What is the difference between a tiara, side tiara and headband? Is everyone’s definitions the same?
To be honest I thought it would be easy to answer. I can tell you what makes each one different to me but it’s was my friends on my Facebook page that gave me a different answer to my own. I posted a picture of a headpiece to my Facebook page and asked them to categorise it. I thought they would all call a side tiara – I was very wrong!
The Tiara
Let me start with what I think of as a tiara. Many would think that something like our Shelly wedding tiara shown below as a tiara, it’s a traditional peaked shape with decoration at the front and positioned at a 45 degree (ish) angle from the top of your head. But this isn’t the only type of tiara, any bridal accessory could be called a tiara if it’s placed in the correct position and has a band for a base.
The Headband
Some would be surprised to know that this could also be a tiara even though it’s name is the Imogen Bridal Headband. Many headbands can be worn as tiaras, the only difference is their placement. Wear it more or less vertically and it’s a headband, wear it 45 degrees from the top of your head and it suddenly becomes a tiara. That’s one of the reasons why I personally believe that bridal headbands are one of the easiest and flexible types of bridal accessories to wear.
Now we come to the side tiara and I posted this one on my facebook page to see if they thought it was: a, tiara, b, headband or c, side tiara.
The Side Tiara
For me I would class this as a side tiara as it’s got the decoration to the side but it could also be classed as a tiara and headband depending on it’s position. Here are the results at the time of writing this blog post. People are still giving their opinion so these results will change over time.
37 people named it a headband
9 people believed it to be a side tiara
0 no one called it a tiara
5 people called it something other than the 3 options above.
One of the other names that the facebook fans came up with was a sideband which is a name I wouldn’t have thought of for myself. So thanks for teaching me something new.
The reason I asked the question is because I was talking a look at how I categorise bridal accessories on the site. I tend to include all side tiaras and headbands under the tiara category as they can be worn as tiaras. They also go into their own categories too, so there’s a separate category for headbands and another for side tiaras. I also tend include side tiaras under the headband category because even though they have side detail many people call these headbands. I hope that makes sense. I just thought I better check if that would make sense to others too.
I’d love to her your opinion so leave a comment below. If you want to read the comments about this particular side tiara then you can do so on the facebook page here – Bridal Accessories UK
I’ve just burst my wedding bubble, for years I only thought that my hair accessories could be worn to a wedding but that’s not the case. My recent surprise on Polyvore opened my eyes to the fact that people will team some of my diamante hair jewellery with more casual outfits. Here’s an example or two:
The headband shown in the polyvore sets above, was created as a bridal headband. But since the websites users have created over 100 sets made with this headband, it’s clear to see that use of this headband as a wedding accessory isn’t it’s only destiny.
So which social event could you wear hair jewellery apart from a wedding?
Well prom’s is an obvious one, every teenage girl should have the opportunity to go to one. They should be able to feel amazing on their prom night, a stunning dress, great make up and the perfect hair accessory can help. You’d be forgiven if you thought proms and weddings were your only opportunities to put on your best frock. Charity balls, race days, engagement parties (your own of course) and even the works christmas do should give you an opportunity to wear diamante hair jewellery.
Which Diamante Hair Jewellery?
For some situations a tiara might not be appropriate but how about a headband such as this one.
Or if you’re looking for something more subtle how about simple hair pins.
These hair slides have a lovely vintage feel to them due to their filigree setting. They’re really easy to wear as they are slides, so can be worn to pin hair back or decorate complicate hair styles. For something even simpler then chose diamante hair pins and add them into your hair for just a tiny bit of sparkle. I wanted to thank the Polyvore users for sharing my creations and including them in their own sets, without them I wouldn’t have even considered using diamante hair accessories for anything else other than weddings – How narrow minded was I?
Think vintage combined with an element of nature and that’s what you’ll find in Kerrie G’s Spring 2013 collection.
Yeap I’ve hunted high and low for sublime diamante pieces I could incorporate into my designs and I think I’ve found some amazing things.
My favourite has to be the large diamante encrusted flower which only features on the Juliet Tiara Headband. In fact this tiara has many of the pieces you’ll find dotted in my other tiaras.
