Wedding veil guide
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In recent years veils have become almost as unique and diverse as wedding dresses. It's easy to get lost in all the designs available, that's why I created this veil guide. Here you'll find all information needed to successfully and quickly navigate through all Aura veils. The most important advice - the veil and its design is solely your choice, therefore there are no strict rules here, only recommendations!
Types of Aura veils
Currently, Aura veils offers three kinds of wedding veils:
one (or single) tier,
two tier,
cape veils.
Single tier veils consist of one, base layer of fabric.
Two tier veils consist of two layers - base and top (also called "blusher"). Blusher is traditionally intended to cover the bride's face during the wedding ceremony, but it is completely up to you - the top layer can also serve only as an additional layer for extra fullness.
A cape veil is a somewhat modern alternative to the traditional veil, which gives the bride more freedom in choosing her bridal hairstyle, because this ethereal wedding accessory attaches to the shoulder part of the wedding outfit.
Advice - if you have found your perfect wedding veil in a photo and can't figure out what type it is - feel free to ask!
Veil length
Veil lengths are universally named after the place on your body they reach or cover:
shoulder length (+- 50cm / 20''),
waist or elbow length (+- 70cm / 28''),
hip length (+- 90cm / 35''),
fingertip length (+- 105cm / 41''),
floor length (+- 190cm / 75''),
chapel length (+- 240cm / 95''),
cathedral length (+- 290cm / 114'').
The blusher is usually 70cm / 28'' long.
Because "one-size-fits-all" doesn't always work (especially for wedding veils), at Aura veils you can order any veil in a custom length.
Advice - if you're planning to wear a wedding dress with a train and desire a long veil as well, it is recommended the veil to be 5-10 cm longer than the train of your dress. That way the veil won't "sit" on top of the train and will better hold its shape.
Veil width
Just like your veil length, its width can also be ordered customized, but classically it is divided into the following categories:
narrow (+- 100 cm / 39''),
medium wide (+- 150 cm / 59'', most popular choice),
wide (+- 300 cm / 118'').
Your choice of tulle also affects the volume and shape of the veil. A softer tulle creates more ethereal and romantic overall look, while a firmer tulle makes the veil more dramatic and attention-grabbing. Read more about available tulle fabrics here.
Advice - the more voluminous your wedding dress, the wider it is recommended to choose your veil. For a body-hugging dress even the widest veil is suitable, but it is generally not recommended to choose a narrow veil for a full skirt wedding dress.
Veil combs & needles
Veil combs can affect the overall appearance of your veil - the wider the comb, the wider the veil is going to fall and the more it will want to hug your shoulders. Aura veils offers veil combs in 3 different widths - 7, 10 and 12 cm (2,8'', 4'' and 4,7'').
To successfully sew a comb to veils with a gathering, different width combs are suitable for different categories of veil widths:
for narrow veils - 7, 10 and 12 cm (2,8'', 4'' and 4,7''),
for medium wide veils - 10 and 12 cm (4'' and 4,7''),
for wide veils - 12 cm (4,7'').
(For particularly soft or stiff tulle fabrics, the choices may vary.)
Veil needles are a great alternative to combs and they allow the veil to be secured in a more invisible way. They are best suited for light, two tier veils but can also be used for narrow, single tier veils. It is recommended to use 2 veil needles for a more secure fixation.
Advice #1 - plastic veil combs are more prone to breaking, that's why I only use metal!
Advice #2 - the comb's teeth are fully hidden into your bridal hairstyle, therefore the color of your veil comb is only visible when the veil is not in your hair.
How to measure your desired veil length
Important! - before buying a veil, it's better to already know your bridal hairstyle and the length of your wedding dress.
Tools for measuring:
tailor's tape (or a string if the veil is going to be longer than the tape),
a hair pin,
your wedding shoes (or shoes of a similar height),
helping hands from a person next to you.
Measuring process:
put on your wedding shoes and stand in a relaxed pose with your gaze facing forward,
ask your helping hands to pin the beginning of the measuring tape or one end of the string approximately where the veil will be put in your hair,
read the desired veil length from the tailor's tape or cut the string and measure its length.
Feel free to ask any questions - I'll gladly help!