Advice for Bridal Veils - 1910

Advice for Bridal Veils - 1910

The draping of the wedding veil is the last touch before the wedding, as it is the final touch to the beauty of the wedding gown.

It should be arranged securely —and this involves a skillful bit of work by the maid or dresser of the bride—as to do away with all chance of the veil slipping, dragging with it the orange blossoms and coiffure.

It is in this thing that the real art of draping the wedding veil lies, its security and its becomingness. The back view of a beautiful veil is hardly apt to be unbeautiful, no matter how unskilled the hands which put it on. It is the front view that determines the fitness of the draping to the features.

 It is suggested that some experimenting is done before the wedding day, with a few yards of tulle, to learn just which style of those recommended here, or of others which may suggest themselves, will be most becoming to the individual bride.

It is an undeniable fact that many brides whose purses allow them any choice of the materials from which wedding veils are fashioned, choose deliberately, or are recommended by their modistes to choose, the simple, inexpensive tulle veil.

This is particularly true when the wedding dress itself is the pride of its maker’s heart and is a thing of such beauty that, like a picture in a frame, its beauty should stand out, and not be subordinated to its framing.

Therefore the brides who choose the inexpensive tulle may rest assured that in sheer beauty and suitability, their choice cannot be surpassed, for the tulle veil has a fresh and youthful beauty of its own.

Its airiness is so exquisite that it is an even question whether it is not quite as becoming, especially to a very young and dainty bride, as the more expensive wedding drapery.

When it comes to the lace veils, there is everything from the severely simple imitation to the gorgeously expensive and self-assertive real lace. There are girls fortunate enough to have veils worn by all the brides of their family for many generations, and others who have a quantity of rare old lace which they desire to have made up for themselves.

Lace veils are sometimes draped over tulle veils, but while this gives a pretty foundation to the lace, it does not, of course, get all the elusive, cloudlike beauty of the tulle.

It is in effect about the face that the real lace veil is so beautiful, especially in the case of a dark-haired bride. For a very fair bride, on the other hand, nothing is more beautiful than the delicate frame which the tulle veil affords.

Not very many brides wear the veil over the face at fashionable weddings, although this is merely a matter of taste, for others consider the modesty veil necessary.

In throwing back the drapery after the ceremony, it is often found that the hair has been unbecomingly disturbed, and this is undoubtedly the sensible reason underlying the change.

The orange-blossoms are placed to hold the veil off the hair to prevent this when it is to be worn over the face, and the hair is worn high. However, even with these precautions, the risk of having the hair disarranged by a veil worn over the face is too significant to take.

The veil should be full and reach the end of the skirt, being cut the same shape as the train. To arrange it gracefully upon the head one of several ways may be employed. Take one of the four corners of the veil up to the crown of the head and gather it into a bow or large rosette.

For another, this corner may be cut off, forming a bias, then gathered on a small ring made of silk covered hat wire. This ring should measure from three to four inches in diameter; the flowers or tulle are arranged over it. It would not be out of place to permit it to remain without further ornamentation if the hair were styled to cover it.

When the modesty veil is to be worn, it is gathered on a white twist or strong silk and arranged after the long veil has been adjusted and reaches to the waist in front.

The maid- or matron-of-honor must be deft enough to remove this face veil immediately after the couple has been pronounced man and wife. Sometimes, however, the face and train veils are in one piece, and the former merely is thrown back by the maid-of-honor.

Another arrangement is to adjust the veil proper to the head using the wire ring and then to surmount it with a more massive Alsatian bow of tulle. Alternatively, a crown effect of twisted tulle may be used.

Another quaint conceit is for the bride to wear a Marguerite cap or Juliet cap—of fine old lace with the tulle veil below it.

At present, so many novelties are being introduced at weddings that brides who prefer to depart from the conventional customs and choose something distinctively odd, quaint or picturesque need not hesitate to exercise their ingenuity to devise original ideas. For instance, a strange fancy of a recent bride was the wearing of two veils.

One was of tulle draped to fall the entire length of her skirt and down the sides as well. Over this was worn a small veil of rare and exquisite lace, square in shape, with one point falling over her forehead like a Marie Stuart coif. Another bride wore a veil of most beautiful chiffon, edged with silver, and caught to the head with a tiny wreath of orange-blossoms, a string of pearls and a diamond pin.

A bride who prided herself on being original wore a tulle veil shimmering with crystal dewdrops and fastened with a pearl and diamond tiara. A simpler and prettier style was adopted by a bride who had her tulle veil draped over a crown of natural orange blossoms.

Many consider the lace veils too heavy-looking for a youthful bride, and instead of trying and out of place for a day wedding and approve the fad of wearing chiffon veils if something is preferred to tulle.

A veil and wreath are equally appropriate for a morning wedding. The bride who does not wear a -white dress should not wear a veil, a hat being the proper headgear in such cases.

For the bride who must count her pennies and who would have to consider the cost of a veil, a rosette or head-dress of tulle or chiffon, with a spray of lilies-of-the-valley, white lilacs or carnations, makes a beautiful substitute for the veil, but a tulle veil is not costly.

From two yards and a half to four yards will be enough to drape gracefully to the end of the train of the gown.

Some brides seem to imagine that a veil is an indication of formality, but a bride in the most unadorned white gown and had the purest sort of a wedding is entitled to wear a veil as a prerogative and a distinctive feature.

The veil and orange-blossoms may be worn but once in a lifetime. Why not wear them on this day of days in your life? A girl loves the sentiment as well as the becomingness of a wedding veil.

At a wedding recently the girlish bride wore the orange-blossoms which her mother had worn twenty years before, and which had been so treasured that they had lost none of their freshness.

Of course, with many, the orange-blossoms are the favorites for brides today as ever. There are occasions, however, brides who prefer to carry out individual preferences in their flowers. Orange-blossoms are the only artificial flowers that are worn, but fresh gardenias and lilacs are used to some extent.

Fashionable brides have also worn lilies-of-the-valley and white orchids in their hair. One spring bride has chosen a novel way to wear her flowers which is sure to become a fad.

She will fasten the veil to her hair employing large wire hairpins and a bunch of lilies-of-the-valley at each side will meet at the top. The effect is jaunty and far more becoming than the flat arrangement universally adopted.

Clark, Jean Wilde, Ed., Weddings and Wedding Anniversaries: The Bridal Veil, New York, The Butterick Publishing Company, 1910, p. 21-24. Image: Placing the bridal veil - photographic print on stereo card: stereograph. Library of Congress 92500255

Note: We have edited this text to correct grammatical errors and improve word choice to clarify the article for today’s readers. Changes made are typically minor, and we often left passive text “as is.” Those who need to quote the article directly should verify any changes by reviewing the original material.

 

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