The cost of a wedding is nothing to mince words on. Between the venue and catering, any soon-to-be couple can expect to pay tens of thousands on average today. It’s no surprise that some are scaling back on their ceremonies, especially with the cost of necessities and other non-wedding-related things on the rise as of late.
We at Madame Tulle don’t pretend that our wedding veils come cheap. After all, the price of each of our veils is stated on our Shop page for everyone to see. We have some options that won’t burn a big hole in your pockets, but others can be quite the investment. But why does a seemingly simple floor or shoulder length veil command a hefty cost?
A History of Affluence
ROSABEL - Two Tier Lace Edged Veil
Regulars on our blog page may notice that we’ve talked so much about the history of wedding veils that we could probably write a book about it. That said, one noticeable pattern is that the first veils were reserved for the wealthy.
You have to know that creating a veil in the past wasn’t as efficient as it is now. Laces for lace veils had to be made entirely by hand, which could take months to complete, and the pearls for pearl veils had to be gathered from the sea floor, which posed its own dangers. The more effort to make something, the higher the price it can command.
Even without embellishments, historians agree that veils throughout history were symbols of high social status. In ancient Assyria, going out in public without a veil was illegal, but a female who wore a veil despite her class prohibiting her from doing so would face ruthless punishment that we don’t even dare to detail.
This practice carried over to ancient Rome and Greece (though the punishment had been noticeably scaled back), where they found use in wedding ceremonies. The flammeum, a flame-coloured veil used in Roman weddings, meant that the wife could not divorce their husband under the belief of the Flaminica Dialis.
Of course, we can’t forget about Queen Victoria’s wedding, which – not by design – defined the modern wedding. One aspect was that it cemented white as the default colour, which at the time required special cleaning methods to maintain, veils included.
Comparing the Materials
When you think about it, today’s expensive veils are much less pricey than those crafted centuries ago. You can see the difference in their choice of materials and techniques used.
| Material | Traditional | Modern |
|---|---|---|
|
Veil fabric |
Made from delicate silk fabric with imported dyes, purple being a popular dye due to its significance as a colour of nobility |
Made with lightweight nylon or polyester, stronger than silk but can be crafted to exhibit the same soft and silky feel |
|
Pearls |
Genuine pearls collected from oysters and certain molluscs from the ocean floor, a painstaking work that limits their availability |
Mainly cultivated pearls; they’re still grown inside molluscs, but intervention by adding an irritant helps hasten the process |
|
Lace |
Handmade lace patterns sourced from independent lacemakers or convents, which take months or even years to complete |
While some lace is still handmade, others are made using lace machines that speed up the process by days or weeks |
For all the technological strides achieved in veil-making, one thing that has barely changed is dedication to the craft. Rushing the process to have a wedding veil ready at a moment’s notice does a disservice to the bride, who’ll wear it on the most special day of her life. For us, at least, every veil is a labour of love, even if it takes weeks to complete.
While such a mindset adds to the veil’s cost, the figure may have been higher if not for the modern materials and techniques available. Additionally, the materials can be produced on demand, ensuring a steady supply to meet the customer's desired bridal look.
Saving on Wedding Veils
ROSABEL - Two Tier Lace Edged Veil
As much as going all out on your wedding day seems like good advice, not all brides have that option. If you can have a memorable wedding without paying an arm and a leg for it, there’s no reason not to seize that opportunity. Of course, this is no excuse to cheap out – you’d want to balance cost and indulgence.
If you want to save on, say, cathedral length veils, the most common advice industry experts give is to scale back on the embellishments. As we’ve explained in past posts, you don’t want to overload your veil with pearls and other stones for practical reasons. A veil shrouds the bride’s face but doesn’t completely hide it from the world.
You’d be surprised at how plain wedding veils can work to your advantage. A heavily ornate wedding dress should be paired with a plain veil to prevent these articles from fighting over people’s attention.
Key Takeaway
Wedding veils are costly because of the effort, resources and time necessary to craft one, and skimping on too many aspects of their design isn’t an option. However, there are ways to own one for your special day without breaking the bank.
