Articles of Local Interest

DO YOU NEED A VEIL?
We brides often make mental choices about what we’re going to wear based on styles we’ve liked on other brides, especially magazine models. Unfortunately, it’s very common to realize once we start shopping that those trendy new organza sheaths look a lot better on six-foot-five waifs in studio lighting than they do on us. The fact is, stuff looks different when you try it on. This is as true with veils as is it with gowns. Don’t knock a veil until you’ve tried it. Even if you’ve never had a veil in mind, we urge you to try on a few styles at the bridal shop. Veils are appropriate for all styles of gowns and wedding settings, whether you’re marrying day or night, inside or out, for the first time or the second. The most important thing is to try on the veils with your dress.

BLUSHER OR NO BLUSHER?
Brides tending toward the more formal or traditional often favor blushers, which are usually worn over the bride’s face until she is “given away” at the altar or until her hubby gets the officiant’s cue to go in for the kiss. If you have your heart set on wearing a blusher, your choice of fabrics is somewhat limited. For example, organza and chiffon are fairly opaque and can obscure your face. The most common choice for veils with blushers is bridal illusion. A blusher should not be covered with a bounty of embellishments like pearls or sequins. It also should not extend below your chest, or else it will cover up your bouquet.

COLOR
Make sure you match the color of your veil with the color of your gown. Some veil-makers can custom-dye a veil to match a swatch from your dress (to keep up with the recent though not altogether popular advent of pastel-colored wedding gowns). The standard available colors remain white, ivory, diamond white, and platinum, but these colors can look different on different fabrics. The variations may sound trivial, but wearing a diamond-white veil with a platinum gown is paramount to painting one half of your living room Eggshell White and the other half Navajo White. One makes the other look dingy.

FABRICS
Different veil fabrics are distinguished essentially by their weave shape, material, opacity, and hand (body of the fabric, ranging from soft to stiff). Some of the most popular fabrics are:

Bridal Illusion. This is the fabric most commonly used to make veils, and it is the sheerest option available. Bridal illusion has a diamond-shaped weave and is made from very soft nylon, polyester, or silk tulle. When it has a sparkly appearance, it is called glimmer illusion.

English Netting (or English Net). This tulle is similar to bridal illusion, but it is usually made from cotton or polyester and has a hexagonal-shaped weave. It also has a slightly heavier drape.

Silk Tulle. This is the most lavish and elegant of the tulles. It has a light and fluid drape and is softer than both bridal illusion and English netting. That means it also costs more.

Chiffon. Most often made from either polyester or silk, chiffon is soft and light but relatively opaque. Looking through chiffon is like looking through mist. It has an extremely soft hand and is best for longer veils without blushers.

Silk Gauze. Silk gauze is a lighter, less opaque version of chiffon. It’s transparent enough to show off the embellishments of your gown and to accommodate a blusher.

Organza. Usually made of silk, this pretty fabric is quite opaque, somewhat stiffer than chiffon, and often slightly iridescent. It has a soft, ethereal look, and because of its opacity, is not typically used for blushers.

Lace. Need we say more? Lace is a popular choice for traditional mantillas, which are Spanish-style circular or rectangular pieces of fabric worn flat across the bride’s head, usually on a comb, and extending to the middle of her calves.

LENGTH, WIDTH, AND LAYERS
The wider your veil and the more layers it has, the more full and opaque it will be when gathered onto your headpiece. Depending on the type of fabric used, veils are typically available in 43", 54", 72", or 108" widths. Women who want to show off the back of their dresses should choose veils made with narrower widths and just one or two layers.

Nowadays, no single length is The Correct Length for any given veil. Traditional wisdom has been that the length should reflect the formality of the wedding: the more formal the wedding, the longer the veil. However, times are changing. It is neither uncommon nor inappropriate for a bride to wear a cathedral-length veil during an afternoon wedding in a chapel if that’s what she wants—and as long as the veil looks great with her gown. Keep in mind that taller women do well to choose longer veils, and women with thicker middles do well to choose veils that reach below the waist. Consider other practicalities like whether you really want to drag a cathedral-length veil over the grass and dirt at your outdoor wedding or whether the ornate design on the back of your gown will be obscured by the triple-tier chapel-length veil you’ve been admiring. Veils with more than one layer can and often do combine more than one length.

