Well, as some of you have all probably worked out by now, lavender pearls are my absolute fave! I think the trick with colored pearls is to choose the very best quality you can afford, to get the fabulous orient - I think low quality colored pearls have the unfortunate ability to look like cheap beads. However, I totally agree - if you can try on both a good white strand and a lavender strand with your wedding dress it would be a huge help. I recently lent my beautiful niece 4 different strands for her decision making process - the ones she wore on her wedding day were the ones she thought were the least likely choice - 13mm whites which she initially thought were far too big for her- they looked absolutely fabulous with her gown! It took having the gown on, her hair kind of "done" as she was planning for the day, and makeup colors chosen before she was sure which strand was "the one" - the wedding was just 2 weeks ago, and like all brides, she looked amazing!