The perfect bridal handbag is an essential part of looking stylish from head to toe. It needs to compliment the other aspects of your wedding attire and the mood and formality of your wedding. When it comes to selecting your bridal handbag, you should give some consideration to color, size, style and decoration.

The ideal time to shop for a bridal handbag is after you have selected your dress and shoes, because this helps you work back in with your overall look much more easily.

Color

The most obvious color choice is the same shade of white or cream as your dress, but it is not always easy to color match precisely. If you want an exact match, you may be able to have a bag made up in the same sort of fabric as your dress. However, remember that an exact match is not necessary to achieving an attractive look. When looking at bridal handbags, try to visualize your outfit as a whole. Think about how you want to style your hair, your flowers and other accessories. Is there another accent color you will be adorned with that you could replicate with your choice of handbag? For example, if you are carrying pink roses, a pink handbag could look very nice. Another option is to choose either a silver or gold handbag, based on your jewelry metal color.

Size

A bridal handbag is not supposed to be one of the more obvious elements of your wedding attire; its role is to simply house a few essentials that you may need during the day. So think discreet when it comes to size. Try to look for a handbag that is not much bigger than your hand in each direction.

Style

Remembering that your handbag is only one element of your head to toe appearance, you need to pay special consideration to the style you choose. This is because the style is the strongest element to convey mood and you want to be consistent in projecting the mood you are going for. For example, if you are wearing a Grecian inspired gown with lots of draping, a soft, simple handbag would tie in nicely. In contrast, if you are wearing a more modern bridal gown, a clutch purse might be a better match. Remember that your hands are often full on your wedding day, you have a bouquet to carry, hugs to accept and food and drink to hold. So it is a good idea to choose a style that offers a small wrist strap so that when you want your bag at hand you can simply drop it over your wrist.

Decoration

You need to consider how the level of decoration interplays with your wedding dress. If your dress is quite simple, you might like to choose a bag that features embroidery, diamantes, beading or sequins. In reverse, if your dress is heavily decorated, it is best to stick to a simple bag. If your dress is somewhere in between you might like to echo subtle details between your dress and bag.

Good luck shopping for the perfect wedding handbag!

Learn more about this author, Kimberley Heit.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to choose a bridal handbag?
We want to hear your view. Write now!