Authored by Kate Beswick in Wedding
Published on 08-12-2009
Weddings are so expensive that they’re a multi-million dollar business every year in the United States alone. Because of this, you may be looking for ways to cut costs in your wedding budget and save more for your honeymoon budget. One way to do this is to try making a lot of your own wedding decorations and other things that will be used on your big day. One of the easiest things that you can make yourself is your wedding veil, even if you’re not a professional seamstress. Making your own wedding veil won’t only save you money but it will also give you a great heirloom to pass on to your own daughter when she gets married!
When making your own wedding veil, you first need to decide which length you want. A shoulder-length veil is the shortest and will only require about 24 inches of fabric. Waist length veils need about 32 inches of fabric and fingertip veils need about 40 inches. If you want a cathedral veil that will fall right onto the ground, the amount of fabric you need will depend on your height. For a cathedral veil the rule of thumb is to measure your height and use fabric that is six inches more than that.
You’ll most likely want to create your wedding veil from tulle, especially if it’s going to cover your face during the ceremony. Tulle is the sheer material that most bridal veils are made from. Any tulle you purchase should be 108 inches wide. It should also have a soft texture to it so that it doesn’t scratch your skin. Also, having softer tulle will make your veil look soft and flowing instead of stiff and rigid. You should also bring a sample color of your wedding dress so that you can match the color as closely as possible.
Once you’ve chosen your tulle, lay it out on a table large enough to hold the entire thing. Start by folding the tulle in half. Place heavy objects, such as coffee mugs, on each one of the corners to hold it in place. Once that’s done, you can cut out the edge that’s not folded so it has nice rounded and curvy waves.
Now comes the sewing! Unfold the tulle so it’s once again one large piece with the rounded edges. Find the place that’s about 3 inches away from the straight edge and start sewing. You will need heavy white thread and a needle. Start sewing at one end and follow along in a running stitch until you reach the other side of the fabric. After you’ve sewn the entire edge, hold the thread and push the tulle across so that it all becomes gathered.
Once the tulle is gathered, you can attach the gathered portion to a bridal comb with a glue gun. If you’re getting married in a very hot place using a glue gun may make your wedding veil fall right off the comb! Instead, simply attach it to the bridal comb by sewing through the tulle and pulling it through and around the teeth of the comb. This will secure it to the bridal comb beautifully and won’t fall apart when you’re walking down the aisle!
After you’ve completed all these steps, give the tulle a slight tug. This will let you know if the veil is securely attached to the comb. Remember, if you’re using a hot glue gun to attach your veil to the comb, wait until it’s completely dry before you test it. Otherwise, the tulle may come right off and you’ll have to start making your own wedding veil all over again!
