Vow & Forever
Wedding Merch
by Melissa Rose Bernardo
WEDDING 120 GIFTS FOR BRIDES, GROOMS, ’MAIDS, AND MORE FOR THE BIG DAY AND BEYOND 2 1
Pearls
1 / Floating Bubble necklace with diamonds and 8 mm–13 mm South Sea cultured pearls in 18k white gold on platinum collar; price on request; Sean Gilson for Assael; info@assael.com; assael.com
2 / 14k yellow gold Peek-a-Boo hoop earrings with tsavorite garnets and detachable freshwater peacock pearl charms with amethysts; $2,390; Mejia Jewelry; elise@ mejiajewelry.com; mejiajewelry.com
3 / 14k yellow gold baroque pearl Scepter brooch; $5,500; Mateo; sales@mateonewyork.com; mateonewyork.com
4 / Miriam earrings in 14k goldplated brass with detachable shell pearl drops; $195; Bounkit; 212-244-1877; bounkit.com
5 / Siren earrings with white pearls and moonstones in sterling silver; $775; Nakard; sales@nakarmstrong. com; nakarmstrong.com
6 / 3.5 mm–4 mm freshwater white pearl band ring with 0.16 ct. t.w. diamonds in 14k white gold; $1,135; Mastoloni; 800-347-3275; mastoloni.com
6 WEDDING 121 4 3 5
1 / Zodiac 14k gold and diamond necklace (shown in Capricorn); $3,150; Eriness; orders@eriness. com; eriness.com
2 / Custom Diamond Medallion in 18k yellow and white gold with diamond baguettes and two to four pavé custom diamond letters; $9,245; Foundrae; 844-731-0808; foundrae.com
3 / Alphabet Letters necklace in 18k gold with pavé diamonds; $5,200; Future Fortune; mark@markdluxury. com; futurefortunejewelry.com
4 / Large Beaded Radiant Heart Gemstone L(abradorite), O(pal), V(iolet amethyst), E(merald) acrostic medallion; $2,050 (chain sold separately); Scribe; hello@ scribejewelry.com; scribejewelry.com
5 / Enamel Letter huggie in 14k yellow gold; $395 (sold as single); Alison Lou; wholesale@alisonlou. com; alisonlou.com
6 / Name Graffiti ID tag in 14k gold with diamonds; $1,200; Heather B. Moore; direct@heatherbmoore.com; heatherbmoore.com
122
WEDDING
Personalized 3 6 5 4 2 1
1 / Artemisia hair barrette in silver-tone metal with clear crystals; $195; Ben-Amun; 212-944-6480; ben-amun.com
2 / Lucia Peony headband with crystals on silk-satin with grosgrain lining; $298; Jennifer Behr; wholesale@jenniferbehr.com; jenniferbehr.com
3 / Lele x SJP ivory bow barrette with faux pearls; $65; Lele Sadoughi; sales@lelesadoughi. com; lelesadoughi.com
4 / The Rocky pin in stainless steel with pink stones; $149; Deborah Pagani; info@deborahpagani.com; deborahpagani.com
5 / Manus hairpin in sterling silver; $345; Ariana Boussard-Reifel; sales@arianaboussardreifel.com; arianaboussardreifel.com
WEDDING 124
1 4 5 2 3 Hair
1 / Long Girandole earrings with white quartz and porcelain fabric in white rhodium–washed sterling silver; $2,300; Larkspur & Hawk; wholesale@larkspurandhawk.com; larkspurandhawk.com
2 / Fluted Button 7-Drop earrings in 18k yellow gold with diamonds; $16,795; Lizzie Mandler; jessica@ lizziemandler.com; lizziemandler.com
3 / Stella Sunburst earrings with diamonds in 14k yellow gold; $90,000; Marlo Laz; sales@ marlolaz.com; marlolaz.com
4 / Sparkler Transform earrings in 14k yellow gold with 1.6 cts. t.w. diamonds; $6,900; Eden Presley; sales@edenpresley.com; edenpresley.com
5 / Kent Geo VII earrings with 6.5 cts. t.w. shield-shape spinel and white diamond pavé in 18k blackened white gold; $9,250; Eva Fehren; 646-8613595; evafehren.com
WEDDING 126
2 4 5 3 1 Statement
1 / Marine Star in stainless steel with mother-of-pearl dial and silicone strap; $695; Bulova; 800-228-5682; bulova.com
2 / Club Campus 38 Nonstop Red in stainless steel with vegan velour velvet gray strap; $1,650; Nomos Glashütte; sales@glashuette.com; nomos-glashuette.com
3 / T1/08 Bauhaus in stainless steel with lacquer bezel and three-layer dial; $1,264; SevenFriday; usa@ sevenfriday.com; sevenfriday.com
4 / Canfield Chrono 43 mm with PVD gold stainless steel case and bracelet; $1,195; Shinola; 844-7446652; shinola.com
5 / Luminor Due Pastello in stainless steel with light blue gradient dial; $7,900; Panerai; 877-726-3724; panerai.com
WEDDING 127
2 4 5 3 1 Watches
Getting Married Today
b y Amy Elliott
MODEL: COURTESY OF L a POINTE WEDDING 128 WHAT DOES THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA OF WEDDINGS AND ENGAGEMENTS LOOK LIKE? BEFORE YOU START CURATING YOUR SHOWCASES FOR THE NEXT (BIG!) WAVE OF RING SHOPPERS, GET TO KNOW THEM AND THEIR PRIORITIES.
