How to Wear a Wedding Veil

The Correct Way to Don a Veil and Advice on Placement

© Nicole Wills

Sep 17, 2009
Veil Placed on Top of Head, Tradewind Tiaras, Inc.
A veil placed incorrectly shows stitches and parts of the comb that were never meant to be seen. Correct placement of a bridal veil is critical to its success.

Most women have never encountered a veil until their weddings, and it's common to run into some confusion on how to wear a wedding veil. These simple instructions will answer the most common questions.

Veil Comb Orientation

When worn on top of the head, the veil should be placed so that the teeth of the comb face backward, away from the face. See figures one and two for illustrations of how the comb should not and should look.

When the veil is worn beneath an updo, the teeth of the comb should point toward the floor.

In both cases, the tulle fabric should flip back over the convex side of the comb, hiding the comb and the area where the tulle is sewn to the comb entirely.

Veil Placement

Veils are typically either worn on top of the head or just above the nape of the neck. Of course, the exact placement is up to the taste preferences of the bride. She should work with her stylist during the hair trial to experiment and find the best place to wear the veil to compliment her hairstyle, face shape, and dress.

It is important to note that the bride's hairstyle can dramatically affect the appearance of the veil. For example, if the bride is wearing an updo, and wears the veil on top of the head (directly in front of the updo), any height the hairstyle has will make the veil look more voluminous. Non-puffy veils are still very popular, and the volume of the veil can be greatly controlled with cut and width, but placing the veil in front of a classic updo will make the veil appear much fuller than it would placed at the nape of the neck. Consider the overall look desired and how the chosen hairstyle will affect that look when deciding on veil placement.

Blusher Length and Veil Placement

If the veil is worn at the back of the head, just above the nape of the neck, and a blusher is being used, one should be careful to purchase a veil with a long enough blusher. Since the blusher is simply the top layer of any multi-layer veil, one can run into problems with short (shoulder length, for example) veils and blushers when the veil is worn at the back of the head. When flipped over the face, the top layer can look too short. The bride should measure how long she wants the veil to be in front and inform the veil maker where the veil will be worn before ordering a veil.

For more information on veils, read about securing the wedding veil and bridal veil materials.


The copyright of the article How to Wear a Wedding Veil in Wedding Fashion is owned by Nicole Wills. Permission to republish How to Wear a Wedding Veil in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.


Figure One.  Comb Backward, Tradewind Tiaras, Inc.
Figure Two.  Comb Correct., Tradewind Tiaras, Inc.
Veil Placed on Top of Head, Tradewind Tiaras, Inc.
Veil Placed at Nape of Neck, Tradewind Tiaras, Inc.
 


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