In this celebrity-crazed culture, we’ve all seen wedding photos of well-known stars wearing the most gorgeous–and unbelievably expensive–jewelry on the most important day of their lives–until their next wedding. Come on! You know it’s true! Most stars divorce and remarry as often as we change underwear, and they’ll be wearing amazing jewels at every one of their weddings. Ironically, celebrity-spouse recycling is sure-fire advertising for the likes of Tiffany, Cartier, Harry Winston and all the other “jewelers to the stars.” The mere mention of who wore whose jewels at her wedding guarantees a spike in sales for these upscale designers. The more marriages there are in Hollywood, the more jewelry these folks can sell. That’s why the jewelry is freely loaned to the stars by all of these companies. But did you know you can wear the very same jewelry on your wedding day at a fraction of its cost? Simply rent it and feel like a queen–or Elizabeth Taylor–as you travel down the aisle!
The necklace at the top of the page retails for $9,800, but you can wear it on your wedding day for a mere $360. See the earrings on the right? Buy them for $29,200 or rent them for $970. An online company, Adorn Brides, is now renting diamonds or pearls in necklaces, earrings and bracelets to brides who want to dazzle with celebrity-level jewelry, but don’t have the celebrity budget. They have a lovely selection of baubles ranging from as little as $2,900 ($110 to rent) to $42,000 retail ($1,450 to rent.) I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that, when your online order is placed, there will be a non-refundable deposit of 25% of the total lease price charged to your credit card and, when you receive the jewelry, a temporary security deposit of 5% of the retail value will be added to your credit card.
So if you decide to take your place among the glitterati on your day of days, don’t brag too enthusiastically about how much your rented jewelry actually costs. Make sure every item is firmly attached to your body, and check every once in a while to make sure everything is still in place. Take out wedding insurance (a good idea, anyway!) Don’t get too wasted at your reception. If you absolutely must? smear wedding cake on each other’s faces, tell him to aim for your mouth. Finally, send everyone home with a wedding favor, like the beautiful jeweled tiara photo holder/place card holder at the left, that’s sure to remind all of your guests just how perfectly stunning and regal you looked on your wedding day.