Diamond Trace Cloud ring in 18k gold; $12,000; KatKim; 213-2657947; katkimfine jewelry.com
Natasha East-West Marquise Diamond Wrap ring in 18k yellow gold; starting at $15,000; Natasha Schweitzer; info@ natashaschweitzer. com; natasha schweitzer.com
W
W(From top) Novi Diamond, Touch Diamond, Touch, and Quinta Diamond stack rings in 14k gold, $980–$2,965 each; White/ Space; info@ whitespacejewelry. com; whitespace jewelry.com
HEN IT COMES to engagement and wedding rings, a “three-year tailwind” is coming, predicts Jamie Singleton, group president and chief consumer officer of Signet, the parent company of 11 retail jewelry brands in the United States and U.K., including Zales, Kay Jewelers, Jared, Blue Nile, and JamesAllen.com.
“You would think there’d be a bit more pullback on spending for weddings. But we’re not seeing that. Weddings are still going pretty big.”
—Brittny Drye, Love Inc.
“The COVID-induced disruption of dating three and a half years ago impacted engagement levels,” Singleton tells JCK “Pre-pandemic, there would typically be about 2.8 million engagements every year in the United States. Last year, that number was between 2.1 million and 2.2 million.
“We expect the engagement rate to recover back to prepandemic levels over three years,” Singleton adds.
Since the start of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, couples have had a lot of time to think, daydream, and reflect on what they want in a wedding. This cohort also has consumed a steady diet of social media content. And they are taking the next step in their relationship against the backdrop of geopolitical turbulence.
How do these factors influence how couples set priorities, if at all? And what are the reigning aesthetics in terms of style? (Hot
tip: Mason jars, once a staple of rustic-themed weddings, are out.) Finally—and this is the big question—are Generation Z couples scaling back due to the economy?
JCK put these questions to a group of wedding pros. Look to their answers to inform your JCK Las Vegas shopping list.
SPENDING
By all accounts, couples are not scaling back on their wedding spending. “The Gen Z population is still obsessed with luxur y,” says Amy Shey Jacobs, founder and creative director of Chandelier Events in Ridgewood, N.J. “But there’s a heightened consciousness. The tone of the wedding matters.” In other words, while they’re not necessarily going to minimize their total spend, they are mindful of the optics—a gratuitously lavish or ostentatious celebration is to be avoided at all, well, costs.
David band in recycled 18k yellow gold with hidden lab-grown diamond; $1,662; Nue Fine Jewelry; info@ nuefinejewelry.com; nuefinejewelry.com
MODELS (L.–R.): COURTESY OF PETER LANGNER; SERGIO FLORES/IMAXTREE.COM WEDDING 129
Peter Langner spring 2023
Viktor & Rolf spring 2023
Baguette-cut single diamond band; price on request; Lauren Addison; 646-836-9821; laurenaddison.com
Brittny Drye, founder and editor-in-chief of Love Inc., a nationally distributed LGBTQ+-inclusive print and online wedding publication, agrees. “You would think that there’d be a little bit more pullback on spending for weddings. But we’re not seeing that. Weddings are still going pretty big.”
CUSTOMIZATION
Post-pandemic couples expect to be able to tweak and customize just about everything. Vendors—and jewelers—who offer static packages or styles with no allowance for modification are doing it wrong.
Shelley Brown, head of brand partnerships at the Natural Diamond Council, recently got engaged and made several adjustments to an existing Ashley Zhang design to suit her vision of something that “looks like a vintage ring you might find in the jewelry box of a glamorous relative,” she says.
“Even small customizations like changing the orientation of a stone or adding engraving can make a very classic design feel special and speaks to the overarching trend of bridal consumers looking to stand out, even in subtle ways,” Brown says.