I’ve also used some vintage style geometric pieces too such as the ones uses on my popular Alicia Tiara and the Side Tiara 011. Some of these pieces feature in my new Raven, Ophelia and Kaela Tiaras.
I’ve also added another comb to my others in the form of the Ophelia Wedding Comb. This matches the large Ophelia tiara so could be worn by your bridesmaids.
If you prefer something a little more dainty and simple then opt for the Floral Side Tiara or Fae Wedding Headband. Both accessories are easy to wear and will suit most people.
You may have noticed that I’ve completely rejigged the jewellery on the site too. I’ve created new items to match all my tiaras so now it’s easier for you to find all your accessories in one place but feel free to mix and match.
I’d love to hear what you think of this collection. You can view it in it’s entirety here: Spring 2013 Bridal Collection.
If you haven’t looked on pinterest to get some great inspirational wedding ideas – You really SHOULD, no honestly, you could spend hours there. Here take a look at my wedding dress Pinterest board and have an explore around the site.
This hair style looks like it’s been create partly with rope braids with weave pieces of hair. I’ve seen a brilliant video on You Tube by a woman called Lilith Moon who make excellent hair tutorials, here she is showing you how to do a simple rope braid. In this video she demonstrates how to use one as a headband but it gives you a good idea of how she creates the braid.
I’d wear this hairstyle with chunky hair pins like these:
They’re big enough to be seen within this intricate wedding hair style and have a gorgeous elegant sparkle. If you don’t agree with me take a look at my other hair pins and let me know what pins you would prefer.
What type of hair style are you going to wear on your wedding day?
As you know I’ve ended up with quite a big selection of wedding headbands. I adore creating them so I thought I would share my absolute favourite with you. It’s not necessarily the easiest to make or my best seller, but out of all my bridal accessories it would be the one I would choose if I got to have my wedding day again.
So here it is.
Funny enough I’ve actually named it a side tiara as I can never decide where the definition of a headband finishes and a side tiara officially starts.
I don’t know what it is about this headband that draws me to it. Maybe it’s the combination of the luscious pearls or the glint of the diamante. I love leaving a newly finished one out on the table just for a few hours before I package it up. I like to see the amazing sparkle of the stones when I walk past it in the late evening light.
I prefer the combination of the pearls and diamante more than any other combination. I did start out my accessory designer career creating bridal accessories from just crystals and pearls. I’ve only really started working with the diamante over the last year or so. Now I find myself constantly sourcing more sparkly pieces so I can stash them away for when I get a chance to create something new (shhh don’t tell the hubby…)
If I could have my wedding day all over again then I would wear this as a tiara instead of a headband. My hair would have lots of volume at the crown. I’d wear this on a tilt to frame that volume instead of it sitting flat to my head like a headband would.
If you’re not sure what I mean when about the volume at the crown, look at the gorgeous photo below.
Hair vines seem to be one of the things that brides request often as a bespoke item. This one was a pleasure to create and it was something different to the norm. It’s a lot wider than I usually design and a lot longer. What made this challenge easy is that I had a bride to be who had a good idea of what she wanted and how she was planning on wearing it.
If you’re not aware of my normal process for creating bespoke wedding accessories then after the bride has given me a broad idea of what they’re after, I’ll create rough sketch and which is emailed with a quote. If they’re happy with the design and price, I’ll take a deposit and crack on with the work. When it’s completed, I’ll take a photo and send it to the bride and if she’s ecstatic, the remaining money is paid and it’s posted out to her.
So now I’ve explained my process, I’ll show you the hair vine.
This vine has a total length of 12 inches and a width of 2 inches. It’s been designed to wrap around a lose bun that the bride was wearing at high at the back of the head. It helps that the bride had a good idea of how she wanted to wear her hair. For me this is one of the things that should really be decided before shopping for wedding hair accessories as it gives you a good idea of the size the accessory needs to be and what type would be best suited.
If you want something created for you then this page explains my process in full: Bespoke Hair Accessories.
Bridal Style | Kerrie G+ | 
April 2, 2013 3:25 pm | 
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