logo
Dress codes: Why do brides wear veils?

Dress codes: Why do brides wear veils?

Yahoo2 days ago
Editor's Note: Examining clothes through the ages, Dress Codes is a new series investigating how the rules of fashion have influenced different cultural arenas — and your closet.
One of the oldest elements of a bridal ensemble, dating at least as far back as Ancient Greece, veils have largely remained a staple accessory for even the most modern, subversive brides.
When singer Lily Allen married actor David Harbour at an Elvis-inspired Las Vegas chapel in 2020, she eschewed an ornate gown in favor of a '60s-style Dior double-breasted mini-dress — but still wore a conventional tiered veil in her up-do. And when singer Gwen Stefani decided on a boundary-pushing wedding frock (also Dior, designed by John Galliano for her 2002 wedding) that was dip-dyed in a shock of pink; so too was her trailing veil.
Over the weekend, Lauren Bezos Sanchez became the latest high-profile bride complete her look with tulle on top during her lavish, eyebrow-raising wedding in Venice. After slipping on her custom Dolce & Gabbana mermaid-line gown at her final fitting, seamstresses applied the cascading lace-finished veil to Bezos Sanchez's head 'like a crown,' according to Vogue.
At her wedding in 1840, Queen Victoria swapped her velvet robe of state in favor of a white silk gown — its wide, almost off-the-shoulder neckline trimmed with a curtain of lace. On the day she married Prince Albert, she was not the British monarch, but an adoring bride dressed in the purest ivory to signify her virtue. (The archbishop asked if Her Majesty would like the word 'obey' removed from the vows. She insisted it remained.) If only for just a few hours, she was playing a different role and wearing a different costume: Both would endure for well over a century.
Only recently have some of the traditional aspects of bridal wear first popularized by Victoria been updated for modern times. Hemlines are growing ever higher as the mini wedding dress reigns supreme in the age of the pared-down ceremony; while some brides have opted out of a dress altogether — gliding down the aisle in a tailored suits instead. An increasing number of brides, such as singer and actress Mandy Moore at her wedding in 2018, opt out of wearing white altogether (she chose a dusty-rose gown from Rodarte) . Yet despite these contemporary reforms, one long-established accessory has displayed more staying power than the rest: The veil.
If anything, veils appear to have gotten bigger in recent years — sometimes demanding more attention than the dress itself. In 2018, actress Priyanka Chopra made headlines with her Ralph Lauren wedding gown, topped off with 75-feet of tulle (and five people to help carry it). The following year, Hailey Baldwin (now Hailey Bieber) married Justin Bieber in a giant Off-White wedding veil with the words ''Till Death do us Part' embroidered at the hem of the pooling fabric.
Since then, grandiose rivers of tulle have streamed through celebrity ceremonies like fast-rushing water: from Sophia Richie to Paris Hilton, Naomi Biden, Nicola Peltz Beckham and Millie Bobby Brown. 'The veil has become a canvas that really provides the drama you might not get from a more minimalist dress,' said Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, author of 'The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion,' in a phone call with CNN.
Previously, veils of grandeur — or length — were reserved for royal nuptials. In 1981, Princess Diana wore the largest veil in the monarch's history, clocking in at a whopping 25-foot. It was hand-embellished with 10,000 micro pearls by London-based seamstress Peggy Umpleby, who took the veil home on public transport each day to continue working on it well into the night. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, followed suit in 2018 with a 16-foot long veil made of silk tulle, hand-embroidered with the flowers of the Commonwealth countries.
The veil's appeal has even trickled off the aisle and onto the runway. This season at Paris Fashion Week, Andreas Kronthaler, creative director at Vivienne Westwood, sent both a black and white tulle veil down the catwalk, off-setting a polka dot and navy dress respectively. At the London shows, Turkish designer Bora Aksu went one step further, offering netted veils in red and blush pink. Even at this year's Grammys, musician Gracie Abrams donned a chiffon Chanel veil for the ceremony's red carpet.
But according to Chrisman-Campbell, veils are simply returning to fashion — not being adopted by it. Historically, veils in western culture began as 'a fashion for the wealthy,' she said. The upper echelons wore hand-made lace, which during the late 18th century was worth more than its weight in gold. (According to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum, one meter of lace would take a skilled worker in the 1700s a year to produce.) 'Wearing lace, whether a ruffle or a veil or a cap was a status symbol,' Chrisman-Campbell said. By the early 1800s, industrialization introduced machine-made lace, making the fabric more affordable to the masses. 'Suddenly, more people could afford to have a very beautiful piece of diaphanous, beautifully embellished textile,' she said. 'That's why veils became fashionable.'
In Ancient Greece, the bridal veil, also known as a 'flammeum,' was seen as a form of protection for women, shielding them from evil spirits, wedding jitters and other potential bad omens. Other cultures have used the garment as a means of obscuring the bride's face during the final moments before an arranged marriage. Since veils have existed throughout history in a variety of cultures, they are a shifting emblem — representing mystical boundaries, or potentially misogynistic attitudes. One urban myth argues veils were intended to hinder women from potentially running away, while others speculate they symbolize a bride being untouched and brand new — a prize to be unwrapped.
While Chrisman-Campbell isn't convinced by every interpretation of the veil, she has observed its association with purity and chastity — which, for at least a century, meant divorcees and widows wearing veils during their second wedding was widely considered a social faux pas. 'There was a big taboo against wearing a veil if you had been married once before,' she said. Second brides were also excluded from wearing white, carrying a bouquet or wearing a floor-length gown. 'But women came up with some really ingenious alternatives,' said Chrisman-Campbell. 'They might wear a hat, they might wear a floral arrangement in their hair, anything but a veil.'
For her second wedding in 1964, Elizabeth Taylor wore a marigold yellow chiffon baby doll dress — her hair braided down her back and strewn with flowers. Meanwhile, in 1962, Audrey Hepburn dutifully toed the line with the sartorial rules of second marriages, saying 'I do' to Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti in a short baby-pink Givenchy mini dress and a silk headscarf. 'If you didn't pretend it was your first marriage, it made it more acceptable,' Chrisman-Campbell added.
The expectation that second-time brides should pare down their look finally waned in the 1980s, and these stringent sartorial rules became redundant. One of the most joyful examples of a third-time bride embracing the pomp and pageantry of a big white wedding was Angelina Jolie. During her 2014 nuptials to Brad Pitt, Jolie wore a classic ivory satin Versace gown. The main event, however, was her veil, which was embroidered with colourful drawings from her children.
'She really upended the whole idea of the veil as suggesting modesty or virginity, or any sort of bashfulness,' said Chrisman-Campbell, who felt this level of personalization spoke to a new era of progressive matrimony. '(Today) there are often blended families involved, so the children are involved, and the wedding becomes an even bigger deal because it represents not just two people joining, but two families joining.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Max Mara Atelier Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Max Mara Atelier Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Vogue

