The Veil And Headpiece: Where To Start?
No matter what type of headpiece and veil you think you might like, pick your dress first -- after you know the design and style of your dress, picking a headpiece and veil becomes much easier.

Once you've found the dress of your dreams, think about how you would like to wear your hair to determine what type of headpiece will work. If you'll be wearing your hair in long, romantic spirals, for example, a tiara will be obviously be better for you than a bun-wrap.

Lost already? This should help — the lowdown on common bridal headpiece styles:

Other Veil Details
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. A 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.

Veil Length
So if you've decided to go with a veil and you've selected a type of headpiece, now you can decide on a veil length.The most common is a two-tier veiling of a blusher length with a fingertip length, but it's all a matter of personal preference and wedding style. And 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.

Here's a list of common veil lengths, with descriptions and style notes:

Color And Bling

Embellishments. Veils may be embellished with lace, beads, embroidery, sequins, crystals, seed pearls, scalloped edges and more — or not. Simple headpieces and veils work with anything, and of course a simple dress can handle a very ornate veil. Our suggestion: If your gown is elaborately decorated, keep your veil simple or 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. But remember, not all whites are created equal -- if your gown is 100% silk, for example, 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, so shop carefully.

Other color options? 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.

Caring For Your Veil
As soon as your veil arrives, hang it out. Usually within a day or two, the wrinkles will hang out on their own. If you're 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 don't burn or melt your veil).

Preparing To Be Veiled On The Big Day
Take your veil with you the next time you get your hair done; show it to your stylist and ask for ideas on hair style options. If you're having a formal bridal portrait taken, it's a great opportunity for a veil "test drive" -- get your hair-styled with the veil secured as you would like for your actual wedding so you can work out any bugs in advance. 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.

We 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 for their services, of course, but often they'll tell you they'll do your hair for free since they'll be at the wedding anyway!

To Raise The Veil Or Not?
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.

A Note On Veils At The Reception
Many veils are now detachable from the headpiece, so they can easily be removed for the reception. We urge you to consider this option. Veils get tugged, ripped and stepped on, and since your hairdresser will likely use half the bobby-pins in the civilized world to secure the headpiece to your head, your head will be getting yanked back - a lot. And 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 for the reception, in order to preserve the beauty of their veil and also to allow themselves more freedom to enjoy the festivities. If you plan to do this, just be sure your hairstylist knows this so your hairstyle will work with both veil and clip.

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