces and create a look that is distinctively you.
