Weddingbee

I visited Debra of Dori Anne Veils again one day a while ago, not to buy another dress, but to pick out a veil from a selection she’d just gotten in. (I don’t mean to gush, but I really can’t recommend her enough — not many vendors will offer a great price on a gown, plus throw in a free veil of choice with purchase of certain dresses.) I went over to her store with a very specific idea of what I wanted.

On a budget from the beginning, I had already purchased a custom, waltz-length veil from VeilShop for less than $50, but was feeling unsure about the harshness of the line at the top, which I could see in some of our pre-wedding portraits. Since I’m not planning to wear a tiara or comb, which would hide that line, I thought it would be best to have something that blended into my hair a bit more subtly for the actual day.

So, when Debra offered a veil, I jumped at the chance to have a different, perhaps shorter, one to replace the first entirely, or to switch to after the ceremony. I wanted it to be like the first one, but perhaps shorter: single tier, very sheer, minimal gathering at the top for minimal poof, no decoration save some sort of light edge treatment if anything, attached to a metal comb.

Veilshop veil:

And so, I put on my gown at Debra’s and gamely began to try on veils…and picked this one:

Two tiers, moderate poof, not super sheer, a lot of gathers at the top, crystals interspersed throughout that play off the decoration on the gown beautifully, attached to a sturdier-than-expected plastic comb. And I love it! I guess the normal caveat for gowns applies to veils too: try on everything, even the ones you think you don’t like, ’cause you never know what it will look like until it’s on! Though everything else ended up being drastically different, I did keep one of my original preferences - it’s a lot shorter than my other veil. Hehe.

Crystals, sewn on with a fine, transparent thread, which I’m told have a better effect in pictures than the glued-on kind.

And that was the end of that…until…after much hemming and hawing, I decided I still wanted to have a long veil during the ceremony. And so, yesterday, just days away from the wedding, I dropped by Debra’s yet again to check out her newest selection to see if I could find something similar to the VeilShop veil, but with a better look at the top of the comb.

Annnnd… I ended up with this, the very first pick that Debra pulled out for me, with a large percentage off from the retail price. I think it’s probably considered “chapel” length, but on my tiny 5′0″ frame it seems longer. It’s an Erica Koesler oval-cut, center-gathered veil, two tiers, with a subtle silver embroidered edge that matches the trim on my gown. The “poofiness” factor is near perfect for my liking, and the length truly is the most appropriate for the type of traditional ceremony we’re having.

Right now, the plan is to wear this beauty for the ceremony, and then switch to my shorter, more cute one for pictures later on — and no veil during part of the reception. I love that I have and can use both! And, of course, the question still remains — now that I have two tiers to work with, both of which drape very nicely — should I go ahead and do the blusher thing, just ’cause I can? Hrmmm… Knowing me, I’ll probably decide just before I walk down the aisle.

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