customer help, wedding, headpieces, face shapes, tiaras, crowns, hair accessories

CHOOSING YOUR HEADPIECE

UNDERSTANDING YOUR FACE SHAPE

When it comes to choosing a headpiece for your wedding trousseau or special occasion, your face shape is one of the most important factors to consider. You can choose a stunning headpiece, but if it doesn’t work with your face, it isn’t going to be all you dreamed of. So instead of opting for the headpiece you have been fancying, try selecting a style that enhances your face shape.

OPTIONS

Erica Elizabeth Designs has many different headpiece styles with similar elements, so chances are we have something that will compliment your face shape and will also look good with your dress. If not, we can advise a simple customization of the style you like so that it will be perfectly suited for your appearance.

IDENTIFYING YOUR FACE SHAPE

Whether your face is a rectangle, oval, square, circle, triangle, heart or diamond shape, the right headpiece will expertly frame and balance your face while showcasing your best features. So in order to choose the most flattering headpiece style for your wedding or special occasion, you will need to identify what shape your face is.

HAIRSTYLES WITH HEADPIECES

When working with a certain face shape, a simple sweep of hair to soften your dominant features could allow you to have more fun with the placement of your headpiece. Sometimes a hairstyle will help to work in concert with a headpiece that might not be perfect for your face shape. For example, if you have an oblong or rectangle face, pulling the sides of your long hair back instead having your it around your face will minimize the elongated appearance. Working with hair styles will help to create a visual balance of your headpiece and face.

HAIR STYLIST

On your wedding day a good makeup artist is important, but when wearing a headpiece, a good hair stylist is essential. If your hair and headpiece fit together you will shine on your special day!

YOUR PERSONALITY

Hair accessories can enhance or kill your intended look. But much of this will depend on your personality. Are you discreet and at times uncomfortable with attention? Or are you full of life and not afraid to show it. Your personal character will shine like diamonds when your accessories are a perfect fit!

FOR SOME LESS IS MORE AND FOR OTHERS MORE IS MORE

I have worked with women that look best with only a few sparkling hair pins and a simple set of ear studs to finish the look. Then for others, pulling together a jewel encrusted crown with chandelier earrings and a necklace is pure perfection.

HEADPIECE & DRESS DESIGN

HEADPIECE COLORS

Many women I work with are concern whether or not a headpiece color will go with their dress. Many of Erica Elizabeth Designs headpieces are fabricated from metals which are plated in gold, silver or rose gold. They are often blended with textures and different metal colors to create a subtle patina that often goes with many different dress styles. Think of our beautiful finishes as Chameleons who’s colors blend into their surroundings!

DRESS FABRICS

Your color decision may depend on the beadwork and detail of your dress fabric. If there are no metallics in your dress, you may only need to decide if you are a gold or silver person. You would then choose your metal color based on a few things, your skin tone, jewelry or what simply is your favorite metal color is.

HEADPIECE FIT & SIZING

HEADPIECE CLOSURES

With the exception of a few, Erica Elizabeth Designs headpieces are designed as one-size-fits all with open backs. Many of our headpieces are built upon open thin spring headbands that stay comfortably in place without pinching. Others need a little help to stay in place, so we add either a thin brown elastic cord or luscious silk ribbon ties, so there is no need to worry about your head size.

Having said this, some styles will look better on petite head sizes and other are better for larger head sizes.

COMFORT

We take all of our designs on “test drives” to be sure they are comfortable with ease of wear. There is nothing worse than investing in something so precious and you cannot wear it for your entire event due to discomfort. Comfort and quality is a bit of an obsession with us!

MEASURING YOUR HEAD SIZE

If you choose a closed back headpiece & need to take a measurement for fit, please see the illustration below to learn how to measure your head size.

OVAL FACE

Thanks to their well-balanced appearance, women with oval faces look wonderful in a wide variety of headpieces.
Headbands & tiaras will especially look good on you, as well as headpieces that are worn on the forehead hairline or with a style that has some width at the sides.

OBLONG FACE

If you have an oblong face, your face tapers towards the chin. You might have a higher forehead & prominent chin. You will look pretty in styles that have some width at the sides to create an opposite balance of your shaped face or you might want to choose simple hair clips.

ROUND FACE

If you have a round face, your face width & length are almost the same, with the widest area being at the cheeks. You will look beautiful in upright headpieces that create height. Tiaras & crowns placed on top of your head will create visual balance.

SQUARE FACE

A square-shaped face features a broad forehead, wide cheekbones & a strong jawline that are almost all the same width. For a look that complements your bone structure, consider a headpiece with side details which will draw attention to your cheekbones instead of your jawline.

