Each year we hear these words more and more. It’s not really a question as it is a statement. “I’m not going to wear a veil.”
It’s actually funny because when it comes to the veil, almost every mother wants to see her daughter wear a veil.
When Matthew and I design a Signature Wedding for a couple we always look forward to shopping for the gown. Inevitably when we ask the bride what style of wedding gown she is interested in, she will say, “I really don’t know, but I do know I’m not wearing a veil.” In response to this we will get the “help me with this” look from the mother. Our usual response is, “no you are going to wear a veil. To which the bride will say, “no I really don’t want to wear a veil,” to which we will say, “we know you don’t want to, but you really will wear a veil, and it will be a cathedral veil.”
Yes, the tradition of a veil goes far back to ancient times for many reasons; whether to keep the bad spirits or demons away from the bride or treated as if the veil is like fairy dust turning the bride into a vision of all that is good and holy. Years ago brides would share their veil with their sisters and close friends for their weddings. Brides still to this day will borrow their mother’s or grandmother’s veil.
In general, most brides will only wear the veil for the pre-ceremony pictures and during the actual ceremony. We believe the veil gives you the most amazing pictures, adding a touch of romance for your memories. When entering the church or ceremony space, Mother Nature comes in to play allowing the sun and the photographer’s lens to capture the most incredible images as an aura of mystery ensues.
Queen Victoria married with a veil cascading down her back, making her the first modern monarch to be married in a veil, and at that moment, the image of a bride was defined for centuries to come. As we witnessed in 2018 when Meghan Markle married Prince Harry to become the Duchess of Sussex, she wore a 16-foot-long monarch length veil, hand embroidered with a variety of flowers on its hem representing the 53 countries of the British Commonwealth. The veil took longer to make than her gown itself and the embroiderers spent 500 hours on completing it, washing their hands every 30 minutes to make sure the veil would remain immaculate until the wedding day.
So do you want to wear a veil now? As Joan Rivers said “You can’t wear a veil to next year’s big party. This is your only chance. Wear the damn veil!”
