- Weddings
- No comments
For some brides wearing a veil on their wedding day is a no-brainer, but for others it’s more of a process.
Any bride considering wearing a veil on her big day will be answering questions like, “Does the length of the veil match with the venue where I’m getting married?”, “Does the wedding veil length match the style of my dress?” and most importantly: “Am I going to be wearing the veil all night, or will I take it off after the ceremony?”. It doesn’t matter if you’re not sure what category you fit into, because this post will guide you into the direction of the right wedding veil length for you!
From the wedding infographic above, it’s clear to see there are a variety of different veils to choose from. Today, I’m going to be delving into the five most common veil varieties and do what any bride does: go through a list of pros of each! That way you can obviously make the most informed decision without breaking a sweat. The best (and probably most cost effective) place to search for these types of veils is on Etsy, so I’ll share the best Etsy retailers to buy your wedding veils from without breaking the bank!
The birdcage veil is understated and doesn’t compete with you or your prom dress. You can easily take the veil off after you’ve taken some pictures or the after ceremony, and it fits perfectly with a vintage themed wedding! Just be careful when choosing this veil — since it sits very close to your eyes it can make it hard to blink, especially while wearing false lashes!
FINGER TIP
You get beautiful flow from a fingertip veil, so it will undoubtedly look gorgeous in your pictures and while walking down the aisle. Keep in mind that it’s unlikely you’ll be keeping this on all night, since the length will interfere with hugging friends and family, and most importantly, dancing with your new spouse!
ELBOW
The elbow length veil is the most flattering and goes universally with all wedding dresses. It’s easy to wearing this veil for extended periods of time and you can even add layers to have a blusher for the ceremony, which you can later pull back to add volume for the reception. To me, there really aren’t any cons with this length because of versatile this veil is! Whether you wear your hair up or down, you’ll feel elegant and beautiful!
BALLET (AKA WALTZ LENGTH)
With a waltz veil, you get the elegance of a cathedral length veil without the danger of someone stepping on your veil! The waltz veil definitely adds a touch of drama, and it also isn’t as commonly worn as the other lengths which makes it a bit unique! This length falls right below the knee but above your ankle, so you can keep it on for your first dance (which is why it’s called the “waltz” length!). The only con? Given that this length is a little more rare, it can be hard to find!
CATHEDRAL
The mother of them all is the cathedral length veil! The visual impact and drama of walking down the aisle in a cathedral length veil is like none other, and the pictures are sure to be breathtaking. You might even be able to wrap your groom around your veil! Sadly, this veil does not lend itself well to being worn after the ceremony. This means if budget is an issue, you might want to steer clear of spending too much on this type of veil.
As a former bride, I realize how scary it is to purchase things that will be worn for your wedding online. I took to Etsy myself for my own veil, and couldn’t have been happier with the service that I got. Here’s a tip — before purchasing your veil from the retailer, ask for a swatch of the fabric so that you can confirm it’s a perfect match to your dress!