Stylish Wedding Veil Alternatives
Bridal Hair Choices that Suit Your Wedding Look Without a Veil
Whether you're looking for something non-traditional to top off your dress, or you just want to avoid being hindered by a veil, there are plenty of stylish alternatives.
Hair Jewelry
One of the simplest ideas for a wedding veil alternative is to accentuate your hair. Whether you wear your hair long or short, upswept or down, formal or natural, you can use hair jewelry to show off your look. You can find bridal hair accessories in gown shops, in the bridal section of some fabric and craft stores, and, of course, online.
- Combs and pins - These classic hair accessories can be small and simple, or large and elaborate. They work tucked into updos or in pulled back sections of long hair. Be sure the weight of the comb works with your hair type – very heavy combs may not stay put in fine hair. Bridal hairpins (like bobby pins only decorated with pearls, crystals, or rhinestones) are a smaller, lighter alternative.
- Clips and snaps - These small bridal hair accessories are used for holding hair up, or for decorating short hair styles.
- Tiaras and headbands - While often worn with a veil, bridal tiaras can look equally good just crowning your hair. Even headbands can look elegant when made from bridal jewelry, and they can be practical for keeping hair in place.
Flowers
Whether they’re real or silk, flowers can be a very elegant addition to your bridal look. For an upswept do, you may want just a few blooms tucked into your hair or pinned to the back. A wreath or crown of flowers can look great on top of long flowing locks.
Hats
While wearing a hat to your wedding may seem somewhat unusual in current American culture, it’s actually quite a traditional wedding look.
- Picture hats - Classic wide-brimmed hats are especially great for garden or outdoor weddings where they can provide a little shade from the sun in addition to being a fabulous style accessory.
- Pillboxes - Jackie O repopularized this small, round, brimless hat worn on top of the head or slightly to the back. Instead of a veil, the pillbox sometimes has a little bit of netting.
- Cocktail hats - These small hats are often worn with a veil, but they don’t have to be. Jessica Alba’s character in The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer wore one to her interrupted nuptials.
Circlets and Ribbons
If you like the idea of having something streaming down the back of your hair without having lots of fluffy tulle, you might consider a ribbon veil. The ribbons can be white or colored, to match your dress or theme. To make one:
- Cut a piece of ribbon or trim that’s long enough to sit comfortably on your head with about half-an-inch to spare.
- Overlap the ends of the ribbon or trim and sew them together to make a circlet.
- Cut lengths of ribbon for the streamers. These can all the be the same, or you can use varying lengths and widths. Depending on your style, you may want a lot of ribbons, or just a few (say, three or five).
- Stitch the tops of the ribbons to the back of the circlet.
Try it on and make adjustments as necessary to achieve the look you want.
