Founded in 2010, Victoria Millesime has quickly built a reputation in the market for providing brides with luxurious handmade tiaras, headdresses and jewellery that are at once glamorous, sophisticated and romantic.

Owner and designer Victoria Mallinson set up her business after designing her own wedding jewellery, turning a life-long love of vintage costume jewellery and designing into a growing business.

“I have always had a passion for jewellery – as I was growing up, I regularly inherited pieces of gorgeous 1940s cocktail jewellery from my super stylish grandmother. Now I adore turning vintage treasures into new pieces – romantic designs of a by-gone time for the modern day bride, to be treasured as heirlooms for generations to come.” says Victoria.

1. Always buy your dress first. You may fall in love with a headdress or piece of jewellery, but the dress will be your biggest purchase and many brides find they end up choosing a dress completely different to what they had imagined, as you won’t know what will really suit your style and figure until you try the dresses on.
2. Think about how you are going to wear your hair before deciding whether to go for a comb or headband. If you are wearing your hair down, a comb can be difficult to keep in place, while a headband is very easy to wear in most hairstyles.
3. Practise wearing a headband to make sure it doesn’t give you a headache! At VM we use very thin, flexible silver plated headbands to minimise this, but some brides still find they can’t wear a headband all day. In this case, a comb, alligator clip or even ribbon that can be pinned in place can be used as an alternative.
4. If you are wearing a veil for your ceremony (especially if you will be wearing it over your face), consider swapping the veil for a beautiful side tiara for the reception, ensuring you are gorgeously accessorised in photos from both the ceremony and reception and keeping a surprise for your guests!
5. Less is sometimes more – if you are wearing a very detailed headdress, consider pairing this with a matching cuff bracelet rather than a necklace, as this can sometimes be too much detail too close together. I also personally think a bare neckline on a bride can be absolutely beautiful, especially if you are showing off a stunning lace dress.
6. Do consider gold accessories – most brides will go straight for silver, but gold is becoming increasingly popular. It has a wonderful warm glow to it and goes beautifully with champagne and creamy ivory wedding dresses.
7. Don’t forget your wrists! Your hands will be frequently photographed during the day, so accessorising with a beautiful bracelet or cuff will add interest to these photographs, and also provide you with a piece of jewellery that, unlike a tiara, you will have many occasions to wear again after the big day.
8. Consider a sash – they can add a stunning finishing touch to a dress and really show off the beautiful waistline that boned wedding dresses create, and can be worn again after the wedding with a little black dress!
9. My mother always told me that pearls were made to be worn – they absorb natural oils from your skin that make them glow ever more luminously. Surely that’s a good enough reason to keep them at the top of your jewellery box!
10. Finally, make sure you store your jewellery and accessories carefully – wrapping them in acid free tissue paper before storing them in their own box in a cool dry place. Jewellery should be stored in a sealed bag (zip lock bags are great for this!) to prevent tarnishing – if they do tarnish, a gentle wipe with a silver polishing cloth should restore their glory, while dirt can be carefully brushed away with an old toothbrush.

Photo credits: Hannah Mia Photography and Victoria herself