7 Ways to Style a Wedding Brooch for Wedding Guests

There's something about choosing a wedding brooch that's exciting. That promise of a joyful celebration to come. In my experience at my John Lewis Pop Up Shops, the wedding brooch is often the last accessory a woman searches for when she's putting together her outfit. Yet a wedding brooch really delivers that wow factor, and takes your outfit to another level. 

Here I am in a favourite wedding guest outfit (I bought the bolero in Orvieto, Italy, just before a dear friend's wedding) and I just love the way my tiger brooch adds interest to the cover up, and picks out the silver in the bow. 

Sometimes at my Pop Up Shops I watch women pick up brooches almost absentmindedly (the sparkles do draw so many of us in) - and their whole face changes as they catch sight of themselves in the mirror.

A single brooch, pinned in the right place, has this quiet magic of pulling an entire wedding guest outfit together.

Where's the best placement for a wedding brooch?

Here's the thing I want every customer to know: a brooch isn't just for pinning to a lapel. Over the years, I've discovered so many beautiful, unexpected ways to wear one - and each one transforms your outfit differently.

In this guide, I'll walk you through seven of my favourite ways to style a wedding brooch. Whether you've inherited a sentimental piece, you'd love pearl brooches to match your pearl earrings, you're hunting for statement large brooches, there's a styling idea here for you.

Why a Wedding Brooch is the Most Versatile Accessory You Can Own

Unlike a necklace or earrings, a wedding brooch can move. It can sit on your shoulder, your hip, your hair, your handbag - and every placement creates a different mood. That's why brooch styling has quietly become one of the most exciting parts of putting together a wedding guest outfit. One brooch can take you to half a dozen weddings, looking different every time.

1. Pin a Wedding Brooch to a Cover Up or Bolero

If you're wearing a cover-up, bolero, or little jacket over your dress, this is the place to add a wedding brooch. Pin it just below the collarbone on one side, where it sits beautifully in your eyeline in photographs.

Animal brooches look especially eye-catching here - of the 7 placements we'll run through today, this is perhaps the most traditional, and so an animal brooch gives the style a quirky twist. 

If your cover-up needs securing to keep you warm, this is another great opportunity to add a beautiful brooch to elevate your outfit. I've added my tiger brooch again here, but this time to keep my jacket closed. 

If animal brooches aren't your thing, and your bolero is fairly plain, this is the perfect opportunity to wear a statement brooch like our vintage brooch large in crystal. The simple background lets a bolder piece take centre stage - this is a perfect wedding brooch if you want to add some glamour to your wedding guest outfit. 

2. Use a Wedding Brooch to Add Coverage at the Bust

This is one of the cleverest styling tricks I share at my Pop Up Shops. If you've fallen in love with a dress that's a little lower-cut than you'd usually wear - perhaps for a church ceremony, or simply because you'd like more coverage - a wedding brooch is your secret weapon.

Pin the brooch centrally at the top of the neckline In the photo above, I've used my sunflower brooch with pearl and crystal). The result is instantly more modest; the brooch looks intentional and becomes a beautiful focal point.

Pearl brooches are especially flattering here, because pearls sit so softly against the skin and don't compete with a delicate fabric. A cluster pearl brooch is endlessly versatile too, and you'll find lots of opportunities to wear your brooch again after the wedding. 

3. Wear Your Wedding Brooch at the Waist

If your waist is a feature you love to highlight, pinning a wedding brooch to the waistline is the most elegant way to draw the eye there.

This works beautifully on a fit-and-flare dress, a wrap dress, or anything with a defined waist seam. Position the brooch slightly off-centre - to the left looks especially flattering - just where your waist is at its narrowest.

This placement is wonderful for dresses in solid colours, where the brooch reads almost like jewellery sewn into the design. If your dress has a fabric belt, pin the brooch onto the belt rather than the dress itself - kinder to delicate fabrics, and just as striking.

It does also work with a patterned dress, and still adds a glamorous touch, as you can see in the photo below. 

4. Change a Dress Entirely with Two Brooches on the Shoulders

This is my favourite trick for women who like to re-wear the same wedding guest outfit to more than one wedding - because adding two brooches to the shoulders genuinely makes a dress look brand new.

