Wedding Veil Research

A search of “wedding veil history” on the internet makes it clear that wedding veils have lost most of their former social and religious significance. Wearing a veil has become more of a fashion choice than a barrier to ward off evil spirits or a symbol of modesty, and that’s fine! For us it was strictly a fashion accessory. My daughter’s main concern was that it be flattering to both herself and The Dress. My main concern was that it not cost an arm and a leg!

When we began looking at veils we had no idea that they came in such a wide variety of styles. Before sorting through the shimmering array of sheer and fluffy fabrics, it helps if a bride is honest with herself about her appearance. For example, my daughter is petite and has short hair. Without looking at price tags, we tried on a dozen different veils. A cathedral length veil absolutely buried her while a stylish “cage” simply didn’t flatter her face. A heavily ornamented veil overwhelmed her simple dress but a plain veil seemed more like an afterthought than something meant to accentuate her overall appearance. She said, “Absolutely not!” to poufy veils and veils trimmed with marabou or fur, even though I thought the feathery ones were very cute. She said, “Yes!” to the addition of a tiara.

At last we settled on a fingertip length veil and looked at one trimmed with gorgeous lace ornamented with iridescent sequins and seed pearls. The price tag was $350. That was as much as we’d paid for the dress! We asked to see a fingertip veil with no lace and no ornaments, just a plain narrow rolled hem, but even that one cost $150. Indeed, there were few veils to be had for under $100.

While my daughter tried on other veils, I examined a couple on the rack. Each seemed to be a hair comb on to which a length of tulle had been attached. The tulle was then decorated in a variety of ways. With the exception of the cage and other more hat-like headpieces, I was pretty sure I could make a veil for my daughter…and I could probably make it for about $20.

I checked out half a dozen books from the library on veil construction; the most informative was Veiled in Beauty: Creating Headpieces & Veils for the Bride. I also looked at several videos on YouTube that not only described the different styles of veils but also showed how to construct some of them. One video showed how to prepare a plain comb for attaching a veil. I’m going to pass on that information here because it is the foundation of any veil you might want to construct.

1. Purchase a comb in the length you need. Combs may be plastic or metal. Shorter combs one or two inches long will work fine for smaller veils. For longer veils or veils with poufs on top, you might want a longer comb.

2. Cut a piece of tulle about 2 inches wide by 3 feet long. This piece of tulle does not have to be cut perfectly straight since you’ll be wrapping it around the comb, so don’t worry about making a neat edge.

3. Hold the tulle against the length of the comb and wrap the tulle tightly over itself, over the top of the comb, and through each tooth. This binds the loose edge of tulle to the comb.

Try to hold the tulle so it lays flat against the comb rather than wound like a cord. This will give you a smoother look and better coverage on the comb. When you get to the other end, reverse direction and wrap the comb a second time until you’re back to where you started.

4. Take the loose end of tulle and, using a large needle or a crochet hook, thread it back through the wrapping. Cut off the excess. Your comb is now ready for the veil.

At this point I’m going to stop our instructions because this is the very point at which a bride needs to make several decisions about length, style, and materials. I strongly urge brides who want to make their veils to read up on veil construction and look at “how to” videos online. It’s not difficult at all but you will want to give yourself plenty of time to do the job right especially if you intend to add beading or other ornaments. :)

More about how we constructed our veil tomorrow…