Veils are a very personal decision. Some brides have dreamed of wearing a veil since they were little girls, when they saw their first glimpse of a princess draped in that long silk billowy fabric, while other brides feel that veils are more tradition better left for yesteryear. Whatever your reasons for wearing a veil or not, it is completely 100% your choice! The most important thing is that YOU feel like YOURSELF on your wedding day, it is your day!
If you do however chose to wear a veil on your big day, then this post is for you! We previously chatted about all things tulle and nettings in our Truth About Tulle post, but we are now going to dive into all of the different types of veils and what types of gowns they pair best with!
Let's start with our personal favourite - The Drop Veil
The drop veil is the most cherished veil by photographers. It's is light, airy, romantic and gives off a fine art vibe. The drop veil literally goes with every single gown. We consider this to be a universal veil.
Cut into a soft oval shape, a drop veil secures to the hair with a comb that is usually positioned either at the top of the head or just behind the crown of the head. A blusher of varying lengths falls forward over the face and shoulders and the train delicately trails behind.
Our most common blusher length is 30", just below the elbows, long enough to make an impact, but short enough to comfortably hold a bouquet.
When considering your drop veil and your gown, you want to consider the width of the skirt on your dress as well as your train.
- For a narrow sheath or mermaid down, a 56" width drop veil with a 25-30" blusher is perfect. It's narrow, shapes the body and gown and doesn't overwhelm.
- For a Aline gown or tulle skirted gown (medium fullness) a 72" width drop veil with a 30-35" blusher is divine. It balances out the width of the skirt.
- For a ballgown or a full tulle skirted gown a 96" width drop veil with a 30-35" blusher is perfection. You want to ensure you balance out the width of the skirt with the width of your veil.
- If you want to be just a bit more extra, we LOVE a modern sheath gown or lace gown with a super wide (re: 100") drop veil with a 54" blusher. It is beyond gorgeous and beyond romantic.
Trimmed in perfection
Drop veils can be embellished or trimmed in various fashions. Our personal favourite is a raw cut edge as it allows for the veil to fade into the gown and be more of a whisper, allowing the dress to steal the show.
Horse hair trim is super modern and cool and provides a ton of volume. It adds a bit of weight to the veil to allow for the veil to stay put.
Lace trim is perfect to add a classic twist to your veil. Lace never goes out of fashion. One thing to consider however is if your gown is lace, make sure to select a veil with a complimentary lace that will compliment your dress, not distract from it.
Embellished veils with hand beaded pearls or applied crystals gives your veil some added texture and sparkle. You want to make sure with your embellished drop veil that if there are pearls or crystals on the blusher or past the comb (forward) that the pearls or crystals are double sided so that when you flip the veil back at the alter, the crystals and pearls still show on the underside!
The perfect pairing
Can I wear a drop veil with a crown or a headpiece? Does this work or is it too much?
We are often asked if you can pair a veil with a crown or a headpiece, and our answer to that is YES! Absolutely YES!
We love pairing drop veils with crowns, either worn on top, or worn underneath the veil. There is something so regal about this pairing, perhaps a little Kate Middletoneseque.
Our personal favourite is pairing a crown with a little bit of height. This allows the veil to sit up a bit higher on the head and really give off a queen vibe.
Vines and larger hair combs worn off to the side or center back are also beautiful pairings with a drop veil.
But what if I don't want to wear a blusher? I love the softness of the drop veil, but I don't want to cover my face?
There are no rules with a drop veil! You don't have to wear the shorter layer forward at all! The beauty of this veil is when a drop veil is flipped back and creates the most perfectly ethereal two tiered veil.
We absolutely love the effect of a two layer veil. It provides the perfect shape and amount of volume to compliment any gown and looks spectactular at any length.
Shop Our Drop Veils
Up Next: The Juliet Veil
Blair Nadeau
Designer and Creative Director
Embellished Drop Veils - Our New Obsession
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2 comments
Hi Harrah!
Great question. For a short dress, I LOVE a birdcage veil (that blog post will be coming up shortly, stay tuned) but I also love a short 2 tier circle veil (essentially a drop veil, but worn with the blusher back – like our Natalia veil) in a 25×30″ length or a 2 tiered gathered comb veil of the same length.
A lot of our brides have been wearing a single tier oval veil (like our Aspen veil) in a 29" length with shorter dresses. It’s super cute, and has a barely there vibe, but will still give you a bridal look!
What veil do you suggest with a short dress?