Putting the veil on.
Wedding veils are a special piece of clothing. Patriarchal connotations aside, it is one of the things that marked me as a bride in my mind when I got married. I love the pictures of me putting it on before the ceremony.
Veils are horrifically overpriced. The ones I was offered while trying on my dress were all over $120. A quick scan of the major outlets that I considered, and these two come into (pricey) focus.
Courtesy of David’s Bridal
The most affordable one, at 66 GBP ($100). Others that were similar to mine come in at nearly $200, inexplicably.
Courtesy of David’s Bridal
You might think, as I did, that going the Etsy route might be a cost-saver. You would be mostly wrong.
How is this 81 GBP, exactly? Courtesy of gebridal.
I dreamed of making my own wedding veil for years. I used to wrap myself in my great-grandmothers’ table cloths, imagining how cool they would look as a homemade cathedral veil. I wanted to make my own, and this is how I went about it.
To Make Your Own Wedding Veil
- Decide what length you would like, and the style. My veil is a fingertip veil with a blusher to go over the face.
- Research your fabric options. Keep in mind that vintage fabrics will cost more. ALWAYS check the measurements with a measuring tape at home before ordering. Order a comb of a medium size as well.
- When your fabric arrives, play with it. For several days/weeks. Don’t cut it until you are sure of what style you’d like.
- Lace is hard. I originally wanted a mantilla-like veil. I decided the lace weighed it down too much and skipped it. If you want a mantilla-veil DIY tutorial, check out this one!
- Decide how to attach the veil. I used metal wire and wrapped it around the comb with freshwater pearls and beads, but plain string could work just as well. Make certain that the attachment will be strong.
- Sit down in the afternoon and attach the veil. Try it one with the comb and make sure you like the placement.
Close up of the attachment.
- If you’re happy with it, reinforce the attachment site with another round of wire/string.
- Be happy with your wedding veil!
Playing with the veil in late October.
My whole veil cost less than 20 GBP to make, and it was exactly what I wanted. If you only do one DIY project, let this be it!
