How to Make a Tiered Wedding Veil

One of the most expensive wedding articles is the bride's veil. Wedding salons place exaggerate value on this piece of material. But the fact is most tiered wedding veils can be made without much time or trouble. With the use of a few yards of silk tulle or English netting fabric, and the right tools, any bride can make her own wedding veil.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Veil fabric
• Fabric scissors
• Fabric marker
• Weight
• Measuring tape
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Needle and thread
• Headpiece décor, embellishments
• Edging lace, cord or ribbon
• Glue gun

1. Decide on how many tiers of veil will best compliment your wedding dress. Standard lengths for different tiers are 24 inches (shoulder), 30 inches (elbow), 40 inches (fingertip), 52 inches (waltz), 90 inches (chapel) and 110 inches (cathedral). Usually, tiered wedding veils use an elbow length top layer.

2. Decide on a pattern for embellishments.

3. Fold your chosen veil fabric, tulle or English netting fabric, lengthwise and spread it down on your work table or on your work floor and place weights on the corners to keep the material from sliding.

4. Mark the fabric precisely and then cut the fabric with scissors or a rotary cutter. Make sure there are no jagged edges.

5. Sew the edges by attaching the material to a satin ribbon that matches the shade of the gown. Seams are not necessarily done on veil fabrics so this step is optional.

6. Unfold the fabric and spread it out to your work table or floor. Strategically place your embellishing materials. If you are using rhinestones, they can be attached with a glue gun. Swarovski crystals, pearls and sequins are best sewn onto the fabric.

7. Gather the veil. Use an extra-strength needle when gathering the fabric. Push the fabric along the thread and secure the edges. Use a whipstitch to attach your tiered wedding veil to a comb. Attaching the veil to a comb helps keep the material securely in place and eases the setting of the veil on the bride.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a fabric that has a 108-inch width to be assured of the fullness of the veil. If English netting and silk tulle is too expensive for your taste, you can always use bridal illusion, which is also available in salons and fabric stores. Bring along a swatch of your wedding dress when you shop for fabric. Some may be too conservative and skip the embellishment part, but adding a hint of sparkle to the bride's head brings attention to the face and softens the beadwork of the wedding dress. Veil making kits are conveniently sold at craft stores. To get an idea on the fullness of the veil, gather the material and pin it to your hair. If it is fuller than what you have in mind, make adjustments to the width of the material. Iron out creased areas before cutting. Adjust the shape of the veil by cleaning up the edges of the veil and cut off excess material. Use a rotary cutter to easily make clean cuts on English netting or tulle fabric.