Pageant Hair Styles for Girls: Make A Church Veil

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Make A Church Veil

A veil is the perfect accessory for a bride to wear in a traditional church ceremony.

For brides who desire a traditional wedding in a church, the bridal veil is almost as important as a classic white gown. Classic church veils include the chapel length veil, cathedral length veil and the mantilla, which is commonly chosen by Catholic brides to represent modesty and innocence. Women who are handy with a needle and thread will save considerable money by making their own veil. Relatives or bridesmaids may wish to sew a church veil to give the bride "something new," or a bride can proudly wear her own homemade veil as she exchanges vows.

Instructions

Chapel Length Veil

1. Measure from the crown of the bride's head to the floor and the train of the wedding gown. A traditional chapel veil extends three inches past the train of the wedding gown, so add the bride's height to the length of the gown's train, then add 3 inches to the total.

2. Cut tulle 18-inches wide by the length determined from your calculations in the previous step. Slightly round the edges of one wide end for the tail.

3. Hand sew a running stitch along the long sides of the veil. Along the wide end you did not curve, measure 3 inches and fold the tulle to the underside of the veil.

4. Stitch ribbon, piping, lace or strung beading along the edge of the tulle to trim and give a polished finish.

5. Sew through the folded wide end of the veil by hand, pulling tulle tightly across the thread to gather and bunch. Tie off the end and cut excess thread.

6. Attach the gathered end of the veil to a 4-inch bridal comb by pulling thread through the bunched tulle and wrapping around the teeth of the comb.

Cathedral Length Veil

7. Measure and mark tulle to the dimensions of 120-length-by-30-inches wide. Cut the veil and round the edges of one end, for the tail.

8. Sew a running stitch along the long sides of the veil. Measure 3 inches from the wide end you did not round, and fold the tulle to the underside of the veil.

9. Trim the edge of the veil by stitching ribbon, piping, lace or strung beading on three sides, leaving the folded end untrimmed.

10. Sew through the untrimmed veil edge by hand. Pull the tulle tightly across the thread to bunch and tie off the end.

11. Pull thread through the bunched tulle and thread around the ring of a bridal wreath or tiara to mount on the bride's head.

Mantilla

12. Fold your tulle into fourths. Mark a 1/4 circle with straight pins forming the arc, and the folds composing the straight edges. The radius should be 24 inches. Cut along the pin marks and remove the straight pins before unfolding.

13. Back stitch 1/4-inches along the edge of the mantilla to secure to the veil. Hand stitch the lace trim around the entire circumference of the tulle circle, and back stitch to prevent unraveling.

14. Place two bridal combs approximately 3 inches apart on the underside of the veil, near the edge. Weave through the teeth and sew through the veil where the tulle and lace meet to hold in place before inserting into the bride's hair.