Something Old, Something New

While some religions like are very strict when it comes to wedding gowns and bridal accessories, you can still bend the rules and honor the wedding traditions of your culture. It's not always easy, however, which means you should dedicate a little time to researching your heritage before you get too creative.

For example, when Tina (a recent bride from Norway living in New York) decided it was time for her to find a traditional wedding headpiece, she went with the herb wreath common in her culture but wore a stylish updo for her wedding hairstyle.

Michelle, a Chinese bride, decided to add a modern spin to her wedding by wearing red and gold crystal hairpins in her wedding hairstyle to match her ceremonial red wedding gown.

"I knew I wanted to incorporate the colors from the tartan kilt my fiancé was wearing," said Jennifer, a Scottish bride, "so I used blue and green flowers and used those colors in my bridal tiara."

Catherine, a Spanish bride, wanted to remember her heritage by wearing a bridal tiara with colored stones to match the embroidery on her Flamenco-style wedding gown. "I wanted a different twist on the white wedding dress and bridal veil."

How did they honor tradition and get the wedding day look they wanted? Here's a tip that will help you emulate these creative brides:

Use traditional colors or patterns in non-traditional ways, like using flowers or colored stones in your bridal headpiece or tiara. Use accents of jade if want to include some green, rose quartz to capture the look of cherry blossoms, or tanzanite stones to capture the look of African violets.