The Perfect Veil for You!

You have found the dress...so now what is next? Accessorize your dress with the perfect wedding veil! With wedding veils now becoming more elaborate, it is harder to determine which one will look best with your wedding gown. The veil is a wedding accessory. It should not be the main focal point of your bridal ensemble. Here are some tips for buying the perfect wedding veil:

1. Less is more. If there is heavy embroidery / embellishments all over the back of the veil, it will cover the back of the gown. If the gown has a corset back or an elaborate train, you want to select a wedding veil that has little or no embellishment. The beautiful details at the back of your gown will easily be seen through the plain, pencil or satin cord edge veil.

2. Plain veils look good with any tiara or bridal jewelry. If you like "bling" then wearing a plain veil will allow you to wear a more stunning tiara and choose bolder jewelry such as chandelier earrings. If you select an embroidered veil, then you will have to choose a simpler tiara as a large rhinestone tiara and busy veil will overpower your face.

3. Elaborate veils look best with plain wedding gowns. A strapless, matte satin wedding gown, a style that has been popular for the past 10 years, will look perfect with a more elaborate wedding veil. The elaborate edging of the veil will fall over the bare arms and embellish the plain back of the wedding gown.

Wedding veils trends will continue to be bolder and more elaborate in years to come. But as wedding gowns move on from the minimalist styles of the past decade, less elaborate wedding veils, such as plain, pencil edge and satin cord edge veils are a smarter choice.

Now that you have decided on the detail of your veil, you need to choose a length. The most popular lengths are listed below:

• Shoulder: This shorter style, which hits the shoulder, will give you a playful, flirty look. It's most appropriate for daytime weddings and looks best with a simple gown with clean lines, a minidress, or a wedding suit.


• Elbow:length: As the name implies, this veil reaches just to your elbow. It's a sweet, simple style that can work with virtually any wedding gown, although you should pick something a bit longer for a formal evening wedding.


• Fingertip: A veil that falls to your fingertips when your arms lie straight along your sides, this length is perfect for the indecisive bride -- it's dressier than shorter styles but doesn't have all the drama of longer ones.


• Cathedral: Think Princess Diana -- yards of tulle extending down the aisle behind you. This is the choice of brides who want to feel like royalty, but keep in mind that it's not a low-maintenance look. You'll need at least one bridesmaid or flower girl to tend to your veil as you enter and exit the ceremony. It looks most appropriate in a grand church or other house of worship, and works only if the aisle you're walking down is a long one.

Whatever your choice of wedding veil may be, remember that the wedding veil is an accessory to your biggest purchase...the dress! Simple is best!