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How to Pick a Veil for Your Wedding Dress

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One of the biggest concerns for the bride is her dress. You want something that enhances your features and aligns with the trends. Once you put your finger on that beautiful dress, it is time to think about the veil. You’d be surprised when you learn about the veil varieties available today.

How to Pick a Veil for Your Wedding Dress

Your designer may ask whether you want a fully gathered veil or a center gathered and many such questions. It is better to prepare yourself before you are up for this discussion.

We have rounded up a few tips on how to pick a veil for your wedding dress. 

Decide on Your Wedding Dress First

The best starting point for picking your wedding veil is to know the dress you will wear. A veil should be proportional to the dress and enhance it too. This also indicates that the veil should not distract the onlookers. Instead, it should add an appeal to your overall appearance.

According to Sheila Bobeldijk, the famous designer of handmade heirloom veils, a veil should not compete with a gown. Instead, it should complement the dress.

Bride wearing a cathedral veil with a blusher

And finding the correct equation for this is the trick you should learn!

Here are some factors to note when working on it:

Understand the Harmony Between Different Types of Fabric

You may know nothing about fabric or may be someone who is a pro, but still, we all tend to make mistakes when evaluating the fabric of a wedding dress. It is essential to learn about various types of textiles and what is trending nowadays.

Alongside, it would help if you also learned about the patterns of lace and how several shades of ivory, white, or cream work in incoherence.

Know the Length of Your Gown

Knowing the length of your gown is crucial to understanding the veil length you should go for. Typically, a shorter veil is required for a shorter gown. Meanwhile, a full-length gown with a trail perfectly fits a cathedral-length veil.

You will find short birdcage veils to pair with a short gown. Or get a fingertip veil that goes with all gown styles and lengths.

Highlight the Statement Parts of Your Dress

A gown may have intricate patterns you want to flaunt as you walk down that aisle. If, for example, you have a beautiful lace pattern on your gown, you should pick a veil that does not cover it. In such cases, one should go for a plain veil that does not contain beads or other embellishments.

The rule here is simple – if your dress is simple with few details, opt for a veil with floral accents or lace patterns to enrich your look. However, if your gown has pretty details and focal points, you should choose a simple veil showing off the gown.

Bride wearing cathedral style veil at Twin Oaks Wedding Venue

Determine Your Hairstyle

Different hairstyles can lead to different veil placements. It would be best first to analyze the hairstyle that goes with your face cut and the gown you are willing to buy.

The following are some things you should know when deciding on a hairdo for your wedding:

More Volume on the Top

A chignon or a bun is often considered a hairdo that gives a lot of volume. Choosing a beaded or lace veil for this style makes your head heavy and pulls the hairstyle down.  

Loose Style

If you are planning for a loose and laid-down style, opt for a heavily patterned veil. Make sure it sits flat on your head.

Understand Your Religious and Cultural Traditions

Your wedding setting can make a significant difference in your veil choice. If you are having a religious ceremony, it is vital to learn about the religious veil requirements. Does it allow partial face cover or complete? Does it allow for a chic short length, or does it prefer waist-length?

Along with this, your and your groom’s family may have some cultural traditions. This could plan an essential role in the selection of a veil. Learn about your and your partner’s family wedding practices and dress preferences. If it allows for a modern twist, feel free to play around.

Prepare for an Evening Reception

If you have an evening reception planned post-wedding, make sure that your dress is feasible. There are no specific styles for the reception, but you should have a veil that you can swiftly remove if it gets uncomfortable.

Some dresses also have options to bustle the length of the veil. They allow you to shorten the trail using a ribbon and loop in the skirt. As for the shorter styles, you can pull them off during the day and evening and make the most of your special day!

Decide if You Need a Blusher

A wedding blusher helps cover the bride’s face during a traditional wedding. It is then removed by the partner or the person who takes her down the aisle.

You can wear the blusher as an addition to the long-length veil or a stand-alone veil. There was a time when every bride wore a two-tier veil, and there were no exceptions. As fashion has changed, only a fraction of brides choose to go for the blusher veil.

If you want this blusher veil to be sheer, go for a drop or a gathered veil style. This ensures that fewer veil lines run vertically in front of your face.

Consider Your Venue

As discussed above, the choice of gown and veil relies heavily on the wedding you want. It is mandatory to have a veil for some traditional weddings. But a chapel or a chic veil may work for a garden ceremony or a beachside wedding venue.

Generally, traditional and formal weddings require a longer veil.

Decide if You Want an Attached Headpiece

It is pretty common to get a headpiece and the veil separately. This allows you to remove the veil later and keep a beautiful hair accessory on your head.

Some veils will allow pairing with a headpiece, whereas some styles don’t. If you want a tiara or a hair accessory, make sure you choose a veil accordingly.

Try Several Wedding Veils With Your Dress

Your veil will allow you to shape your style for the special day. Naturally, you should pick something that accentuates your dress and your figure and does not overshadow the look you are aiming for.

It is essential to try out the gown with different types of veils. Remember, this is when all eyes will be set on you. Your dress should be such that it grabs all the eyeballs and makes your spouse-to-be fall in love with you all over again!

Do not hesitate to try some styles you never experimented with. Keeping things in the same tone does not always bring the same outcomes. Sometimes, you should also mix the patterns and textures to enhance your look.

At the end of the day, pick a veil that makes you feel confident and beautiful. If you’re self-conscious about your arms and prefer to have a long veil to cover your arms during part of the wedding, do that! If you’re wearing a dress that accentuates your pear shaped body and want a shorter veil that stops right above your hips, pick that! Remember, it’s your wedding and you can do what you want.

Related Questions

Does Your Veil Have to Match Your Wedding Dress?

No, your veil does not have to match your wedding dress perfectly. In general, you should try to tie in a few of the design elements and colors of your dress to your veil so there is some cohesion.

You can also look at the designs and colors of your wedding jewelry and try to match your veil to your jewelry.

How Can You Match the Veil Color to the Wedding Dress?

If you buy your wedding dress from a boutique or physical store, the bridal consultant can help you get the same color veil as your dress. If you plan to buy your veil online, try to get a sample swatch of it first so that you can check to make sure the color will match your gown.

Conclusion

There you have it. You will find many options when you are out shopping for a veil. Maintain the style and tone of your dress according to your wedding plans. It always helps to have a fashion obsessed friend or a sister to guide you.

Or even better, ask your stylist. Tell them the look you are aiming for, and they will help you choose that perfect veil for the best day of your life!

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