Make Your Own Wedding Jewelry

It’s all about the beads. There’s my profound wisdom for anyone thinking about making their own wedding jewelry either for the bride or for the bridesmaids. Our bracelets were made very simply by stringing beads onto elastic, but because we had chosen pearls and crystals, the finished product had some elegance and sparkle.

Make your own wedding jewelry

For the bride, I strung a simple pattern of two pearls, a crystal, two pearls, a crystal, etc. I used the .5mm Stretch Magic brand of clear elastic cord. Once you have enough beads strung to make the right size bracelet, tie a knot and coat it with a little bit of clear nail polish to seal the knot. Finally, trim off any excess elastic cord.

AND – I made a bunch of them. If you’re making simple bracelets it helps to group them together to pump up the bling factor a bit.

Make your own wedding jewelry

I made two bracelets for each of the bridesmaids using pearls in a green color to match their dresses. For these bracelets I used the slightly thicker 1mm Stretch Magic Clear Elastic Cord. 

Make your own wedding jewelry

I used a pattern of one larger pearl, one crystal separator, a smaller pearl, one small silver bead, etc. The pearls and the Crystazzi brand of crystal separator were all purchased at Michaels Craft Store. The pearls came packaged as three strands that contained both the larger and smaller sized pearls.

I made matching earrings using the same pattern and placing the beads on a “headpin”. Once the beads are on the headpin, you turn the top part of the headpin down into a loop using a small jewelry making pliers. You may need to snip off a 1/4″ or so of the headpin if it is too long to turn into a loop.

Make your own wedding jewelry

Once you have the loop at the top, you can insert the earring wire.

earring 1

And that’s how you get 9 pairs of matching earrings and 18 matching bracelets for all your attendants!

Once you have the loop at the top, you can insert the earring wire.


If you’re considering making your own wedding jewelry, take a swatch of your bridesmaid dress fabric to the craft store if possible, and look for attractive beads that match your fabric, as well as some coordinating beads in silver or crystal. Arrange a simple pattern with your beads and make a sample bracelet or earrings. Once you know you have a design and colors that you like, you can go back to the store and purchase the remaining beads needed to make enough for everyone.

You might also like to read the other wedding articles in this series:
Make Your Own $5 Bridal Veil Tutorial
Make Your Own God’s Knot (Cord of Three Strands)

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3 Comments

  1. I just came accross your website and love it. I love using natural stuff instead of chemicals I do not trust. Please keep up the good work.Birjees Ashraf June 28th, Houston TX