It's been awhile, but let's return to our veil discussion shall we? In my
first post on veils, I discussed the various lengths and styles available to brides. Now let's talk about the various elements that go into a bride choosing a type and length of veil.
There a few factors brides should consider when choosing a veil, such as you face shape, body shape, hairstyle, and wedding location.
Face Shape
A veil will frame your face, so taking into consideration your face shape is important. For a square face, it is preferable to have a veil that is at least shoulder length, since usually a square face is wider than it is long and it may be desirable to add length to the face. You also might consider having some volume on the top of the head. Circular and cascading veil styles can also help soften the lines of a square face.
A bride with a round face would generally want to avoid veils with a lot of volume at the sides of the head, since this will make her face look wide. Choose veils that are long and cascading, as this will make the face appear slimmer.
An oval face is slightly longer than it is wide, and is usually well-balanced, so this bride can be free to experiment with various veil styles. However, it would be wise to avoid extremes in volume or width, so as to maintain your proportions.
Those with a rectangular face would look best in veils that have width around the face, and should avoid height on top of their head so as not to add to the length of their face.
Body Shape
Brides with large busts can benefit from a veil that is fingertip length or longer, because length in the veil can help elongate the upper body.
Pear-shaped women tend to look best in veils that end at the shoulder, elbow, or waist level. These lengths draw attention to your small waist, rather then the width of your hips.
Tall women can typically carry off longer veils, especially cathedral length, but shorter women tend to suit veils that are waist height or above.
Please keep in mind that these are just general guidelines based on advice from professionals. But ultimately- you should wear what YOU want. It is your wedding day, and a wedding planner will be the first one to tell you that you should do what you want because it's all about you!! :)
Also, please check out
my veil styleboard featured over on Bride Chic, and the gorgeous veils made be Amy-Jo Tatum! Stay tuned for The Bridal Veil 103 where we'll discuss how your chosen hairstyle and wedding location can effect your veil choice.
I don't know if you noticed, but the last decade of wedding colors was dominated by brown. When choosing wedding colors, many brides go with a neutral (black, brown, navy, gray, cream, etc.) as a base, and then accent with their favorite shades. The early 2000's saw a lot of brown weddings- brown/blue, brown/green, and brown/pink were the most popular combinations. Well, 2010 brides are aiming to set themselves apart- and we're seeing SO many going with gray as a base for their wedding palette!
Gray is a modern choice for wedding color schemes, but with a soft feel that goes well with a lot of the vintage-style weddings we're seeing recently. It give a more muted feel than black, so it works well with pastels such as yellow and peach. It also works well to help control a bright color, such as apple green or fushia. Grays are fast becoming a popular choice for tuxedos, as grooms are straying from the traditional black as well. Tell us what you think of the gray trend! And do you spell it grAy or grEy? An age old question. ;)
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2. Once you've chosen someone to direct your rehearsal, sit down with them and tell them exactly how you want it to go. It's frustrating for everyone if you're making major decisions about who walks when, where to stand, etc. during the rehearsal- so decide how you want things beforehand. It's okay to change things if you don't like the way it looks, but have a plan.
3. Make sure that everyone involved knows who is in charge. Make an announcement and introduce them, and let everyone know that they will be listening to the direction of this person. A wedding planner can be invaluable in rounding up bridal parties, getting people to focus and listen, and knowing how things should run. They are the pros after all!
4. Usually, three dry runs should do it. The first is just winging it, seeing how everything looks so you can tweak if need be. The second time will have your adjustments, and the third is to cement the details and make sure everyone knows their cue. Some bridal parties have got in down in two runs, some need twenty! But honestly, people are probably hungry for your rehearsal dinner, so as long as things look good, try not to insist on running through it too many times.
5. Kids in the bridal procession need to be prepped for what they'll be doing. Rehearsals are great for them, but this shouldn't be the first time they're practicing. Mom and Dad should be going over walking down the aisle with little ones so that they're prepared and excited. And, your rehearsal director should probably bring candy for bribing purposes. :)
6. Make sure you're music is set and ready to go beforehand- music glitches take up precious time and are frustrating! Whether it's a guy pushing play on the sound system, or a string quartet playing live, make sure they know their cues, and make sure your bridal party listens for their cues in the music. Again, a director and/or planner can be helpful in letting people know when it's time to head down the aisle.
Got any other tips for a smooth rehearsal? Please share! 
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