Bridal and Pearl Etiquette

Gifting the Same – The bridesmaids’ gifts shoud be all the same. Among appropriate gifts: a bracelet of cultured pearls. If bracelets are the choice, a triple strand for the maid of honor and single strands for the bridesmaids are suggested by etiquette advisers.– UPI, 1958

The Pearl Tradition 

Bridal dresses today are so attractively designed, that they need very little in the way of jewelry to set them off. However, for many decades, simple strand of pearls, pendant or earrings, has been a natural accompaniment. One reason for this is the lovely legend that has grown up around pearls. Besides being the birthstone for June, the month in which most weddings occur, pearls symbolize modesty and purity.

Ancient legends from the Orient indicated that pearls fashioned binding ties and cemented love and friendship. Pearls were not only used on women’s garments, but also on ceremonial robes worn by priests, and embroidered on lavish tapestries hung on palace walls. According to etiquette, pearls, plus the marriage diamonds, are the only proper jewels on this great occasion. 

In past cultures, gifts of fine jewelry were first given to a young girl by her parents. Even today, a mother or father will present a beloved daughter with a fine strand of cultured pearls at the time she reaches her sixteenth birthday, graduates from school, or marries. Pearls are also traditional as the gift from the groom, although this is often in the form of a pin or earrings, since the bride, in many cases, already possesses her pearl strand.– The Herald-Journal, 1968

Etiquette Enthusiast,Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia