What Type of Wedding Veil is Right For You?

On your wedding day you want every detail to be perfect, including the finishing touches to your outfit – after all, all eyes will be on the bride and groom.

After the wedding dress, the next most important consideration for any bride is her wedding veil, which is instrumental in creating the overall effect of your bridal appearance.

Traditionally worn to protect the bride from evil spirits, and to retain modesty until officially becoming a married woman, wedding veils today are simply considered a necessary accessory, used to complete the bride’s overall look.

However, due to the sheer amount of options available, it can be challenging working out which bridal veil to choose.

As such, we have created a brief guide on how to choose the right veil, to ensure that you know exactly what you want for your special day.

 

Length of Wedding Veil

The most important consideration that you must first establish is what length of wedding veil you are after. There are a huge range of lengths, ranging from short veils which do not extend past the chin, shoulder, elbow and waist length veils which generally work best with full formal style dresses without a train, all the way to chapel and cathedral length veils which sit at 250cm and 300cm respectively.

A very popular length of veil is fingertip length, which is around 122cm long. These offer an excellent mid-way point between short and long veils, and tend to work well with most styles of dresses.

In order to know exactly what length of wedding veil you need, it is well worth speaking to a stylist and showing them your dress, working to find a perfect match together.

 

Width of Wedding Veil

Wedding veils traditionally come in three different width sizes. The thinnest are 137cm, which are designed to be sleek and show off additional details of the wedding dress such as decorative straps or sleeves.

At 274cm, the widest veil design offers coverage over the arms and shoulders, and work best with strapless dresses. Mid thickness veils are around 182cm wide, and work as a happy medium between the other two, offering some coverage over the arms, but still allowing detailing to be shown.

Again, the width of the wedding veil needs to be considered carefully and matched to the type of dress you are wearing, in order to set off its most beautiful features, and not obscure anything you want to be on display.

 

Colour 

Most brides traditionally opt for a veil the same colour as their dress in white, off white or ivory. Increasing numbers are now choosing slightly different shades and colours, which pair well with the dress, but offer a slight contrast in order to really highlight the best features of both the dress and the veil.

Blush, champagne and grey/blue can all work really well, and serve to make you stand out.

You can also choose between regular and crystal finishes. Shimmering veils have a distinct shine to them, which shows up extremely well under lighting and offers an extra bit of glamour.

Regular finishes have a traditional matt finish. It is important to obtain swatches of colour and pair them with your dress before committing to anything, as you won’t always be able to tell the exact colour and shade from pictures in a magazine or on your computer screen.

  

Number of Tiers

Veils can have up to three tiers, with the choice largely dependent upon your style of dress. While a one tier veil offers a suave and sophisticated look, more tierstend to work better with classic and traditional dresses.

When having more than one tier, it is traditional that one of the layers be a ‘blusher’, which covers the bride’s face during the ceremony, and is lifted off by the groom upon completion of their vows ready for their first kiss as husband and wife.

 

 

Any Extras?

The finish of the veil can be just as important as its main design. Adding a decorative trim, or a patterned edge can help to add that important finishing touch which really sets your whole outfit off.

Fuller, structured dresses tend to benefit from decorative veil edges, whereas softer dresses with a sleek look are more likely to suit a simple cut edge. Equally, if you dress has any special patterns or details, they can be mimicked along the veil’s trim, for a truly elegant finish.

 

At Britten Weddings, we pride ourselves on creating extraordinary bridal accessories and wedding veils to suit all styles and needs.

Our experts have years of experience in producing bespoke pieces and can help you to find exactly what you are looking for on your big day. Looking for a place to start? Check out our full selection of wedding veils or contact our team today!