As a guest at a North African wedding, you are looking for the right balance: dressed up without outshining the bride, traditional without looking like a costume, elegant all night long. The jewellery does most of the work. Here is how to choose it, and what to wear with it.
The guest’s rule
The bride has the gold and the white beads, the full grand set, the belt. The guest takes colour and lightness: coloured stones, crystals, a necklace and earrings, sometimes a bracelet. Avoid head-to-toe white and piling it on.
Three sets for a guest
- Coloured stones : jade, turquoise, citrine-tone, rose quartz, amber-tone. A bold colour over a plain dress; €69 for necklace and earrings.
- Crystals : golden emerald-cut crystal, green and peach crystal, black and gold crystal choker. For brightly lit halls and photos.
- Beads with a statement piece : four-row choker with a crystal centrepiece, crystal heart set. One focal point, everything else understated.
Ceremony jewellery sets
Champagne crystal set — cluster necklace, emerald-cut stone & earrings
€69.00One of a kind
Ceremony jewellery sets
Green & peach crystal set — cluster necklace, bracelet, ring & earrings
€69.00One of a kind
Ceremony jewellery sets
Black & gold crystal choker — square filigree centrepiece, matching earrings
€59.00One of a kind
Ceremony jewellery sets
Four-row choker in pearlescent beads & square crystal — with matching earrings
€69.00One of a kind
You will find them all in our ceremony jewellery sets.
What to wear with it
A plain dress or a light caftan, and an embroidered piece that sets the tone: a Kabyle-style velvet waistcoat for a family celebration, a gold-thread embroidered bolero for a wedding hall. The embroidered clutch picks up a colour from the embroidery. Our guide to North African ceremony outfits gives the complete combinations.
By dress
- Black or burgundy dress: golden crystals, beads, amber-tone.
- Light dress: jade, turquoise, rose quartz.
- Bright or printed dress: white beads and medallions, which clash with nothing.
- High neck: drop earrings and a bracelet, no necklace.
Mistakes that show
- A set bigger than the bride’s.
- White from head to toe.
- Heavy earrings you take off at midnight: ours are designed to last the night.
- Embroidery over an already embroidered dress.
Budget, timing, returns
Sets from €59 to €109, made by hand in Paris. Dispatched within 3 working days, tracked delivery at €4.50, complimentary from €79, and 14 days to change your mind. For a piece made on request, give us the date of the wedding.
The four stages of a North African wedding, and jewellery that lasts
A North African wedding goes on for hours: welcome and dinner, the couple’s entrance, the bride’s changes of outfit, dancing until morning. A guest wears the same jewellery from start to finish, which calls for three things. A necklace that does not twist or catch on the bolero’s embroidery. Earrings that do not pull on the lobe after six hours: ours are made light, with closed hooks. A clasp you can open on your own, without a mirror. If you have the choice between a spectacular set and a comfortable one, take the second: it is the one you will still be wearing at three in the morning, and in the late-night photos.
Close family, friend, colleague: three levels
- Sister, cousin, sister-in-law : a full traditional outfit is expected; a medium gold-tone set, an embroidered waistcoat or bolero, a matching clutch. You can go as far as a bracelet.
- Close friend : a plain dress and an embroidered bolero, a set in coloured stones. Dressed up, not in costume.
- Colleague, acquaintance : a cocktail dress, a single statement piece, a beaded choker or a pair of earrings; no waistcoat if you do not know the family’s customs.
Frequently asked questions
Can a guest wear a gold-tone set?
Yes, as long as it stays medium-sized: necklace and earrings, not the full grand set with a belt.
Bracelet or not?
A bracelet if the necklace is short; no bracelet if the necklace is long. Never both heavy.
And for a guest who wants nothing traditional?
A plain dress, a gold-thread embroidered bolero, a set in coloured stones: dressed up, not in costume.
