Choose your dress first! After you know the design and style of your dress, picking your veil becomes much easier. Next, think about how you would like to wear your hair. If you'll be wearing your hair in long, romantic spirals, a tiara will be better for you than a bun-wrap. Here are the common headpiece styles:

Now you can decide on what length of veiling you would like. The most common is a two-tier veiling of a Blusher length with a Fingertip length. Don't worry if you've fallen in love with a headpiece that has a veil length you don't want. Veil lengths can easily be changed. All lengths shown are approximate guidelines.

Veils are attached to the back of a headpiece, typically with a velcro strip or glue. Often two or more styles are combined to complete the headpiece. The Bouffant/Blusher may be attached to the front of a headpiece to be worn over the face during the processional with any style veil attached at the back (except a mantilla). For a Church or Cathedral train, a fingertip veil may be attached to the front with the longer veil attached to the back.

Don't let your headpiece and veil get out of hand! You want people to remember how pretty you looked, not that your huge headpiece and veil made you look like a pin-head.

Embellishments
Veils may be embellished with lace, beads, embroidery, sequins, crystals, seed pearls, scalloped edges and more. Simple headpieces and veils work with anything. A simple dress can handle a very ornate veil or a simple veil. If your gown is elaborately decorated, keep your veil simple or you'll look like a mish-mash and the beauty of the veil and dress will fight for attention.

Color
The general rule, and certainly the easiest, is to match your dress. White dress, white veil. Ivory dress, ivory veil. If your gown is 100% Silk and it is white, then it actually referred to as Silk White or Diamond White. Standard "White" is often too bright a white to match 100% Silk White gowns.

You might want to consider a pale pink veil for a gold or silver dress. If your dress has any colored embroidery on it, you could pick a color from the embroidery for the veil.

My Veil Has Wrinkles!
As soon as your veil arrives, hang it out. Usually within a day or two, the wrinkles will hang out on their own. If youre really pressed for time, try hanging it in a steamy bathroom or use a hair dryer on a low setting (be sure to move it around a lot so you dont burn or melt your veil!).

Test Drive Your Veil
Take your veil with you the next time you get your hair done. Let your stylist see it and maybe give you some ideas on how to do your hair. A great test drive is when you get ready for your formal bridal portrait. Get your hair-styled with the veil secured as you would like for your actual wedding. Let your stylist know if the headpiece becomes uncomfortable, loose or actually falls off so the problem won't be there on the big day.

I recommend you hire your stylist to actually do your hair at the location of your wedding. That way you don't have to worry about the weather, crushing or ripping your veil or not being able to get it to stay on properly. Since you've been seeing a lot of your stylist in the months before the wedding, you may want to invite them to attend. Offer to pay them to do your hair. Often, they'll tell you they'll do your hair for free since they'll be at the wedding anyway!

Raise the Veil
Customs vary on this ritual. In Christian tradition, the veil is lowered by the father prior to the processional and is raised by the groom prior to the kiss. If you prefer, the groom may raise the veil after your father "gives you away." In Jewish tradition of Bedeken, the groom lowers the veil before the ceremony and raises it prior to the kiss. This comes from the biblical tale of Jacob, who married the wrong sister because she was disguised by many veils.

The Veil at the Reception
Many veils are now detachable from the headpiece, so they can easily be removed for the reception. I urge you to consider this option, especially if there will be dancing. Veils get tugged, ripped and stepped on. Since your hairdresser used half the bobby-pins in the civilized world securing the headpiece to your head, your head will be getting yanked back - a lot. Know this - if your veil touches the floor, your groom WILL step on it! If that's not bad enough, 99% of your guests will give you a hug or otherwise put their arm around you, usually on top of your veil.

Some brides prefer to remove the whole headpiece and replace it with a pretty hair-clip. Just be sure your hairstylist knows this so your hairstyle will work with both veil and clip!

Return to Tips directory