Something Old to Something New!
Custom Wedding Hair Pins from a Family Heirloom
What an honor it was to be asked to design such meaningful, custom hair pins for Jenna’s wedding. Jenna wanted to honor her grandmother by wearing her wedding headpiece, but redesigned for her modern bridal style. Jenna’s grandmother, now 96 years old, wore the headpiece when she got married 75 years ago. Bebe, as Jenna calls her, would not be able to travel to the destination wedding, so bringing this heirloom along was very important to Jenna.
Jenna used my custom consult form and forwarded inspiration photos, so I had an idea of the style she was after. She wanted a short hair vine look that would compliment her half-up wedding hairstyle. Also, once I saw photos of her in her gown, I had my own inspiration. The gown had wispy, leaf like pattern to the lace. I immediately drew the shaped in my design notebook and awaited the arrival of the headpiece.
While I had reservations about the fragile nature of the piece, it arrived safely and I was excited to get started. As I slowly deconstructed a few flowers from the headpiece, I realized just how fragile it was. The flowers seemed to be paper, possibly dipped in wax. They snapped rather easily and I considered stopping the design project. I reached out to a designer friend for advice, she warned me to stop and send the heirloom back to avoid disappointing the family. Being a bit stubborn, I reached out to Jenna, explained just how fragile the flowers were and she insisted I continue. Her faith in me reignited my confidence in the design process.
I sketched a layout for the pins and decided to use one small comb and two hair pins, so the weight of the flowers wouldn’t weigh down her bridal hairstyle. We agreed on the design which included freshwater pearls and vintage rhinestones along with wispy handcrafted leaves. Jenna wanted silver, so I created petite leaves using silver seed beads. The look was very similar to her inspiration photos and my sketches; this is where the design magic happens.
Each flower had a delicate center that added beautiful texture, but as I pulled them off their original ‘stem’ they unraveled and many tore apart. The material was like a light raffia, very lightweight. I was dedicated to saving them, so I disassembled more flowers than I needed for the pins and used tiny dabs of glue to secure them to newly made floral stems. I used a mix of natural white pearls to coordinate with Jenna’s off-white gown and vintage rhinestones I had in my trove of stones and findings.
Jenna was very pleased with the custom hair pins and wanted coordinating bridal jewelry. Since the hair pins had round freshwater pearls, we decided to use them in her custom necklace and earrings. She wanted a simple pearl pendant on a silver beaded chain to add some delicate details. For her earrings, I used cubic zirconia posts for a timeless bridal look. She wanted graduated pearls and I had just the right combo of sizes to make it happen. The result was a beautiful bridal jewelry set.
This project will always hold meaning for me. Having Jenna entrust me with the redesign of her family heirloom, with such fragile pieces, means so much to me. She was so pleased with the results and the beauty of her wedding day shows just how well these custom wedding accessories fit with her wedding style. All custom work should be be this successful and meaningful!
“Exceeding Expectations: Bringing My Vision to Life in Spectacular Fashion!
I wholeheartedly endorse Carrie for your bespoke wedding jewelry needs, especially if you’re considering repurposing a cherished family heirloom. I was fortunate enough to receive my grandmother’s bridal headpiece, a precious relic from 75 years ago. Despite its age and fragility, Carrie fearlessly took on the challenge. I entrusted her with transforming this heirloom into custom hairpins, and she performed absolute magic! Carrie’s communication was exemplary throughout the entire process, from conceptualization to execution, and she worked with remarkable efficiency. Witnessing the finished pieces brought immense joy, particularly when sharing them with my grandmother. Alongside the exquisite hairpins, Carrie also crafted matching earrings and a necklace, treating each element with the utmost care and attention. I must confess, the hairpins are no doubt the highlight of my wedding ensemble. Thank you, Carrie, for making my special day even more memorable!”
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