Linzi Jay

How to choose a wedding veil

Why do brides wear a wedding veil?

Historically, a veil was worn to protect the bride from evil spirits.  These days bridal opt for a veil as a statement piece or to complete their bridal look. 

With so many veils to choose from, how do you choose the right one for you? 

Here are our top tips for finding the perfect veil 

1) Think about your dress - Does your dress have lots of embellishment on it?  If so you may want to opt for a plain veil or one with just a few scattered components.  If you have a plain dress you might want your accessories to add the wow factor, so more elaborate veils with heavy beading or lace could be for you.  You don't want to overdo it, don't forget sometimes less is more!!

2) Asses where the key parts are on your dress - If you have detailing on your gown the last thing you want to do is wear a veil that covers it all. Therefore shoulder length veils might be the better option, allowing you to still wear a veil but not hide way any of the beautiful glisten radiating from your gown 

3) Think about the reality of wearing your veil - Longer length veils with ornate beading can often be quite heavy. So think about wearing it all day, if you are hair sore or don't like wearing accessories in your hair it may pull and feel uncomfortable on your head, so lighter shorter lighter veils will be better suited 

4) Match the colour - There are so many different shades of ivory, champagnes, whites, pinks, beiges and gold's out there, so you need check the veil matches accordingly.  You would be as well to take your dress with you when choosing your veil or even requesting a veil swatch to take home and match up to your dress.  Be sure to test in natural daylight as artificial lighting cannot give an accurate colour match and when you are outside look a different colour completely.    

5) Do you prefer a traditional style - Some brides like to wear the blusher over their faces for the big reveal once they have met their partner at the alter.  If this is something you think you would like, a two tier veil is a must, that way the bottom tier can adorn your back and the top tier can be worn over the face.   

6) Look at your face shape - Look at what type of face shape you have. A veil frames your face, so your face shape is an important denominator in choosing a veil. Consider the following advice for your face shape:

  • Round face - A round face is virtually as wide as it is long and looks full in appearance. When choosing a veil look for a style that will help make your face look longer and slimmer. It is preferable for your veil to reach at least shoulder length and for it to have some volume on the top of the head. Avoid veils with too much fullness at the sides of the face.
  • Square face - A square face is typically wide and angular looking. When choosing a veil look for a style that will soften your face and add length. It is preferable for your veil to reach at least shoulder length and for it to have some volume on the top of the head. Circular and cascading styles can help soften the angular nature of your jaw line.
  • Oval face - An oval face shape in slightly longer than it is wide, similar in appearance to an egg shape. As this face shape is well balanced, you are free to experiment with different veil styles. However, it is a good idea to avoid going extreme in either volume or width, to help maintain your proportions.
  • Rectangle face - A rectangle face is longer than it is wide and tends to appear narrow and angular. When choosing a veil look for a style that has width around the face, but no height at the top of the head.

7) Find out your body type -  Your veil has the ability to help correct the proportions of your body shape.

  • If you have a large bust or stomach, you will benefit from wearing a long veil that extends to fingertip length or below. This is because it will help elongate your upper body.
  • Pear-shaped women tend to look best in veils that end at shoulder, elbow, or waist level. These lengths draw attention to your smaller points, rather then the width of your hips.
  • Full-figured women should ideally stick to one tier, narrow width veils to avoid adding extra volume to the look of the body. Tall women can typically carry off longer veils, but shorter women tend to suit veils that are waist height or above.

8) Which hairstyle will you be wearing - If you want to wear a more elaborate heavy hair accessory or veil, then a supportive up-do like a bun, roll or chignon would be better for holding these in place.  Lighter pieces will be better if you want to wear your hair down, there is less support and structure so heavy pieces will most likely pull and feel quite uncomfortable and cause headaches.   

9) Consider the weather - Think about the practical side of wearing your veil.  If you are getting married in the winter with horrendous rain and winds a long veil is probably not the way forward. You dont want a soaking wet veil all dirty from dragging through puddles of rain. On the opposide side if you are getting married in hot, humid weather layers of veils could be quite warm and stick to the skin. Cathedral length veils are stunning but also require a lot of assistance throughout the day, so make sure you have lots of people willing to help you get it right for the ceremony and your photos.  

10) Have fun!! - Your wedding day is one of the most important/­special days of your life; don't get caught up in the stress of it all.  Leave plenty of time, do your research, try different styles and make sure you are happy before you buy. 

Click here for the Linzi Jay veil collection