Whether you’re creating a custom veil or searching for the perfect off-the-rack veil to complete your wedding look, you’ll want to give some thought to the width of your veil. Like every other element of your veil – from the veil edge to the veil cut, the width of your veil can have a significant impact on the final look.
At Classic Veils, we offer three veil width lengths in our white, ivory and diamond white tulle: 54″, 72″ and 108″. Notably, not all of our colored tulle options are available in these three widths, though most are available in at least two options.
In this guide, we look at which wedding veil width would make the most sense given your dress, the length of the veil, and other factors. Let’s get going!
Choosing a Veil Width
What Wedding Veil Width Should I Choose?
The three most important factors to consider when determining the best width for your wedding veil are: the style of your wedding gown; the overall look you’re trying to create (e.g. dramatic, subtle or somewhere in between); and the length of the veil.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the three most common veil widths with these factors in mind:
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54 Inch Width (Sheer Fullness)
The narrowest of the options, a 54-inch wide veil will provide a sheer effect, stay behind your shoulders and offer a subtle look. If you’re wearing a mermaid, sheath, or form-fitting dress or a gown with embellished sleeves/straps, this narrower veil may be your best bet.
If you have a long veil and a full-length gown/gown with its own train, I would generally recommend bypassing this narrower veil option. As a general rule, make sure your veil width complements your veil length – otherwise it’ll look skinny and underwhelming. To create a cohesive look that showcases both your full-length dress and long veil train, opt for a fuller veil.
72 Inch Width (Standard Fullness)
The ‘Goldilocks’ of veil widths, a 72-inch wide veil creates a more romantic and dramatic look than its narrow 54-inch counterpart.
Again, the length and fullness of your gown, as well as the length of your veil, can help you determine if 72 inches is the right width, too much or too little. This width is a great option if your dress has spaghetti straps as it will offer some shoulder coverage.
This width of veil can work well with shorter and longer veils, and with various gown styles.
108 Inch Width (Extra Full)
Want to make a grand statement with your veil? Go all out with a 108-inch wide option. This veil will provide more fullness at the top and fully frame most wedding gowns at the bottom.
The wider the veil, the more dramatic the overall look, so take this into account when deciding if bigger is better for you. If you have a full dress or are wearing a strapless gown and want to cover your shoulders and arms, this veil width is the way to go. On the other hand, if you’re wearing a sheath dress, a short dress or otherwise sophisticated and small dress, this width of veil will surely swallow you up.
What’s the Best Width for a Short Veil?
With a short veil such as an elbow-length, waist or fingertip veil you have a bit more leeway with respect to the width of your veil. A slimmer width will provide a sheer and subtle look, while a wider veil will provide more fullness and coverage for your shoulders. Generally, we recommend a 72-inch veil width unless you want to create a sheer or voluminous look.
What’s the best width for a long veil?
If you’re going with a long veil, I would encourage you to go with a 72-inch or 108-inch width. If you go long and narrow, there’s a good chance your veil will look skimpy, particularly if you have a full dress. The fuller the dress, the wider the veil is a good rule of thumb to start from.
As you can see from the images in this guide, the veil width can significantly transform your wedding look. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, when deciding on a width, consider the length of your veil, the style of your gown, and the overall look you want. You’ll also want to take into account the other elements of your veil, such as the number of tiers, edging, cut, etc., and how your veil width will play up or play down these elements.
This was a super helpful article! Thank you so much for publishing this!
What about drop veils? How do you decide how wide your drop veil should be?
Hi Ivy,
Thank you for your great question.
Since drop cut veils have no gather, the top layer has to match the width of the veil. So, if you want your veil to have a 108” width, the top layer would need to be about 54” long. For example on a 30”x120” length veil, the veil width could max only be 60” wide (top layer 30” x 2).
Hope this makes sense. Please send me an email if you need more help with your veil.
Thanks,
Meredith