VEIL GUIDE

Choosing a veil is equally as important as choosing your bridal gown so we would like to share a few tips on how to choose the perfect veil! 

LET’S TALK VEIL WIDTH

As well as choosing the perfect length for your veil, it’s worth putting some thought into the veil width as well. Wedding dresses come in all kinds of shapes and sizes; Ball Gown, A-line, Mermaid, Sheath, etc. And there is a vast difference in the width of the skirt and train for each of those silhouettes. For short veils, the width also effects how full and ‘fluffy’ the veil looks, especially at the comb area. Our veil width guide will provide images to illustrate these differences.

HOW WIDE SHOULD MY SHORT LENGTH VEIL BE?

If you have a short veil – fingertip length or above – the width is not quite so important as it is for a long one because it’s not affected in any way by the size of your dress’ train. For most brides choosing a short veil, we’d recommend going for the medium (standard) option of 72″ wide unless you wanted it particularly sheer (if so, choose the slim 54″ option) or particularly full and voluminous (if so, choose the full 108″ option).

HOW WIDE SHOULD MY LONG VEIL BE?

For long veils, where the veil is going to lay on top of the train, then you need to think about the width a little more carefully. Essentially, the wider the dress, the wider the veil should be. You can also play around with this. For example, you can create a beautiful effect by having a veil both longer and wider than your train to fully surround it in tulle.

Here is what we think! We wouldn’t really recommend having a long veil that’s narrower than your train, as this can look a bit too thin and bare in the center. Keep in mind that if you have a slim sheath dress, you don’t want to totally swamp it with a huge veil. A slim veil just a touch longer than the train (often sheath dresses only have a small, puddle trains), would work perfectly!

LET’S TALK LENGTH 

Essentially, your veil should be just a touch longer than your train. Ten to Twelve inches longer is usually a good size if you want it to surround your dress quite snuggly. Of course, there are no rules for wedding veils that say you can’t have your veil much longer than your dress if you want to. We personally love a long statement veil. For brides looking for something a little shorter, your options are fairly open. One good way to decide on a length is to look at your dress’ overall shape and try to find a spot that makes sense to you visually. For example, a fingertip length veil looks great paired with mermaid/fishtail gown as the veil ends just as the train starts to that kick out which is a nice look. A gown with a natural waistline, like a ballgown, looks great with waist length (or possibly elbow length if you’re petite).

COMMON VEIL LENGTHS

It can differ but the rule of thumb by most designers are that there are about 4-6 common lengths. The most popular of those being waist length (sometimes called a 54 inch), fingertip length (72 inch), chapel length (108-126 inch), and finally cathedral length (127-144 inch). These figures are the total combined length of the longer bottom layer and the shorter top layer that goes over the bride’s face, which usually measures at 35 inches and can be designed with velcro so it can be detached.

HAIR UP OR HAIR DOWN WITH A VEIL?

Can I wear my hair down with a veil? The answer is yes, however, it's not easy for a veil to securely fasten and sit in your hair unless you have it pinned somewhere already. For example, you can take strands from each side and pin them. Then the veil comb can securely fasten into where the hair is pinned. Where the comb is placed into the hair, you can use hairpins, or a hair comb to make the comb look complete.