I know if you are anything like me, dear reader, the last posting on wedding gowns represented only a drop in the bucket of what can be said about that proverbial LWD (Little White Dress). Let’s take a look at bridal veils like the one in the picture and what they can mean for the context of your dress.
The first accessory that comes to mind is the proverbial veil. This traditional draping was not always just a piece of sheer fabric to accent a dress (or to accent the moment when the groom “reveals” her). In ancient Greece, veils were used as a sort of concealing device in a time where arranged marriages were the status quo. The bride’s family certainly didn’t want their potential son-in-law running for the hills when he got a glimpse of his “beautiful” bride! The ancient Chinese had an umbrella-like canopy for the bride to be under to protect her, and this is said to be another forbearer to the modern veil.
In Medieval England, veils served as protection from evil spirits for the bride. They eventually because a symbol of purity as well – perhaps because of its similarity to the headdress a nun wears as well as its white color (a long-standing symbol of purity and virginity). These symbols are still true today, and a veil is never used after the wedding and a bride’s “big reveal” to her husband and to the world as a married lady.
While burqas and forced veiling of women carry negative connotations in today’s cultural and political climate, I still believe the bridal veil is a beautiful symbol of the transition from a virginal girl into a married woman. I do not know if I would personally choose to use this tradition in my own wedding, I always appreciate it in others’ ceremonies because of its ancient ties and heady symbolism.
http://www.perfect-wedding-day.com/bridal-veils-symbolism.html
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/180928_what-is-the-meaning-behind-the-bridal-veil
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