What Fabric Are Wedding Veils Made From?

Have you ever wondered about wedding veil fabric? What are veils made of? Which veil will look right with your dress?  How do you choose?

You may have already discovered that wedding veils are very expensive. Or you may have been unable to find exactly the veil you want. If you are considering making your own bridal hair accessories,  you should start by knowing the differences in veil fabric.

The most common fabrics for veils are Bridal Illusion and Glimmer Illusion

Bridal Illusion –

is the softest, high quality tulle and has a matte finish. It is well suited to beach and outdoor weddings and is made of 100% nylon. If you want a long veil then this is a good choice because it come in widths up to 108”. Tulle is an excellent choice if your are going to make you own veil.

Glimmer Illusion –

is your best choice if you are looking for a shiny white finish. It is also 100% nylon and also works well for beach and outdoor weddings. Like Bridal Illusion, it comes in widths up to 108” and is therefore good for long veils. It is an extremely transparent fabric. A long veil looks particulaly lovely with a sheath gown.

Silk Chiffon –

is not netting, it is cloth. So, it is heavier, not transparent, not fluffy and will hang straight down. Silk Chiffon has a matte finish and since it is silk you must not get it wet. This material is much narrower, only coming in widths up to 42”. It is a good choice for short to medium wedding veils and indoor weddings. A short veil will look great with a short wedding dress.. 

Polyester Chiffon –

like Silk Chiffon is a fabric. Being made of polyester it can get wet and comes in widths up to 60” so it can be used for longer veils. Polyester Chiffon is more opaque that the silk version. It is a bit heavier and has a smoother texture.

Organza –

is also cloth but while Chiffon is limp and Organza  is stiff. Wedding veils made of Organza are very smooth, light and transparent. They have the same sort of fluffy characteristic as Bridal Illusion. Organza comes in widths up to 60” and is an all weather veil since the fabric is polyester.

English Net –

as the name suggests it is a net fabric but with thicker fibers than Bridal Illusion. It is semi-transparent and come in widths up to 60”. Color choices are limited to white and ivory and it works for outside weddings because it is 100% polyester. It flows and drapes wonderfully, similar to Silk Tulle.

Silk Tulle –

is a netting fabric made of silk. This is an extremely soft but also an extremely fragile material. It has a gauze texture reminiscent of cheesecloth and works best for short to medium veils. Silk Tulle only comes in widths up to 42”and is very expensive, running up to $100.00 a yard.

French Net –

This is a netting fabric with large holes that is used for birdcage veils so it is very stiff and narrow and only comes in widths up to 18”. It is transparent because you can see through the large holes and comes in black, white and ivory. This is the perfect choice for the slightly more unusual wedding hair accessories. Being so stiff, bobby pins will be required to keep it in place on your head.

No Veil –

You might also consider no veil at all. There are lovely hair accessories that look elegant all by themselves in your hair. If you have an ornate dress with lots of lace and beading or other decoration you may not want to detract from it with a fancy veil.

Finally –

If you are going to make your own veil, study pictures of bridal hair combs and jewelry that you like. Consider the length and the fluff or drape of the fabric. Also, very important is how durable will the veil need to be? Will it be blown by salt winds on a beach? Might it get wet? Then, using this list, select the wedding veil fabric that will have the look you want, at the price you want and go to a Fabric Store.

Don’t make selecting your veil an after thought to choosing your gown. Your beautiful bridal look is a combination of your gown and veil. The look of your veil is largely created by the wedding veil fabric you choose, so consider it carefully.