DIY Wedding

DIY Bridal Veil

Jennifer Stern, contributor

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Here is the stem of silk flowers that I made both veils with.

Jen Stern

Here's my finished veil embellished with silk flowers and leaves from a single stem I found in the craft-store bridal aisle for 79 cents!

Jen Stern

Look closely—can you tell what I did wrong when I was making this veil? The tulle is attached to the comb backwards!

Jen Stern

Here is the stem of silk flowers that I made both veils with.

Photo: Jen Stern

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If you've started the search for the perfect wedding gown, you've probably also suffered sticker shock when it came time it pick out a veil to go with your dream dress! Making your own veil is easy, and it'll save you lots of $$$ to spend on something else. If I may be so bold, it will probably come out better, too. I was shocked to find out that veils can cost more than $300—for a little nylon tulle and a cheap plastic comb! 

Here are some resources for the supplies and a little inspiration so you can design your own veil:

Veilubridal.com: An excellent selection of wire and plastic combs. (You can also find them at local sewing and craft stores—I found mine at JoAnn Fabrics.)

Saveoncrafts: Has an excellent selection of tulle to make your veil.

I loved the different veils at FavorIdeas. They have some great inspiration shots of different styles and a fun six-step "How to Make Your Own Wedding Veil" for you to check out.

Get more wedding projects: • Extraordinary Thank-You Notes • How to Make a Clothespin Cake Topper • Pretty Up a Party with Paper • How to Make a Floral Fascinator

Here is a guideline for the lengths of various style veils:

Blusher (to the shoulders): 18 inches to 24 inches
Waist: 30 inches
Fingertip: 40 inches
*Chapel (dusting the floor): 60 inches to 72 inches
*Cathedral: 108 inches or longer

*Longer-length veils are beautiful as they walk down the aisle, but they might lose some of their glamour at the reception. You may want to consider making it detachable. Simply sew the gathered tulle to the "itchy" side of a piece of Velcro. Put the "soft" side of the Velcro to the underside of the edge of the comb. The Velcro will hold it in place for the ceremony and photos, then you can take it off for the dancing! (You can combine the detachable veil with a shorter waist- or fingertip-length veil sewn to the top of the comb.)

Use 108-inch-wide tulle for fingertip- or longer-length veils (72 inches works great for the shorter styles).

Here's what you'll need:

• Tulle cut to the length of your veil x 2 if you want two layers
• A comb
• 1/8-inch satin ribbon
• A sharp, large-eye needle
• White all-purpose sewing thread
• Silk flowers or other trims and embellishments
• Hot-glue gun

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Comments (9)

hilaryscraftydesigns writes: I loved your tutorial ! I used it to make a simple veil for my friends bach. party and i ended up adding to it and embroidering her new name on it ! I put a link to your tutorial on my site :)

thanks again !

http://www.hilaryscraftydesigns.com/wedding-gifts/veil-2/



Posted: 10:05 am on September 27th

jamcglone writes: Best tutorial I have seen. Great work.

Posted: 9:48 pm on July 23rd

Lady3kgt writes: I researched tons of tutorials & videos, yours blew the rest out of the water. Thank you for the very explicit instructions & the near-macro photos of each step. Although I didn't do it, the whipstitched ribbon is certainly a nice & professional looking touch. One thing I did do, I folded the top edge of the tulle down a 1/4" or so before sewing my gathering stitch, giving me a very clean edged gather. I just have to hot glue the floral decoration on & it'll be a wrap. My niece is going to be thrilled w/ her veil!
Thank you again!
:D
Posted: 2:19 am on May 13th

futuremrs writes: but i don't if i want a tiera or a different type of head pice !!
Posted: 3:02 am on August 21st

futuremrs writes: I am going to use my mom's veil muins head pice and 2 of the 3 shorter lenght veil ! well my mom has a veil with a knee or little longer with lace around it with 3 elbow lenght/ blush veil with a head pice and i want to use the longer lenght and one of the 3 shorter lenght veil and i don't want to take some where's to have it fix the way i want it ! what should i do ?! iam not engaged yet !!
Posted: 2:37 am on August 21st

rainwolfe writes: Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm getting married on Saturday, and I'm still working on the cutting & getting the length right, so I definitely needed to know how to pull it all together... QUICK!

Posted: 1:38 pm on June 15th

Boomer43 writes: Great Instructions, I just made my granddaughter's veil for her First Communion. Thanks for the comb instructions (what NOT to do was very much appreciated !)
Posted: 3:08 pm on March 13th

PABerard writes: Jennifer thank you so much for this tut, it is so easy to follow. quick question... my DD would like a 3/8" ribbon on the border. What is the easiest way to achieve this? Thanks, Pat
Posted: 9:03 pm on June 21st

SewJoe writes: Great tutorial Jennifer, it's about time someone enlightened brides about the industry gouging for a few dollars worth of supplies. You're right about the $300, many brides came to me for help after this sticker shock. As a former bridal dressmaker, I saw far too many bridal shops overcharging for veils, alterations and other one-time-needs. One bride tearfully told me that AFTER her bridesmaid's dresses arrived, the shop told each of them the price was $20 higher because it was a 'special color'.

So to enjoy your beautiful wedding veil--here's a quick tip to make it stay on your pretty head for the entire evening. After your hair is done, take a small hank of hair where you will place your veil and make a pin-curl (remember how to do those?), and criss-cross two bobbie pins. No scoffing ladies, it won't show! Now, gently wriggle the comb under the pin curl and fluff your veil. It just ain't goin nowhere, it'll get you through your receiving line, wild and crazy dippin' and dancing, even the revered 'chicken dance' can't shake this one. Have fun!


Posted: 12:29 pm on May 17th

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