The bride gives a squeeze on her fathers arm as they get ready to turn the corner and head down the aisle. Her face is enveloped with a beautiful long veil. They make their entrance into the aisle as their family members rise and greet them with smiles. The bride and her father make their way to the end of the aisle where she would then remove the veil, and her groom would get to see her face for the first time.

The use of veils has evolved over the years, but does anyone even really know why veils were made in the first place? I sure didn’t, so I talked to my handy little friend Mr. Google and asked him all about it.

 

History of Veils: 101

 

I found out that veils were actually used waaayyyy back in Ancient Greek and Roman times. The Ancient Greeks and Romans feared evil spirits and demons and they believed that the bride NEEDED to be disguised & shielded from them on her wedding day. That is one of the reasons that the bride wore a veil over her face (I KID YOU NOT). Also, the tradition of bridesmaids all wearing the same dresses was because they believed if the bridesmaids and bride all wore the same dress, they would serve as decoys for the bride. (Cue the belly laughs) To top if off, the reason why the father walks her down the aisle is because she literally can’t see, and needs her father to guide her down the aisle to make sure she doesn’t trip or bump into anything.

 

Obviously, beliefs have changed since then but the tradition of a veil still stands strong today. You can walk into any bridal shop and be bombarded with hundreds of options. There is even a trend right now in China called a “Flying Veil” where the veil is connected to wires and electronically pulled to the bride, where it then drops, floats and covers her. (yes, it’s a thing and yes you should YouTube it!) As a wedding photographer, I have had several brides that chose to wear a veil, and many others who decided against it. I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer when it comes to veils. It really depends on you and your personal preference.

 

Being the list maker that I am (real shocker right?!) , I created a pros and a cons list to wearing a veil on your big day.

 

Pros:

 

• Traditionalists love it! Gram and Gramps will be talking about your veil at the hair salon for months!
• They are legit gorgeous and can elevate the drama of your big reveal.
• They give you those intimate “under the veil” bride and groom photos of your dreams.
• Veils are coming back in style. {I mean if Priyanka Chopra (aka. Nick Jonas’s wifey) can rock a 75ft veil, why not right?}
• They can often disguise areas of insecurity (upper back skin, upper arms etc.)
• They can become heirloom pieces to pass down through generations.

 

Cons:

 

• Wearing a veil can pull on your perfectly pinned updo or wedding hairstyle.
• They can feel slightly heavy on your neck – depending on which style you choose.
• A Veil can fall out during the wedding processional or your ceremony – can you say #worstfear?
• Wearing a veil can make you warmer (this is not a good one for us Floridians who have summer weddings – can I get an amen?)
• Veils can sometimes cover all the pretty details on the back of your dress.

 

 

Now I am sure that the internet can come up with even more pros and cons than I can, but at the end of the day the only opinion that matters is yours. You will look absolutely breathtaking with or without a veil!

 

Personal Experience:

 

**If you’ve read this entire blog, I figured you deserved the inside scoop about the veil situation from my own wedding. I promise it will be a barrel of laughs.** So here it goes, I picked out this gorgeous short veil at CC’s Bridal Boutique. It was a simple, yet elegant veil that had beautiful beading at the hem. It paired perfectly with my illusion neckline and mermaid train. I had everything prepared and ready when we got to the venue, and our incredible photographer and friend Taylor Dobson (from Highlight Studios) did some amazing photographs of my wedding details including my veil.

Time was flying by, we were having so much fun hanging out and getting ready. Then, it got closer to ceremony time and things started moving at a quicker pace. We went out, did our bridal photos and then prepared for the ceremony to begin. The wedding processional starts, and my girls start strutting down the aisle looking fabulous as ever. And you know what I did girl?! I walked down that aisle SANS veil.

The Problem…

I completely forgot about the fact that I bought one, and that I needed to put it on! The best part is, I didn’t even realize that I had missed it until TWO DAYS LATER when my mom called me and brought it up. I had completely forgotten about it in the whirlwind of the day. Total fail right?! I still remember what my mom said about it on the phone that day. She said, “God must have thought that you weren’t meant to walk down that aisle with it on.” I thought to myself, “Yeah I guess so, but He also said to be a good steward of my money and I spent $150 bucks on that beauty!” ha! Oh well, c’est la vie – such is life. Here are some of my favorite photos from our day, even without my veil 😉

     (Our wedding photo credit goes to the incredible Taylor + Christopher Dobson at Highlight Studios)

 

Want more blog content like this? Stay tuned for next weeks “Two Cents Tuesday” where I discuss Outdoor vs. Indoor Wedding Venues!

 

XO Chloé