TRIANGLE FACE

If you have a triangle face your jaw most likely is dominant narrowing a bit up to your cheekbones & temples. This can be a striking face & a headpiece that is broad will look amazing on you allowing the focus to be drawn up from your jawline.

DIAMOND FACE

If you have a diamond shape face, which is in-between an oval & heart shape, you have won the lottery as most any headpiece style will look good on you! A woman with a diamond shape face can usually put any headpiece on & look fantastic.

RECTANGLE FACE

For a rectangle face, you should try softening the appearance of a sharp jawline & forehead without elongating your face. You will look good in most styles, but a headpiece that has some width at the sides will help to create an opposite balance of your shaped face.

HEART FACE

If you have a heart shape face, which is wide at the temples & hairline narrowing down to a small delicate chin, many different styles of headpieces will look stunning on you. You will look wonderful in crowns & asymmetric pieces with a sweep of hair to soften your forehead.

MEASURING YOUR HEADSIZE

Place a tape measure around your head about 1/8" above your ear, across the mid-forehead, completely circling your head. Hold the tape firmly, but not tightly.
Measure your head exactly where you want your headpiece to sit. Do not add any extra as we add 1/2" for hair & lining.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

HOW LONG WILL MY ORDER TAKE?

Everything in the Erica Elizabeth Designs collection is passionately handmade to order with a turnaround time of approximately 4 to 6 weeks depending on the style you choose. If you have ordered any custom changes you should allow 8 weeks for production.

WHEN SHOULD I ORDER MY HEADPIECE IN MY WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS?

Planning a wedding can be very stressful, even if you have hired a planner. Ordering your hair accessories early is an essential part of your planning process. After all, your headpiece will more likely be one of the main focuses of your bridal trousseau, so why not prioritize this important decision.

Often a bride’s hair accessories are the last decision she will make, due to waiting for the arrival of her gown. This can often lead to disappointments if there is not enough time left for production in the peak Spring and Fall busy wedding seasons.

We encourage you to start the process of ordering your headpiece shortly after you have ordered your gown. You may send us images and color swatches of your gown so we can help consult on style, color or any questions you may have.

DOES ERICA ELIZABETH DESIGNS TAKE CUSTOM ORDERS ON HEADPIECES?

We invite minor custom changes to most pieces as long as they are within the basic guidelines of Erica Elizabeth Designs collections. For example:
We can add color with stones or muted patina colors.
We can make a design higher or lower.
We can add more crystals or ornaments to an existing design to give it more brilliance & panche!
This process can take 8 to 10 weeks.

We are not willing to redesign a piece with lesser quality materials for a better price. This creates more work & cost more than making it as sampled.
Please be respectful & do not ask for discounts.

Please do not ask us to copy from images or another designers headpieces.

WHAT IS THE PRODUCTION PROCESS?

The production process of our headpieces is very complicated with many different skills and steps.

First, we fabricate and solder the metal from the raw brass ornaments.

They are then sent out to be plated in the desired finish, which can take up to 2 weeks.

When the piece is received back in our studio, we then add the finishing touches which could take several days.

Then the pieces must sit undisturbed for a few days so the enamels, paints and glues can cure. Not to mention the quality control, packing and invoicing time.

DO YOU OFFER RUSH ORDERS?

Orders must be produced in batches due to vendor minimums. So if there has been not enough time left for our production process, a one-off order must be prioritized in front of others order and a rush charge will be applied.

Your wedding day will be one of the most important days of your life. The symbolism of a wedding is as old as love itself so make it beautiful, have fun and leave time to do so!

LINDSEY BURWELL

When I produce my collection shoots, Lindsey Burwell is always my first choice due to her skills as both a makeup artist and a particularly brilliant hair stylist. Lindsey always has a keen eye for getting the proportions right when styling hair with my headpieces.

Lindsey is also a very talented artist and she drew these precious face shape illustrations for me! This is her self-portrait which truly represents her wonderful self.

Visit her website to see more of her charming artwork and Calligraphy or to book an appointment with her at Lucas Salon in Los Angeles. You will die when she washes your hair!

Thank you for reading this article about coordinating your personal look & style with an Erica Elizabeth Designs headpiece. This information has been thoughtfully written & researched based on Erica’s years of experience assisting women in the process of choosing headpieces for their wedding or special occasion.

CONTACT US

If you need more information or help, please email us via our contact page.

We encourage you to send images of yourself as well as your dress so we can recommend possible choices from the Erica Elizabeth Designs Collections.