Of the many, many choices brides have to make while planning their wedding, one of the most visible is ‘what are you going to wear on your head’? As with everything else, there are squillions of options, so I thought I’d (hopefully) help some of you ladies out by giving you a visual guide to how different wedding head piece accessories look and also change the feel of your wedding and your gown.
Now I’m certainly no fashion expert, and if you’ve met me, you know this is true (I march to the beat of my own drum when it comes to fashion). So please take my ahem, opinions, with a grain of salt. Also, go with something YOU love, don’t worry about what anyone else wants or says. It’s your wedding day, your way. Also, apply that advice to the rest of your wedding – you only get to do it once. You can thank me later for that morsel of excellent advice.
Let’s talk about some of the wedding head piece options (sounds like a matrimonial trip to the orthodontist haha!) out there for brides.
The Cathedral Veil
Ok, I admit, I love a good cathedral veil. Traditional, beautiful, timeless, and boy do they look wonderful in photographs. All hail the cathedral veil! Of course, these beauties don’t go with everything. Best suited to a long dress, and you may want to remove it by the time the reception rolls around and replace with a comb or other hair piece. Cathedral veils can be worn over the face (traditional) for the ceremony entrance or simply at the back of the head. Other considerations may be the length of your hair. Long hair is best, but be sure to try it on at the hair trial to see how it’s going to look on the day.
Chapel, Waist and Elbow Veils
If a cathedral veil is not for you, you can still go for a shorter length veil to compliment your dress. There are various lengths shorter than cathedral (who knew right?), the most popular seems to be waist length. After all they are pretty versatile and can be worn in tiers with or without blusher (the bit that goes over your face), beaded or with lace, and will work for both garden and chapel/church ceremonies.
Hat Veil
Are you a little more into the vintage look? Then perhaps a hat and veil combination is more your style. I thought Katie-Marie chose the perfect accessory to compliment her peach ballgown dress for her retro vintage themed wedding. The hat was easily removed too as it was on a headband. Genius!
Head piece
The term headpiece is reallllly broad when it comes to wedding accessories. There is so much to choose from! Flowers, combs, diamantes, halos and lace are just a few things that can be incorporated into a head piece. The one thing that has to match is the style. I mean if you are having a vintage wedding then you might consider a small birdcage veil or diamante comb. The style can completely make or break your overall look.
So what if you can’t decide? I have another option for you. You can mix and match! One of my fave brides Sarah is a self-confessed head piece freak, so when she couldn’t decide she opted to wear a different head piece for each part of her day, and it totally worked. Sarah wore a veil for the ceremony, a flower crown for part of the location shoot, and a diamante head piece for the reception. All went beautifully with her mermaid tail dress, and made for some wonderful and different photos throughout the day. Problem solved!
So there you have it. Many options and many choices for wedding head pieces. You just have to find the right one for you. Some of my favourite suppliers and websites for more inspiration are Julie Herbert Millinery, Fletcher and Grace, Grace Loves Lace and Bohemian Brides – I love these guys’ work!
Ms Chinoiserie Says: Thanks Wendy for your great advice on headpieces – I love the idea of a different one for each part of your wedding day!
About Wendy Maley Photography: Hi, I’m Wendy. Yep, the one that takes the photos. I’m a Gold Coast wedding photographer. I’m also a wife, a mumma and a pocket rocket. I don’t have a team of photographers. When you book me you get, me. Here’s what I love: Snowflakes, they are cool (hehe). Romance. Tutus. Props. Oh and hats with ears. I like them too!
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