Ladies, before you go purchasing any and everything new you can find for your wedding day, take an honest inventory of what’s already in your closet. Seriously. The earrings I wore on my NYC wedding day? I owned them for almost 19 years when I pulled them out to wear in the above pic. My shoes were about 5 years old. And no this wasn’t an effort for me to add a hip, vintage “something old” into my ensemble. The earrings were first worn to a high school scholarship dinner I had to attend back in…you do the math. I happened to pull them out again because the faux pearls and rhinestones worked with the jeweled comb and bracelet I was loaned for the day. (My dress was new, however. I picked it up on sale at Sak’s one evening after work.) Yep, it was that random. But, I adore the way my entire look came together. I felt absolutely great — dare I say blissful — that day. Being in love and feeling the love from so many friends and family probably helped.

Planning brides, I beg you: Do not believe the wedding hype and think that you must purchase new this, that and the third for your strut down the aisle. You don’t. Chances are you already own stylish pieces you look and feel good in that can work fabulously for your bridal look. Try them on with your dress (or jumpsuit if that’s more your speed) and you just might be pleasantly surprised. The final result would be more personal and unique, too. Oh and the extra money saved can be used toward something else like an exotic honeymoon — win, win.

Enjoy shopping in your own closet!