Bridal Styles

We all know that veils are to weddings like icing is to cake, but have you ever wondered where the tradition originated? All of us at Bridal Styles did! After all, our New York boutique is all about bridal accessories – including veiling.

Brides have been wearing veils for centuries. In fact, since biblical times! In the story of Rebekah and Issac, Rebekah wore a veil as she married him, revealing her face after the ceremony to indicate their joining as a couple. Fast forward to the Roman Empire, and women on the way to being wed wore brightly colored veils to ward off evil spirits.

Bridal Styles Boutique real bride Arbionda in her delicate two tier veil

It wasn’t until the Crusades that veils found their way to Europe. During that time, a bride’s marriage was often arranged through the father, and the couple often didn’t meet until their wedding day. A medieval bride would wear a veil that concealed her face, not to be revealed until after the ceremony!

Bridal Styles Boutique real bride Michelle in her gorgeous custom lace cathedral veil

Throughout its interpretations and uses across cultures, the veil has symbolized purity and, upon lifting from her face, that the couple are spiritually and physically joined. While this sometimes implied the transference of the bride as property, in Rebekah’s case, by wearing a veil she was indicating she would remain her own person even after marriage.

Bridal Styles Boutique real bride Tonia in her dramatic French net veil and blusherl

Today, veils are an enduring symbol of marriage. Modern brides can express themselves with everything from a stylish, vintage-inspired cage veil to a dramatic cathedral length veil trimmed in hand cut lace.

To find the perfect veil for your style and carry on an ancient tradition, visit us in our Brooklyn, New York bridal accessory boutique!