I got this idea from a Pop Up Shop customer, who was horrified that she would be wearing the same dress to an event that evening as her co-worker. She bought a pair of brooches, and completely transformed her dress by adding her own signature touch - the brooches both sat on her shoulders creating a statement look. 

Any bold brooch would work here, and if you love sparkle as much as I do, then our vintage brooch large in crystal does work beautifully. 

I do rather like the effect of a pair of brooches here, but they don't need to be matching. If you don't have a matching pair, then you can use brooches that simply match in tone, but have different designs, to work together and create a completely unique look. 

5. Add a Brooch to Your Clutch Bag

A brooch on a clutch bag might just be the most underrated piece of brooch styling in the wedding guest world. It dresses up a plain bag in seconds, ties your outfit together, and lets you wear a piece you love without it competing with your dress.

In the photo above I've opted for the vintage brooch large with crystal in green to add a gorgeous flourish to my plain green clutch bag, and to highlight the greens on the dress. 

Pin the brooch to the centre or corner of a satin, velvet, or leather clutch - and suddenly even a high street bag looks like an heirloom.

Large brooches really come into their own here. If a statement piece feels too bold on your outfit, your clutch is the perfect place to wear it. 

6. Wear a Wedding Brooch in Your Ponytail

This is the trick that always makes women gasp at my Pop Up Shops - because they simply haven't thought to wear a brooch in their hair before. Pinned over a ponytail, a wedding brooch becomes the most beautiful hair accessory imaginable.

Style your hair into a ponytail, adding a curl to your hair first for an extra glam look. I've gone for a half up half down ponytail here. 

Wrap a small section of hair around the elastic to hide it, then pin the brooch directly over the top. It instantly elevates a simple ponytail into something properly polished.

If your brooch has a long pin, slide a kirby grip (bobby pin) in first as an anchor, and pin your brooch through it for extra security.

I've used my vintage brooch large with crystal for this look, but it would work beautifully with a pearl brooch as a more classic alternative. 

7. Add a Brooch to a Hair Bow, Worn Half Up Half Down

And finally, my absolute favourite: a wedding brooch pinned to a bow hair clip, worn with a half up half down hairstyle.

This look is properly romantic, and the hair bow feels modern too. It's guaranteed to have other guests asking where you found your accessory.

Style your hair into a soft half up half down, secure a hair bow like our green velvet hair bow over the elastic, then pin a brooch right onto the centre of the bow.

Pick a brooch that echoes a detail in your dress - pearls if your dress has pearl buttons, crystal if it has any sparkle, or choose a colour like the green here that is picked out in the floral pattern of my dress. That tiny moment of repetition pulls the whole look together.

I've gone for our vintage large brooch with crystal (again!). It really is a very versatile brooch and I think it turns the hair bow into a head-turning piece. 

The brooch adds sparkle, the bow adds romance, and the half up half down is always a classic. It feels like a great trio which will give you that confidence boost as you enter the wedding.

It's a statement hair accessory that you can dance the night away in too (no need to remove a hat!)

How to Choose the Right Wedding Brooch for Your Outfit

When you're choosing a brooch for a wedding guest outfit, my advice is always the same: start with the tone of the wedding, not the dress.

A relaxed garden wedding suits pearl brooches and softer vintage brooches; a black-tie evening reception calls for crystal sparkle and statement large brooches; a winter wedding  brooch might look lovely with silvery tones to reflect the icy temperatures.

Don't be afraid to get experiment with brooches you've inherited. Some of the most beautiful brooch styling I see at my Pop Up Shops is with a brooch from a great aunt or grandmother (I love it when customers come to show me their outfits and brooches!) There's a real emotion to enjoying wearing the brooches you've been gifted and passed down.

Whether you're attending your best friend's wedding, your son's wedding as mother of the groom, or your tenth wedding of the summer, I hope this guide has shown you just how versatile a single wedding brooch can be. One piece, seven looks - and make sure you enjoy getting creative with your brooch styling!

Do email me any styling photos amanda@queenmee.com, or tag me on Instagram @queenmee_accessories. I'd love to see how you wear your wedding brooch!

If you'd like to get some more styling ideas, try my Free Easy Hairstyles Cheat Sheet. Just enter your details below!
With love and thanks, Amanda X