how much did you spend on a veil???

[calidaisy]

i realized early on in my dress search that i didn''t care about the veils and thought i''ll get something simple in elbow/ fingertip length ... with little bit of a poof ... for the ceremony and take it off for the reception.

recently, i bought a second dress on ebay for a photo shoot (LONG story). it''s a pre-owned PoB lace dress and i bought it at a fraction of its original price. luckily, the dress fits me perfectly and moreover, it came with a matching PoB veil in SUPER long length with beadings in alencon lace trims.

this veil goes well with my dress but it''s not what i envisioned myself to wear. i also know now that this veil costs hundreds of dollars. so ... i feel conflicted as to what i should do--whether to look for a shorter/ poofier veil i initially wanted or be thankful that i saved tons of money and wear the PoB veil.

lastly, i was wondering how much other people spent on veils. did you guys purchase the matchings veils at bridal salons, or is mix-matching ok with veils?

 

[Class n Sass]

$300

 

[Pandora II]

I have an 1880's handmade Congleton tambour lace veil, it's 72" square and I paid $500, which was an amazing bargain considering it's age, the detail, quality and condition - I've seen similar ones for sale for around the $2k mark.

I think it's unlikely that my future children or grand-children would ever want to wear my dress, but I hope that the veil might carry on down the generations.

So far I've only splurged twice - this and having my invitations hand-engraved - so I don't feel too guilty!

 

[sumbride]

My veil was $500... which is funny because my dress was only $750!

It was silk tulle with a ribbon edge, in a beautiful champagne color to match my dress. I LOVED LOVED LOVED it!!! It was totally a worthwhile splurge!!! I wore it the whole time, and if I could, I''d wear it around the house (it''s at my mom''s right now...) and even to work! Alas, my mom vetoed that idea!

 

[mimzy]

6 yards of (nice, not stiff!) tulle (108 width) - $6
1 bobby pin - free
2 plastic combs - $1.99
3 yards russian netting - $7
package of beads - $1.99

total for two veils: $17

our budget is super strict and i'm not counting on it being an heirloom. very few people really ever get a good look at the veil (unless your dress is super simple and your veil is extremely elaborate), so i wouldn't worry about mixing and matching, as long as the color isn't too different.

if it isn't your dream veil, why don't you try to sell it and use whatever $$ you make to buy the veil you've been wanting? even if it isn't much, there are plenty of places that sell reasonably priced veils (under$100 - i think gypsy found a good place?) or even have your seamstress whip one up for you. just because you got a good deal doesn't mean you should feel stuck with it.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Mine was free, but we had to pay to add the blusher. The dress shop had a like 2 day anniversary sale where if you purchased your gown you got your veil and a pair of shoes free.

 

[choro72]

My wonderful mother is making my veil, so free.

Personally, I don''t think you need to match the veil to your dress. However, I''m not a "veil person", so I may be biased.

 

[lovediamond!]

Can you post pictures of the PoB dress & veil? It sounds nice! Is the PoB dress what you''re planning to wear on your wedding day, or the Vera Wang one?

I don''t think you have to necessarily buy matching veils. There are actually a lot of websites that sell cheap wedding veils (for example www.juliusbridal.com , which has a good review on the wedding channel forum and good return policy). I actually bought my matching veil from Vera Wang, so it was pretty expensive. I wish I had done more research on the internet.

On second thought, would adding a puffy blusher veil to the PoB veil work? My veil was chapel length on a comb, with a shorter elbow-length blusher veil embedded.

 

[calidaisy]

thanks for your replies.
it''s eye-opening to know that i can splurge on the veil--i felt like committing a crime thinking to spend $$$ on a veil

lovediamond!, i plan to wear my VW dress to the wedding since i''m more of a ballgowny person than a lace person.
here''s the link to the PoB dress: http://www.priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?search=1425&sfid=50533&f=

i''ll post the pix of me wearing it when we do out photoshoots in june.
(i don''t feel right posting picture of the ebay seller wearing the gown).

i also don''t know how to take a picture of a veil ... so, this is from the ebay seller''s photo.

 

[calidaisy]

this is what the comb part looks like.
i think it''s cathedral length (? at least 7 feet).

the funny thing is, it looks great on me in VW gown, but not on the PoB gown it came with.
i thought that was weird ... since it matched perfectly on the original owner.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

i''m not wearing one....i have a set of pearls that i''m having woven into my hair for decoration, but i''m getting married outside on the water so no veil for me. i''m scared of the wind ripping the thing right off my head, lol.

 

[ladyciel]

I just ordered mine custom from www.veilsbyroxanne.com, and it came out to around $75 shipped. I don''t have it yet, but it''s a waltz length (50", should come to my knees) oval mantilla shape, but with a band of scattered crystal and pearl beading around the edge instead of lace. I probably could have saved some money by making it myself, but when I considered how much time it would take to do the beading I decided saving $40 wasn''t worth it. Similarly sized/decorated veils were all over double the cost at bridal salons.

