The right accessory makes you look put-together without effort — and without taking anything away from the bride. Here's how to choose one.

The golden rule

One focal point. If your dress is a statement or your earrings are bold, the hair accessory stays quiet (a band in a matching tone, a thin headband). If the look is clean, you can wear a crystal headband or a flower brooch.

By time of day

• Daytime / outdoor wedding: natural fabrics, soft colours, fabric flowers, straw. No hard sparkle.
• Evening / formal wedding: velvet, silk, a headband with pearls or matte crystals.

By hairstyle

• Loose hair: a padded headband or thin band, worn behind the ears.
• Half-up: a headband with a side detail, seen in three-quarter view.
• Bun or ponytail: a band tied at the back, or a brooch pinned to the updo.

Colours that always work

Tone-on-tone with your dress, or warm neutrals (gold, cream, camel) that go with everything. Black is elegant but can weigh a daytime look down.

A fascinator alternative

If a fascinator feels like too much, a worked headband or a fabric flower gives the same "occasion" signal with more comfort — and it stays on through the dancing. The pieces in the luxury collection are the dressiest; the headbands cover everyday-elegant; the flower brooches pin to an updo or a lapel. Most can be made in the colour you need.