LightInTheBox Veils: All You Need To Know

How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Veil

After your wedding gown, a veil is one of the most defining aspects of your bridal appearance. Historically a veil was worn to protect the bride from evil spirits; nowadays it is simply considered a beautiful form of adornment. Today’s bride can choose any type of veil she desires, but it is important to understand that a veil is an accessory, and as such only one part of your overall look. You need to consider how it will work with your dress, face shape, body shape, hairstyle and wedding location.

Veil & Dress Compatibility:

One of the most important considerations is selecting a veil that compliments your dress. Firstly, assess where the key focal points occur on your dress. For example, do you have an embellished bust panel, or perhaps a back detail you’d like to show off? In this case you need to either select a veil that ends before your point of detail, or choose a longer, sheer style that you can see the detailing through.

You also need to consider the style and the level of decoration on your gown. In general, if you have quite a simple dress you can carry off a more elaborate veil. However, if your dress is very detailed, a simple veil often looks more flattering. Only the most formal of weddings, such as royal weddings, tend to accommodate the combination of both an elaborate dress and veil.

Wedding gowns fall under several different broad styles and your veil needs to work with this style. There’s the classic style, which is formal, symmetrical and usually elaborate in some way. The romantic style possesses an element of softness and usually incorporates lots of attention to detail. The sophisticated style is an understated look that is free from fussy details and the eclectic look is creative with unexpected touches.

All of these factors need to be considered when you choose your veil; length, width, color, tiers, and decoration.

Veil Lengths:

Very Short - Very short veils such as blusher veils do not extend past the chin. Blusher veils resemble fascinators worn to horseracing events. If your bridal gown has a high neck detail, this type of veil can work well. They are a good style to pair with sophisticated or eclectic style wedding gowns. You can see our selection of blusher Veils

Elbow Length - Approximately 25 inches long, this veil falls to around the elbow. They can work well with romantic ball gown style dresses, because they end where the fullness in the skirt begins. You can see our selection of Elbow Length Veils

Fingertip Length - One of the most popular lengths, when you stretch your arm out it reaches around your fingertips. These veils are approximately 36 inches long and also suit the majority of dress styles. You can see our selection of Fingertip Length Veils

Chapel Length - slightly shorter then cathedral length; these veils still drape onto the floor. They are typically around 90 inches long. They are best partnered with dresses that feature a train. You can see our selection of Chapel Length Veils

Cathedral Length - the longest and therefore most formal, these veils are usually around 120 inches long and some extend up to nine feet along the ground. They work best with full length, classic wedding gowns. You can see our selection of Cathedral Length Veils

Your veil needs to be a suitable color match to your wedding gown. LightInTheBox offers a variety of unique colors to choose from, so you are bound to find a lovely match. There are several white and ivory shades, along with majestic red and silver. You can also choose between a regular finish and a shimmer finish. Veils with a shimmer finish offer a distinct shine, which is especially evident under the right lighting. In contrast, regular veils retain a more traditional matte appearance.

Your veil needs to be a suitable color match to your wedding gown. LightInTheBox offers a variety of unique colors to choose from, so you are bound to find a lovely match. There are several white and ivory shades, along with majestic red and silver. You can also choose between a regular finish and a shimmer finish. Veils with a shimmer finish offer a distinct shine, which is especially evident under the right lighting. In contrast, regular veils retain a more traditional matte appearance.

You can choose between a one, two and three tier veil. The choice is largely dependent on the style of your dress. A one tier veil is suited to a sophisticated look, but a romantic dress often benefits from a two or three tier veil. Classic dresses also tend to require at least two tiers. Multiple tier veils suit simple hairstyles because your hairstyle will be mostly hidden beneath the tiers.
One of the tiers is typically a blusher. This is the part of the veil that is used to cover the bride’s face during the start of the ceremony. Today’s bride is free to choose whether she wants a veil that covers her face or not; it’s a purely personal decision. Many brides find the idea of their husband lifting their veil for the first kiss very romantic.
If you want to wear a blusher, you need to select a tiered veil that allows you to flip the blusher point over your face, or over the back of your head, before your first kiss. It is also best to select a veil that reaches at least shoulder length, because a blusher measures around 30 inches in length. A veil that is shorter in the back could look strange. Make sure that your blusher is no longer than 30 inches, because otherwise it might get tangled up in your flowers.

