Stumped on what style of veil and ’do would work best with your wedding day look? Check out the many options listed below.
All Swept Up
The formal updo, with its clean lines and timeless elegance, is a favorite wedding day look and works well with a variety of veils. If you have your heart set on an updo, remember:
- When choosing a hairstyle and veil, take your face shape into account. If you have a rounder face, sleeker styles with longer veils will look best on you. Fuller styles and veils flatter narrow faces. Talented stylists can adapt most styles to suit the shape of your face.
- Veils that hang longer than your waist, like the fingertip, chapel, and ballet styles, can be heavy. Tighter hairstyles hold up better under all that tulle, so if you’re wearing a long veil, choose a coif with less volume up top. A chignon, where the hair is gathered into a roll at the nape of the neck, is a good bet. Another option is the Juliet topknot, where the hair is twisted into a tight coil at the top of the head.
- Do you love the drama of intricate updos, with lengths of hair woven into an elaborate creation on the crown of your head? This style can work with a longer, heavier veil -- instead of covering your hair with the veil, consider piling your hair on top of your veil. The veil will cascade down your back, adding romance and sweetness to your style.
- The French twist, where the hair is gathered into a low ponytail and then swept into a roll along the back of the head, is a classic and versatile look. Brides who choose the French twist are in luck -- this style looks gorgeous with both long veils and with shorter styles, from floor-length to wispy fly-aways, which are only about a foot long.
Letting Loose
If you've decided to leave your long locks down to achieve a romantic look, remember that tousled shouldn't mean tangled. Be sure to set your hair and use either hair spray or gel to give it structure and prevent fly-aways. Hair left down can work with most any length of veil, but the rule of thumb is that your veil should always be longer than your hair so you don't look messy.
Also remember that the longest veils may be too heavy for hairstyles with lots of body, so try a sleek look if you're wearing a long veil.
Updo or Up Don't?
A good compromise between the sweetness of hair left down and the elegance of an updo is any of several in-between styles, where the hair from your crown is swept back and the rest of your hair is left down. Whether you gather the hair from your crown into a bun or pull the top layer back with twinkling combs, an in-between style is a lovely compromise in the great debate between up and down. And if you’re still undecided, remember that more and more brides are wearing an updo to their ceremony and taking their hair down for the reception.
Chic Short Cuts
Styling is key for brides with short hair. Shorter styles have a tendency to look messy, so whether you iron it, dress it, or slick it back, make sure that you win the fight against bed head. One look we love for cropped cuts: tiny crystal-tipped hairpins strategically placed throughout the hair to add sparkle. Too formal? More and more brides are opting for feathered clips, pins, and headbands for a romantic, retro look.
Brides with short hair look especially lovely with short veils. Picture a tuft of snowy white tulle fluttering from the crown of your head. But don't think a smaller veil is your only option -- cascading veils can look fabulous too. Dress up your hair with a tiara or halo of flowers, and you'll be gorgeous in a veil of any length. This look works really well if you’re opting for a cocktail-length wedding dress.
Topping It Off
Tiaras are still the hottest accessory for bridal hairstyles, but combs, clips, barrettes, jeweled hair sticks, and hairpins are popular as well. All accessories look great with a variety of hairstyles and veils, but remember to use them sparingly. Too many twinkles can distract from your most beautiful feature -- your face!
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