time40 minutes ago

  • Vogue

Max Mara Atelier Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Laura Lusuardi, Max Mara's Fashion Coordinator, has been at the company for just over 60 years, and during that time I'd wager she's forgotten more about the business of beautiful clothing than most of us will ever learn. Since 2009 she has overseen Atelier, a hyper-rarified Max Mara capsule that exists outside the central MaxMara remit, first established by founder Achille Maramotti, to create luxurious womenswear on an industrial scale with a hand-tailored quality. While very much about handicraft, Atelier is not about scale: instead it is a forum for Lusuardi and her team to R&D experimental forms of the garment that has defined Max Mara since day one, the coat. This season, the collection was presented adjacent to Max Mara mainline's Naples-based resort show by Ian Griffiths. This seemed a pragmatic way to put these made-to-order samples in the line of sight of some of the house's core clients. Lusuardi greeted us next to a moodboard inhabited by photographs of Diana Vreeland, Maria Callas, and Jackie Kennedy, who the designer all identified as 'radical women.' Kennedy was photographed wearing a swim-cap while vacationing in Capri, and the set-up of the coated mannequins reflected that: each one wore ornately modern-looking (yet vintage), gorgeous mid-century swim-caps. The range of garments beneath them suggested that 'radical' was in this instance meant as a synonym of 'individualistic': the collection broadly saw classical couture shapes from the 1950s and 1960s, as well as 1980s silhouettes, processed through a lushly minimalist filter, and then—quite surprisingly—seasoned with a soupcon of grunginess that was telegraphed by a Kurt Cobain cameo. Fabrics included double-faced cashmere, boiled and treated wool, zibeline-effect cashmere and delicately weathered leather. My absolute favorite was an oversized knee-length coat in a green-touched wool cashmere mix (I think) whose structural seaming and cinches were drawn from a type 3 denim jacket. An oversized hoodie-coat in washed cashmere had that zibeline-shagginess to the touch yet retained much more defined lines than its jersey prototype. A long black coat was patterned in a gold check jacquard to reflect the design of Cobain's shirt and inject a spirit of nonconformism into this rarified worn milieu. A paneled piped and dyed shearling jacket and a slouchy short leather jacket were both minor masterpieces. Said Lusuardi: 'These coats are not for wearing to church. They are for wearing every day, with your own style, customized and personal.'

