“What Kind of Veil Should I Choose?”

If you think you know the answer, you don’t.  If I see one more person suggest a shorter veil for a floor-length gown with a long train in the spirit of being demure, I just might scream.  Weddings are designed to be once-in-a-lifetime moments therefore only encouraging people to “tone it down” can take away from how magical the moment is.  In all fairness, it can all be so overwhelming that the natural response can be to stick to something easy and uncomplicated just to help get through the moment.  But, instead of focusing on the overwhelm itself, let's focus on key guiding points that answer the question, “What kind of veil should I go with?”

First up is remembering your line of sight:

When deciding between a long and short veil think of your line of sight.  The longer the train, the longer the veil should be so the eye follows all the way down.  A shorter veil will break up your line of sight and the transition is not as smooth.  An example of a dress with a long train is a ballgown.  The kind of veil that goes with a ballgown is in the cathedral veil family.  A ballgown brings drama with the volume of the skirt and the length of the train.  A cathedral with all the length and volume that comes with it would match the drama head-on.

To break the rule:

Prioritize volume and dimension.  Having a multi-layered waist or ballet veil can play up the proportions of the dress with a chic finish.   This may be the time to play with wedding veils and tiaras.  We’ve come a long way from the ’80s and '90s brides who loved the fluffed hair.  There are so plenty of headpieces to wear that a tasteful tiara won’t be hard to find.  One of the funniest things to watch is a bride's face as she grimaces at the idea of a tiara and the immediate change she sees when I put it on her.  As far as I’m concerned, wedding veils and headpieces are a match made in heaven.  If a cathedral veil length is too much for you and you still want the drama of one, a headpiece is where your focus should be.

Silhouette:

When choosing the right wedding veil, consider how the dress fits against the body.  It can be natural to think floor-length veils only help to make one appear larger than necessary.  Replace the word volume with drama and you’re on the right path.  For example, Taylor Hill is someone who had the perfect veil that added drama to her wedding dress silhouette.  The veil added more layers and gave her more shape as it cascaded down her body, giving her a princess look.

(Vogue.com)

If you want to choose a wedding veil that focuses more on the length without extra volume look towards very slim veils.  It’s more of a minimalist approach style of dressing.  It’s a quiet type of elegance that doesn’t force the attention yet commands it.  The line of sight will still work in your favor.  Not only that, the slim veil isn’t something you see on every Instagram post so it’ll be a welcome surprise for your guests.  It’s also great for people who have flamboyant hairstyles they don’t want covered up.

A popular wedding veil for a mermaid-style wedding dress, or something more figure-hugging, is a waist-length veil are popular but I  encourage having the veil hit your hip.  There are two places I recommend where the wedding veil length should hit.  The first is right at the dip before the bum.  To really accentuate your curves.  Or right at the bum for the brides who want eyes to go immediately there.   Anything lower than the bum is when I suggest at least getting a ballet/waltz-length veil.    

Most of all, what are you going to have the most fun in?  Times and trends always move forward.  So when you’re considering which wedding veil you should choose, focus on what you love on your special day, and it will all fall into place.  I promise.