A veil can be finished in a wide variety of ways. You should select a finish that works with the style of your dress. If your dress is quite simple, you might like to choose a more decorative edge. Structured dresses tend to look good with thicker ribbon edges. Soft, romantic dresses tend to work well with a simple cut edge. It is also a nice idea to subtly mimic any of the details of your dress. LightInThebox can add custom accents to your veil, such as a scattering of pearls or rhinestones. We offer cut edges, finished edges, pearl, rhinestone, and a range of different ribbon edges to make your veil special.

A veil frames your face, so your face shape is an important denominator in choosing a veil.

Consider the following advice for your face shape:

Your veil has the ability to help correct the proportions of your body shape. If you have a large bust or stomach, you will benefit from wearing a long veil that extends to fingertip length or below. This is because it will help elongate your upper body.
Pear shaped women tend to suit veils that end at shoulder, elbow, or waist level. These lengths draw attention to your smaller points, rather than the width of your hips.
Full figured women should ideally stick to one tier, narrow width veils, because you don’t want to add an extra volume to your body.
Tall women can typically carry off longer veils, but shorter women tend to suit veils that are waist height or above.

Your choice in hairstyle plays a role in determining what sort of veil and headpiece you can carry off. A heavy head piece, long veil, or multiple tiered veil all require a supportive up-do hairstyle like a bun. A half up/half down hairstyle will work with moderate weight and length veils. If you intend on wearing your hair all down, then it is probably best to stick to lightweight or shorter designs.
You also need to consider the placement position on your head. Some hairstyles suit a veil that is attached to the front of your head, but others look good with veil that is attached further towards the back. If you have short hair you will need to attach the veil towards the front of your head. However, if you have long hair and want to show off an elaborate up-do you will need to position the veil further back. Wide veils typically need to be worn towards the front of your head and veils that do not have gathers look better worn towards the back of the head.
Your veil can be attached with a comb and pins or combined with a tiara, crown, flower, bowknot or headband. It is a good idea to buy your veil well in advance of your wedding date, so that you can take it along to your hair trial.

Wedding Location:

You also need to give some practical consideration to selecting a veil that is suitable for your wedding location. A cathedral style veil is the ultimate show stopper if you are having a formal wedding in a large church, with several attendants. However it could be disastrous in another setting. If you are getting married in a small chapel, then it is best to stick to chapel length or shorter. This is because you won’t have the room to show off a long trailing veil. Cathedral length veils also require frequent assistance from attendants.
If you are getting married in an outdoor ceremony, there are extra considerations to be mindful of. You may have sand, wind or dirt to contend with. If you’d like to keep your veil in pristine condition, it is advisable to choose a knee length veil or shorter.
However, many brides are happy to live it up for the day and aren’t worried about trailing their veil behind them in the sand at the beach, or along a dirt path in a garden setting. Also bear in mind that in windy settings a long veil can be difficult to control.
Blusher veils can work well in these conditions. You might also like to consider the climate. For example; in hot, humid weather it is not going to be pleasant to be swathed in full layers that could stick to your skin.
Finally, if you struggle to find a veil that meets all the recommended requirements, consider ordering a custom made veil. Lightinthebox.Com can create a veil specifically to your specifications. You can choose the color, edging, cut, length and number of tiers.
For more information on the many available options we offer with our veils like edging and accents, please check our edges sytle guide If you prefer to talk to us directly please do not hesitate to contact us.

Color Chart

Make sure your veil will match your dress perfectly

Color Chart: Please look the color chart below to get an idea of how each color described above looks, plus many other colors. Please remember the colors you see on your computer monitor can vary a little bit from how the colors may look on other computer monitors. Quality of monitor, your screen resolution and other factors can all show you a little different variation of the same color(s).

Veil Color Options
White

Edges Style Guide

Cut Edge

Pencil Edge

Ribbon Edge

Beaded Edge

Scalloped Edge

Lace Applique Edge

Lace Applique Edge

Veil Color Options
CutEdge

How Our Veils Are Made