Veiled in Mystery

So a while ago I posted about the dilemma of a birdcage veil versus the long, flowing veil of my dreams. And the long veil won out! I'm so sorry I can't have two weddings and wear two veils, but I really want the flying veil shots. Someone suggested that I wear the birdcage for the reception, which is an excellent plan. But I just think I'm going to be too attached to my veil to want to let it go so soon! So a long veil it is :-)


Now there was only one huge, massive decision to be made. What KIND of long veil are we talking about here? Long, like floor-length, or long like it's still coming in the door when I'm already at the altar? And once the length is decided, what about a blusher? Chin-length, waist-length, floor-length? Do I even want a blusher? Mantilla veils look really pretty, have great lace edging, and don't cover the face. How many layers of veil? One, two, or three? Square-cut or rounded? What about edging - crystals, beads, sequins, or lace? Or no edging? Scattered sparklies all over or just plain? Embroidered patterns or nothing?


Aaargh!!!


So I turned to the best resource I know - photography blogs! Nothing like seeing what works at a real wedding to find out what is best for you. Now I don't have any limiting facors like a beach, for example, where a long veil can be impractical. It could rain but I like to feel that it's unlikely to, so I'm not letting that sway my decision. No, my only factor in my decision is What Do I Want? (I love that! It's all about me!!)


Here are some examples of my dilemma. My NEW dilemma (do they ever stop?):

I quickly discounted this short blusher veil because it's too short:

My bridal consultant seemed to think an elbow or fingertip length would look good with my dress, but I wasn't convinced:

Meh. Not long enough! But my dress does have a gorgeous embroidered train, which it would be a shame to hide. Then I started looking at mantilla veils. How stunning is this:

And then I found a great fingertip length mantilla, which looks really pretty:


But, ultimately, not long enough. So I looked at long mantillas:

Wow, Wow and WOW, right? I couldn't get over how beautiful these looked! But something was wrong...I realised after looking at these that I really, really wanted something to cover my face. But I hated the big, bushy, poofy veil that grows out of your head like a great meringue:

I liked the sleekness of the mantilla veils; and I loved the fact that they were flat on the head, letting their beauty come from their soft cascading fall. But I wanted something over my face, and I still wanted a long veil that we could 'play' under and get great sweeping veil shots like these:

And then I discovered the Drop Veil. Basically just a huge circle of fabric that you can place on your head however you want - even all the way around, or short in the front and flowing as a train at the back. It was when I saw these pictures that I was hooked:

Gorgeously stunningly wow! I love the flowing simplicity of it all. My search was over! Bring on my drop veil!

Here are some other beautiful photos:

My veil is sorted! Fiiiiinally!