Ballet. The ballet-length veil extends to somewhere between the knee and the ankle. It is also called a waltz-length veil. Mantillas are usually this length.

Cathedral. The cathedral-length veil is the longest and most formal, typically extending at least 10 feet from the headpiece and sometimes much more. It is popular for gowns with long trains. Bridesmaid aid required!

Chapel. The chapel-length veil is also quite formal, extending all the way to the floor and often just a bit beyond that (about six or seven feet in total length). It is popular for gowns that have a subtle train or that just sweep the floor.

Elbow. The elbow-length veil extends, fittingly enough, to the bride’s elbows, making it about two feet long.

Fingertip. The fingertip-length veil reaches exactly what its name implies: the bride’s fingertips. It is about 40 inches long.

Flyaway. The flyaway veil just sweeps the tops of the bride’s shoulders, making it popular for less formal weddings. It generally consists of multiple layers.

Shoulder. The shoulder-length veil is a few inches longer than the flyaway veil and is also popular for less formal weddings.

Waltz. See ballet.

SHAPE (CUT)
The most basic cut of the veil fabric is the classic cut, which is straight across so that the veil is square before being gathered. The cascade cut is a variation on the classic—angled on the sides so that, when gathered, the veil drapes in rippling waves on the side edges. The standard cut veil is a U-shaped veil that is gathered at the top of the U, such that the edging goes all the way up the side of the veil right into headpiece. The circular cut is cut in the shape of a circle before it is folded in half and gathered at the fold; the edging is only on the bottom of the veil and the sides are tapered and flow in waves.

EDGING AND EMBELLISHMENTSE
Edging refers to the shape, stitch, and embellishment of the bottom edge of the veil. The most basic choice is a cut edge, which means straight and raw without embellishment or stitching; the result is a very fluid, willowy look. A pencil edge (sometimes called Merrow edge) is made with narrow stitching around the cut edge of the fabric to create an opaque border no wider than a pencil line. A rolled edge is good for fabrics that are likely to fray, and it is exactly what it sounds like: the edge of the fabric rolled under and stitched in place. A scallop edge is also what it sounds like: a veil cut so that the edge is shaped into a series of arcs.

Edges may be embellished with organza ribbon, pearls, satin cord, or even ornate embroidery of flowers or leaves. Scattered pearls (either glass or real), rhinestones, Aurora Borealis crystals (which have an iridescent rainbow effect), lace appliqués, or sequins can also be added to the veil fabric itself. Embellishments sewn onto the veil are bound to outlast those that are glued. Remember that even your headpiece can be embellished with all manner of items, from crystals to ribbons to fresh or preserved flowers. Any embellishments you choose should complement, not compete with, your dress. So, if your dress isn’t embroidered with ornate oak leaves, your veil shouldn’t be either.

HAIRDOS AND HEADPIECES
You can wear a veil on a headband, comb, tiara, small crown, pillbox hat (if you’re a Jackie Kennedy fanatic), or even a little snug-fitting cap known as a Juliette cap, which is worn on the back of the head with the veil attached to its base. The choice depends somewhat on the veil and somewhat on the hairstyle you choose. The veil can be situated to cover most of your head or to drape from just behind your up-do. We suggest that before you pick a veil and headpiece, you decide whether you want your veil to determine your hairstyle or your hairstyle to determine your veil. Making choices about one usually limits your options for the other. For example, if you simply must have one of those circular little crowns that fit neatly around a bun, well, you might as well put those tresses up before you go veil hunting. Those little crowns look awful strange without a bun inside.

STORAGE AND CARE
If you’re buying your veil and headpiece many months in advance, be sure to find out about storage and care. Should the veil be draped over a hanger? Stored in a box? Can it be cleaned? Some metal finishes on headpieces will rust or tarnish if not stored properly (or if stored properly but for longer than the metal’s gleam was meant to last). Be sure beads, rhinestone, and sequins are attached securely and, if glued, that the glue is of a quality guaranteed to hold up for the long haul.