 

[Cleopatra]

I bought a simple elbow length, sheer fullness, diamond white veil, with a diamond white pencil edge from Occansey Designs....it''s was $35 including shipping - and I couldn''t be happier. Everyone has great luck with Occansey and you may find exactly what you''re looking for - they do only custom veils...

 

[anchor31]

Mine is a sheer plain edge fingertip veil custom made by the seamstress/owner of the bridal shop where I bought my dress. They sell their veils 50$ and gave me mine for free.

 

[Elmorton]

Veil and comb were a little over $300 if I remember correctly. At the time, I thought I was going nuts (shoot, that was nearly half of my dress cost prior to alterations!), but I definitely don't regret the splurge. DH and I have a wedding photo in our bedroom in B&W where my veil looks incredibly feminine and romantic and I smile every time I walk by.

When my mom got married in 1974, a saleslady told her "You'll never be happy with a homemade veil" - which really hurt my mom, since EVERYTHING she wore on her wedding day was homemade (I heard this story a few times while we dress shopping, as you'd imagine). She wore her veil made by my great-grandma and it was gorgeous. Unfortunately, it wasn't well preserved, or I definitely would have borrowed it for my wedding. Anyway, Calidaisy, when I saw your photo - OMG! It reminded me so much of my mom's veil! The material on the headpiece is almost exactly the same - I absolutely love it! What a great find.

ETA: Ooops...only answered half the question.. my bridal salon didn't have necessarily "matching" veils. Although I had a simple dress, I gravitated to literally the most complicated, intricate veil in the store. It had a delicate silvery beaded floral applique along the edges - and it was pretty poofy (blusher incl) for a tea-length dress (re-embroidered lace bodice, chiffon skirt). I'm not sure anyone would look at the two separately and immediately pair them together mentally. But when I put them on together, I was completely sold. So no, I definitely don't think a veil and dress need to be a "match" to complete a stunning ensemble.

 

[lovediamond!]

That''s a beautiful dress & veil (I think it''s actually chapel length)!! You should definitely post photos later! My veil was about the same length with lace as well, but the comb was less obvious without the white flowers. The other thing you should definitely keep in mind is how you''re going to wear your hair. You want your veil to complement your hair and dress, and not compete with them.

Have you found a cheaper seamstress for your VW dress? Have you tried Chinese places (tend to be cheaper I think). Good luck!

 

[UCLABelle]

$150---

 

[calidaisy]

thanks for your replies ... and various veil websites!

btw, how do you know whether you''re wearing the veil vs. the veil wearing you?
(i fear that both my dress and the veil will be wearing me instead of the other way around

also, is the comb suppose to show or is it better to be subtle?

 

[Gypsy]

Do you plan to sell the veil back on ebay? Separate?

 

[scarlet16]

I bought mine from Occansey Designs online and it was about $125...it''s a 2-tier cathedral length with rhinestones throughout! Gorgeous and fairly inexpensive.

 

[Haven]

I haven''t chosen which veil I want yet (but look out--I''m going to make a thread with pictures from last night''s fitting sometime this weekend!) however, it''s between a $200 veil and a $240 veil.

 

[calidaisy]

gypsy, i haven''t decided what to do yet--whether i should keep the veil as is, keep and add another layer, or sell it in ebay separately. do you have any suggestion?

otherwise, i should check out more websites ... and look forward to seeing haven''s thread.

 

[espressa]

The veil that I really liked when I tried on my dress is about $280. It''s cathedral length and has beading and appliqués all around the edges. I''m a little worried about getting a cathedral length veil, though, because if I spend that much on a veil I''m going to want to wear it the whole night, and I don''t know how realistic that is. I plan to look into having it bustled (which apparently is possible to do).

Does anyone know how long it takes for most veils to get in after you order them? I''m assuming they''re all made to order. The one I like is by Symphony Bridal. My dress won''t be in until a month before my wedding so I know I can''t wait until I get the dress, but I don''t know how soon I need to decide on a veil. My wedding is in 5 months. Thanks.

 

[HollyS]

$175.00 for a chapel length/ single layer/ scalloped edge/ no beading.

I'm so glad I was talked into the veil. It was perfect with the dress, and the hubby loved it. His favorite photo is a head shot of me w/ veil; he has it on his desk at work.

 

[rainbowtrout]

$125, hand embroidered silk tulle, fingertip length (maybe a bit longer) with handmade lace and beading. (I had it made while I was living overseas).


I luuuuurve it.

 

[Independent Gal]

I made a veil for about $7.50, but then ended up buying one anyway. I got it on Craigslist from a woman whose bridal salon ordered two by mistake. It was a Justina McCaffrey and she sold it to me for $40 (I think original price was $250). I then sold it on to another bride over craigslist. Making the total final cost to me: $5.

The other bride just sent me a pic of her wearing the veil at her beach wedding last weekend!

I included the veil that I made with the Yearick gown that I auctioned on ebay.

I'm loving this 'pass it on' bridal thing.

ETA: I would keep the comb subtle, to answer your question. That's a good way of keeping the outfit from wearing you!