Origins of the Wedding Veil - A bride is always somewhere between 'very pretty' and 'absolutely gorgeous'. Veiling the bride is a symbolic way of tantalizing the groom by concealing her beauty until he becomes her husband and is permitted to see her. The lifting of the veil was often a part of ancient wedding ritual, symbolizing the groom taking possession of the wife, either as lover or as property, or the revelation of the bride by her parents to the groom for his approval. The wearing of a bridal gown and veil is one of the big days in a woman's life--Choose what you feel comfortable in and enjoy your special day!
Wedding
veils
are a common site at weddings and are often chosen by brides who are
planning a traditional and formal wedding.
The
origins of the wedding veil date back many centuries and are deep
rooted in many cultures across the world. One of the first dates back
many centuries when it is said the groom would ‘capture’ his
bride by throwing a blanket over her. Other origins have the veil
covering the bride’s face so that she couldn’t be seen before the
wedding
ceremony
and was common in arranged marriages. Probably the most popular and
familiar story relating to wedding veils is they were worn to protect
the bride from evil spirits.
Historically
wedding veils were symbols of submissiveness and a promise by the
bride to obey her new husband. Only after the ceremony would the veil
be lifted to reveal the bride for the first time. This may seem
outdated by today’s standards but for many brides there is
something very beautiful about lifting back a veil to reveal the
blushing bride beneath.
But
you may be wondering why wedding veils are made from sheer fabric?
Apart from the fact if it was opaque the bride wouldn’t be able to
see, the reason goes back to biblical times. If you are familiar with
the bible then you may recall the tale of Jacob marrying the wrong
girl. Jacob wanted to marry Rachel but as the veil was opaque he
couldn’t see through it and instead married her sister Leah. It is
believed that from this point onwards veils were made in sheer
fabrics so the groom could at least see an outline of the bride’s
face and be able to recognize that this is the girl he intends to
marry.
Throughout
history veils and headpieces have varied. Some bride’s preferred
tiaras or crowns with the veil attached at the back. Others preferred
a headband of silk or fresh flowers.
Veil
lengths vary greatly as well. The cathedral length veil is the most
formal which will trail along behind the dress train. Chapel length
veils touch the floor, elbow length veils are just that - elbow
length and are worn with floor length gowns, whilst shoulder length
veils are worn with gowns with an elaborate back so that they can be
seen.
Wedding
veils are not for everyone. Some bride’s feel the look is over
fussy or don’t want something sitting around their face. But there
can be little doubt that a veil is the perfect finishing touch to a
formal wedding gown and makes a beautiful addition to any wedding
outfit, whatever length it is.
Georgina
Clatworthy is a dedicated full time writer who composes informative
articles related to wedding
favors
and wedding.
She is connected with 1WeddingSource, today’s leading wedding
social networking planning site.
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