Tips and Advice: veil length for an outdoor wedding

Photo by Eugene Kam Photography

When it comes to veils, I love the drama and elegance of a cathedral length veil, but for outdoor weddings, I always suggest fingertip length or shorter. The elements can wreak havoc on a long veil, causing it to get dirty while walking down a grassy aisle, and more importantly, the beauty of the long veil gets lost when wind picks it up and tugs ungracefully at a beautiful hair style. At a dear friend's oceanfront wedding, the wind blew so strongly that her veil actually flew off before she had a chance to reach her groom at the "altar" area of the ceremony.

Note to grooms: if heading to windy locales with your bride on your wedding day, help to prevent the flying veil situation from occurring by placing your arm around her back, gently holding the veil in place, particularly while walking around, or even while taking pictures in windy areas. Be careful not to pull on the veil, as it could potentially undo a pretty hair style. A veil in place is a good veil indeed!

elbow-length veil illuminated by light from the window
Photo by Visionari