Whether you choose to wear a veil on your wedding day is totally a personal decision–there is no right or wrong answer. However, if you do choose to wear one, there are definitely some things to keep in mind, in order to choose the veil that best fits your wedding dress, so it complements it, rather than distracting from it. I am no pro on veils, so I’ve enlisted Lisa of Lili Bridals, located in Tarzana, California, to help me with this wedding veil guide.
Use the above image as a reference for length.
From Lisa……
“Veils….to veil, or not to veil, that is the question.
I personally love a veil. It just completes the look, and creates a very romantic image, a complete bridal look. But that is not to say that EVERY bride needs to wear a veil. But when it’s right, it’s RIGHT. Below are some guidelines for choosing your veil:
Veils should be proportionate not only to the bride’s height, but also to the style-lines of the gown. For instance, what kind of waistline does the gown have? Is it a Mermaid, or a ballgown? Are there buttons down the back of the gown? Is there a bow? Also, something to take into consideration is what time of the day is the wedding?
Cage veils or Juliette caps are good if you want to evoke a truly vintage look from the 20’s or 30’s, especially if you are having a Gatsby wedding. In terms of time of day, typically shorter veils are more appropriate for morning weddings, whereas weddings later in the day tend to be more formal, and therefore longer veils are more befitting. For dresses with a natural waistline, waist length veils would be lovely, but a cathedral veil is also nice, and creates a good contrast to the silhouette.Are there buttons down the back of the dress? If so, the end of the veil should end just past that line, or you risk cutting off the style line and distracting from the beauty of your gown.
If your dress is plain don’t be afraid of adding embellishments to the veil such as lace or beading.Is your dress a mermaid style? Watch for where the style line hits on your body, then your veil can end at the style line, fingertip or cathedral would be perfect.Contrary to popular beliefs, a cathedral veil does not “take away from the dress,” it actually is very simple and acts as a sheer illusion, still very see through and the back of the dress will be very visible! Plus, as an added bonus, you get that awesome “veil shot” with your photographer!”Thanks to Lisa of Lili Bridals for her insight in this wedding veil guide!
Whether you wear a veil or not, I’ll still rock your wedding photographs! Having said that, veils are another fun and personalized accessory added to your wedding day, and can help create some unique photographs not only of you and your loved one, but also add some texture to your detail shots.Pro tip: If you plan on wearing a veil on your wedding day and gifting your sweetheart with boudoir photos, make sure to bring your veil to our boudoir photoshoot! Click here for more about that…Deciding to wear a veil doesn’t mean you have to wear it all day and night long! You can choose to wear it for certain parts of the day, like just the ceremony and romantic portraits, and forgo it for the rest. If it’s easy to remove and put back on (and won’t mess up your hair style), you can always switch back and forth, like if you want to take it off after the ceremony, but want to have it for sunset photos later in the day.I hope this wedding veil guide with insight from Lisa of Lili Bridals and input from me as a photographer was helpful to you!
