You’ve said ‘Yes to the Dress’ and now you need a beautiful veil. Today I’ve got the perfect tips to creating your own veil at a fraction of the retail price without any sewing experience.
Not only will you save money and add your own personal style, you’ll also earn bragging rights.
My wedding budget was under 7k so I wasn’t trying to spend a lot of money on things that weren’t that important to me like a veil. I shopped around and everything I liked was over $100 so I decided to make my own. I went to the nearest Indian fabric store in NY, purchased fabric for $2 a yard (2 yards total), spent $15 on the lace trim, and ordered my bridal comb on amazon. It was so fast and easy to make that I decided this would be great DIY project for all those economically savvy brides out there. To start, you don’t need any sewing expertise to make a veil but knowing how to use a needle and thread would make this 10x easier. Here’s the steps to making a cascading veil with a decorative trim.
Supplies:
2 yrds Fabric (silk, chiffon, organza, any light weight fabric of your choice)
2 yrds of lace trim
scissors
Needle & thread
Iron on adhesive fabric tape From Amazon (optional)
Bridal comb
Step 1:
Go to your nearest fabric store and buy a mosquito net. Seriously that’s what the fabric looks like. There’s many different fabrics for veils like silk or organza, so choose what you’d like (and make sure its a soft lightweight material). I’m not an expert on fabric so I just chose what looked like veil material and I believe it is nylon chiffon. I bought 2 yards of fabric and some extra, just in case.
Step 2:
Find the perfect lace trim. This will most likely cost a lot more than the chiffon. Buy the same amount of yard in trim as the main fabric. Quick tip: most fabric stores have their lace trims behind the registrar counter. You can also check out online stores for more variety.
(photo of lace trim already attached)
(Not a real trim, just for show & tell, )
Step 3:
Steam the chiffon fabric to remove any wrinkles then lay your fabric on the floor and cut a square with round corners. You can be a perfectionist or wing it like me. I advise you cut larger than the size you actually want and trim it down to perfect shape & size. Here’s a photo of my finished veil laid out on the floor (it’s a little more even that what it looks).
Step 4:
For the trim you can do it two ways; You can use double sided adhesive fabric tape or needle and thread. Either way, to eliminate the rugged edge of the chiffon, I lined up the trim on the edge of my fabric (see photos below).
Step 5: Adhesive tape only
l placed the double sided tape in between the trim and fabric. Then I carefully laid a blanket on top and pressed on the the trim with the iron until the heat fused it together. I did not cut the trim nor the tape until I was completely done going around the edge of the entire fabric. Once done, I would advise you to go around and secure your trim by make a small knot with needle and thread (every 5 inches) so that it doesn’t fall apart on your wedding day.
(just for show & tell)
Step 6:
Needle and thread takes longer but provides a more secure stitch. I have no way to describe the technique but I just weaved my way around the trim & fabric making sure to make a knot every 3 inches before continuing.
Step 7:
Lay your veil on the floor again and fold one of the corners down. You can pretty much play with this part. Pick it up from the folded area, lay it on your friends head and see how long or short you want it to look. Once I decided the perfect length, I placed a pin where I wanted my comb to go.
Step 8:
The bridal comb! I ordered mines on Amazon two years ago and I can’t find the direct link for the life of me but don’t worry. I just searched and they have way cuter options now than when I was looking for one. Click on the photo below for direct link.
Step 9:
To attach the veil to the comb you will need a needle and thread. The actual comb part will be behind the folded section of the fabric like the photo below. When it came to hand sewing, I did it as if I were sewing a button. I went around the first rhinestones, made a knot and continued sewing. When I got the end of the comb, I created another knot and cut the remaining thread.
And thassss, enjoy your custom made veil! I hope my details were clear, if you have any questions please let me know! As always, I love to hear your feedback so don’t be afraid to leave a comment.
For those wondering about the made up trim LOL