The Veil

Being a Wedding photographer I have noticed a trend in fashion where brides are not wearing wedding veils. In today’s society, wedding veils have lost most of their past symbolic meanings and are instead gorgeous accessories that enhance the beauty of the bride.

This amazing Bombshell shoot featuring a 25 ft. wedding veil got me thinking about where the veil came from and why it is slipping away? If you have read my blog posts you know that I am bit of a fan of history and educating my readers.

Maybe I watched the Sound of Music one to many thousands of times but I wanted to be like the Von Trapp’s. The wedding scene of Maria Von Trapp and her amazingly long train and veil left a lasting impression on my pre-bridal mind. When it came time to buy my own wedding attire, I want it LONG, LONG, LONG and I wanted a veil that matched it. I was very traditional in my wedding veil wearing. Not only did I wear a veil but I wore it down the aisle over my face and kept it on until the first kiss. Remember, I watched Sound of Music a million times and Maria had a veil over her face. I am an old soul and I wanted to keep tradition with my wedding. Watch The Sound of Music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bridal veil was originally invented by pagans to ward off evil spirits who might try to take away the purity of the bride. Veils that were made during pagan times were made primarily out of a thin yellow or red cloth.

For many centuries, a wedding veil represented a woman’s status. In13th century B.C. Assyria, common women and prostitutes were forbidden from wearing veils. In medieval times a veil symbolized the females purity and chastity.

According to tradition, a veil borrowed from a happily married woman will bring happiness and fertility to the wearer. It is considered unlucky for a woman to wear the veil before her wedding day, and if she must try it on for fittings it must never be worn along with the dress.

The idea of purity, symbolized through a veil, carried over into the Jewish religion and the Christian religions.

What ever you pick, it’s your wedding.

There are no rules.

To Veil or Not to Veil?

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