I just caught an episode of The Gilmore Girls, (I know, but I cant help myself!  It reminds me so much of my daughter and I…) anyway  Lorelei asked her mother, Emily, which of two veils she thought would look best on her and her mother replied, “Your head is too big for a veil, you might consider a tiara instead…”

Lorelei's Veil Choice

That got me thinking.  Gone are the days where it is either or, so Emily’s way of thinking is wrong there, however her thought on head size and veils does have merit.  Like the Three Bears, heads come in all sizes and so do veils.

There is a “best” and a “best not to” rule of thumb when it comes to veils.  I’ll hit on the five most important I think you should be aware of when choosing the right fit for yourself…

* Large Head: A large head can carry off double layers and lots of pouf.  Mantillas with traditional lace borders balance large heads and are a great choice.  Tulle is a great material to work with since it is well adept at providing width and height. What you want to keep in mind here is that a too small head adornment will make the head and face look larger – to counteract that effect you should keep the “scale” in line with the whole picture.  Another consideration is if your fiancee’s head is significantly smaller than yours, you may want to opt out of wearing a veil and instead go with just a tiara and fabulous hair.

See how these veil choices change the scale of her face?

* Small Head:  A small head can carry single layer veils and mantillas with thin lace borders.  Silk is the material of choice here – keep it thin, soft and flowing.  Paying attention to “scale” in this case is of utmost importance – using anything too big/wide/high will dwarf an already small head.

* Average Size Head: Theoretically this category can carry off any style or size. But, since an “average” size head is not something I can define for you in measurements, rather it is more of a subjective categorization, it is not as easy to pin a Do or Don’t Do on.  Just like Goldilocks, you will need to try it all on and see what balances your individual size best.

* Thin Face: Wear whatever veil you chose so that the border of the veil falls behind your ears.  Show as much of your face as possible or you will close in your face making it look smaller and thinner.

* Full Face: The veil should be worn on the head in such a way that the border of the veil falls at the cheek bone.  This optical illusion will produce a thinner face and keep focus on your eyes.

Thin Face, Large Head, Perfect Choice!!

As always, please do leave a comment with photos and questions – I am delighted to impart my, ahem, “wisdom” (hee hee hee…) ~ Jacki Norrie, Wedding Tresses