When you’ve finally found the perfect wedding dress, it’s time to match it up with a beautiful wedding veil. Deciding what veil to wear isn’t simple, however. The wedding veil can completely transform your wedding theme. It’s an important accessory that completes your overall appearance and enhances your wedding dress further.
With finding the right veil, there are factors to consider: the dress’s style, your hairstyle, the length, and your budget. Here are some options to choose from:
Wedding Veil Types
The Bird Cage/Bandeau
The Bird Cage is a veil made of either net, lace or tulle, and comes with an ornamental headpiece. It only covers the eyes and the tip of the nose but can extend up to the jawline. The bandeau typically works best with a vintage-style bridal look.
Shoulder-Length
As the name implies, this type of wedding veil sits or slightly covers your shoulders. They’re around 20-22″ in length. If you have a dress with a lot of beading and/or lace, this type of veil is the perfect match. The idea is to give complete focus on the dress while still wearing the veil to seal the overall bridal look.
The Blusher
A blusher veil is a short veil that’s positioned on the crown of your head. The veil falls over the face and ends just above your chest. It’s typically made from tulle or net. It creates a dramatic feel, giving your groom that anticipation of finally making you his wife once he flips the veil over your head.
Elbow-Length
An elbow-length wedding veil is a favourite piece to match with any wedding dress. It’s versatile – it can complement traditional, vintage and modern wedding gowns in any style. If you’re the conservative type and don’t want to show off too much skin, the elbow veil is an elegant way of covering up your shoulders or arms.
The Fingertip
You guessed it – this veil’s length reaches the ends of your fingertips. It falls beyond the bride’s hips and coordinates well with any wedding dress and brides of any body type.
Knee-Length
This wedding veil is an elegant option for brides wearing a fitted gown without a train. If you want dramatic movement without having trouble moving around or dragging the veil around, a knee-length wedding veil is a great choice.
The Waltz
This veil extends to the bride’s mid-calf length and is a beautiful option for brides who want to wear a long veil during their wedding day. The Waltz veil is also called the Ballet veil and can be perfectly paired with a ball gown or a silhouette type of dress.
Floor-Length
The floor-length gown skims just to the floor and commonly matches with the length of the bride’s gown. It adds extra volume to your overall look and matches well with any kind of dress.
The Chapel
The Chapel veil is 90″-108″ in length and is an elegant option if you are wearing a formal or elaborate wedding dress. It creates the illusion of a train without too much hassle, dramatically sweeping across the floor.
The Cathedral
The Cathedral veil is the most dramatic wedding veil yet. If you want to walk down the aisle feeling like royalty, this is the veil for you. Cathedral veils pair well with a semi-cathedral or a cathedral length wedding dress (120-144 inches).
Take Note of these Tips and Tricks
Besides considering the veil’s length and appearance, it’s important to have a budget in mind. Veils can be just as expensive as a wedding dress, depending on the detailing and veil type. Make sure to shop wisely!
Your hairstyle must also be considered. Let your hairstylist know what veil you opted for so he/she can style your hair accordingly.
When you’re out shopping in a wedding dress store, don’t hesitate to try on multiple wedding veils and see what speaks to you the most. Each veil translates to a different look when paired with just one dress. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different looks and see which veil makes you feel the most beautiful.
If you chose a heavily beaded dress for your wedding, a veil that has matching beads along the edge will suffice. For a simple dress, however, a dramatic veil will complement it perfectly.
Have a gown with a long train? Make sure the veil extends past the train to give that ethereal and dramatic feel to the overall look. Wearing a short dress? A short veil is just as perfect.
The shoulder-length veil and the blusher veil are best for modern-themed dresses.
If you’re having an outdoor wedding on the beach, or you’re donning a Bohemian wedding gown, the chapel veil will add that flare and drama as it flows with the wind on your wedding day.
For more wedding tips and guides, check out our blog! We’ve got tons of wedding inspirations, and even free wedding invitations for you to choose from.