SOCIAL MEDIA
If you want to meet post-pandemic couples where they are and find out where their obsessions originate, get comfortable with TikTok, Jacobs advises.
Wedding experts have noted a slight shift away from the Instagram era, “where everything was very controlled and you didn’t really see people’s imperfections,” says Bethany Pickard, owner of Modern Kicks Event Design in Kingston, N.Y. “So there’s a lot less focus on perfection and more on real moments, because TikTok has shown people who are more authentic.”
GENDER INCLUSIVITY
It’s not a trend; it’s reality. “There’s a huge percentage of young millennials and Gen Zers who identify as LGBTQ,” Drye says. “If they are not LGBTQ themselves, they likely have people in their close circle who are.”
Drye says that couples are doing lots of research before moving forward with meetings and bookings to see if potential vendors—including jewelers—are on board with inclusivity.
Meanwhile, in terms of style, Drye says she’s frustrated by the fact that genderless jewelry tends to focus on “big, thick bands that feel very cis-driven and heteronormative.” Offering wedding bands in a range of widths and including styles with delicate details like pavé or engraving is a safe bet.
MODELS (FROM TOP): COURTESY OF RIME ARODAKY; COURTESY OF CARLO PIGNATELLI WEDDING 130
5 mm rose-cut diamond Crown Bezel Diamond eternity ring in 14k yellow gold; $15,880; Grace Lee; contact@gracelee. com; gracelee.com
Rime Arodaky fall 2023
Higar Novias spring 2023
MULTIPLE LOOKS
Opportunities to sell wedding-day jewelry have increased because brides and grooms are donning new looks for every phase of the wedding weekend, from the rehearsal dinner to the farewell brunch. In other words, it’s a complete wardrobe of outfits (all requiring jewels).
The most common outfit change is the dress switch-up, where the bride changes into something slinkier or shorter for the reception; often the main dress has a detachable skirt or a similarly convertible feature. “They might keep the jewelry simple for the ceremony, and then as the night progresses, it gets bolder,” Pickard says.
ECO-CONSCIOUSNESS
You probably already know that environmental concerns are top of mind for today’s couples. “They’re asking their caterer about reducing waste and their carbon footprint,” Drye says. “It’s the same with their floral designer. For transportation, they’re asking about electric vehicles.”
Arlo engagement ring with 1.54 ct. antique old mine–cut diamond in 18k yellow gold; $14,800; Ashley Zhang; 347268-3526; ashley zhangjewelry.com
These considerations, Drye says, “are definitely integrated into their planning decisions.”
The same is true for engagement rings. Ethical mining and sourcing remain very hot topics, so retailers should be prepared to address those concerns and try to work with suppliers that emphasize transparency and sustainability.
Rachel Leonard, editorial director of The Bridal Council in New York City, says the shift to a more sustainable mindset is unmistakable. “Maybe they’re redoing a diamond ring that was handed down,” she says. “People are wearing heirloom veils to pass down. Or they’re thinking about ways to recycle flowers [by giving them to charity or taking them to a hospital]. They are more conscientious about all of that—the green.
“They don’t want to do wasteful things like favors,” Leonard adds. “But a piece of jewelry is not a favor.” You can say that again!
Chambray ring with 0.01 ct. hidden love stone diamond; $1,630; State Property; team@ thisisstateproperty. com; thisisstate property.com
Wedding Trends Cheat Sheet
We’ve highlighted some key words and concepts trending among engaged couples in 2024
RECEPTION STYLES
• Nostalgia (flash film photography, vinyl records, Champagne towers, 1950s cakes with thick retro piping)
• Euro aesthetics (Lake Como, South of France estate weddings)
• Anthropologie (eclecticism, found objects, vintage, bohemian)
• Return to warmth (no more gray; no more white, ultramodern “blank canvas” spaces)
• Quiet luxury
INFLUENCES
• Taylor Swift
• Over the Moon wedding blog
• TikTok
• Sofia Richie
• Nicola Peltz
FASHION
• Floral motifs
• Maximalist sleeves
• Pearl embellishments
• Genderless formalwear (one to watch: Wiederhoeft)
• Multiple outfits and costume changes
• Refurbishing dresses to wear again
• Bows
fall
MODELS (TOP): JOSE VILLA/COURTESY OF MONIQUE LHUILLIER; (BOTTOM) COURTESY OF EISEN STEIN; SWIFT: MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY; CHAMPAGNE: SLAINIE/ADOBE STOCK WEDDING 131
Monique Lhuillier
2023
Eisen Stein fall 2023