Ayissi fuses African tradition and Parisian craft with bold flower forms at fall couture show
Ayissi fuses African tradition and Parisian craft with bold flower forms at fall couture show

Associated Press

time41 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

Ayissi fuses African tradition and Parisian craft with bold flower forms at fall couture show

PARIS (AP) — Beneath an opulent chandelier in a sunlit salon, Imane Ayissi's fall couture show once again fused African tradition with Parisian craft. Monday's running motif was the flower, explored in bold, distinct ways. In one of the most striking looks, the model's entire upper body was transformed into a sculpture of giant vermillion flowers — petals constructed to fly outward and create a vivid silhouette. Another satin dress placed a flower appliqué playfully at the hip, as if growing from the fabric itself. Elsewhere, a tailored pink jacket was punctuated by crisp white floral embellishments, merging softness with geometry. Ayissi played with contrasts throughout: sharply structured jackets alongside softer, draped pieces, and traditional African textiles interpreted with couture techniques. Handwork and tactile details gave the collection both presence and lightness. If there was sometimes tension between architectural lines and exuberant decoration, Ayissi's best looks felt fresh and intentional — pushing the conversation between heritage and high fashion forward. Once again, he made a compelling case for the place of African craft in the heart of Paris couture.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Zoë Dale Marries NFL Kicker Cade York — and Yes, 'Thunderstruck' Was Performed at the Wedding
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Zoë Dale Marries NFL Kicker Cade York — and Yes, 'Thunderstruck' Was Performed at the Wedding

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Zoë Dale Marries NFL Kicker Cade York — and Yes, 'Thunderstruck' Was Performed at the Wedding

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Zoë Dale and NFL kicker Cade York got married over the Fourth of July weekend The pair tied the knot in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday, July 5, in a ceremony that included a performance of DCC's iconic "Thunderstruck" routine "A lifetime of us!! 🦢✨," the couple captioned an Instagram postZoë Dale and Cade York are married! The Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and the Cincinnati Bengals placekicker tied the knot on Saturday, July 5, in what friends are calling the "most beautiful celebration" — and they even included a nod to DCC's iconic pregame routine for the occasion. The couple, who confirmed their engagement in March, shared snaps on Instagram in joint posts on both Sunday and Monday, showing off glimpses of their ceremony at Verona Villa in Frisco, Texas. "A lifetime of us!! 🦢✨," they captioned one carousel of photos, while another featured the Bible verse ‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬, which includes the line, 'Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay." In the heartfelt wedding snaps, Dale could be seen in her white dress and veil as York, sporting a tan suit, shared some kisses and hugs with his new bride. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Per photos and videos shared by attendees on social media, York and the couple's guests were treated to an impressive performance of "Thunderstruck" by Dale and a few of her fellow cheerleaders in what has become a wedding-day tradition for DCC brides. While in their dressy attire, the crew of roughly a dozen cheerleaders and wedding-goers held up their pom poms and delivered a lively rendition of the signature DCC pregame routine, according to the footage. Dale could be seen showing off her moves in front of the group while wearing her white dress. Fellow cheerleaders Reece Weaver, Amanda Howard and Anna Kate Sundvold were among those who celebrated with the couple in their Instagram comments section, with Weaver calling it the "most perfect day." "Sweetest wedding 😍 y'all are a beautiful couple," Howard wrote. "The most beautiful wedding!! ❤️❤️❤️," Sundvold chimed in. York, who played college football at Louisiana State University, was picked in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He has been on the Bengals' roster since 2024. Per DCC's website, Dale is in her second season as a cheerleader with the squad and shared that she wants to be "married to my best friend and have a family of my own" in 10 years' time. The newly married couple first shared a clip from their engagement in March, which took place at a photo shoot when York surprised Dale as she turned around and saw him down on one knee. Before that, the couple appeared to make their relationship Instagram official in June 2024, and notably posed for a kissing snap on the field as their two teams faced off in December. Read the original article on People

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store