10 Stunning Veils For The Bride Who Wants To Make A Grand Entrance
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2 months ago
An iconic 'I do' accessory made for the aisle
The finishing touch for your bridal look? It has to be a veil. This wedding accessory has stood the test of time over the years – once a (rather outdated) symbol of modesty and purity, today’s veils are just as contemporary as the people wearing them. One thing’s for sure though, the meaning of a veil is different for every bride. Whether short or long, white or rainbow, plain or peppered with beads and crystals, the veil is just as personal and customisable as any other part of your bridal attire.
Below, we round up our favourite veils for 2025/2026 brides – and dive into the history of the ultimate wedding accessory.
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The Edit: Bridal Veils
Why Do Brides Wear Veils?
It all comes down to tradition. One of the oldest parts of the bridal ensemble, the veil is rooted in centuries of history. They can be traced all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome; back then, the bride would wear a veil over her face as a means of disguising herself from any evil spirits who might pose a threat to the marriage. A bit like the ‘something blue’ tradition, the original goal was to keep the bride safe against spiritual aggressors.
A couple hundred years later, the role of the veil shifted slightly. They came to be associated with purity and modesty, largely brought on by Christian wedding traditions – namely, the act of wearing white, alongside a white veil. Queen Victoria is often credited with setting this trend, having worn an ivory silk gown on her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 as a means of signifying her virtue. She also wore a veil measuring over six feet long, decorated in lace to match her gown.
The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February 1840 by George Hayter (1840). Oil on panel, 20 x 27 cm. Royal Collection, Windsor | George Hayter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Modern royals have similarly upheld the trend – although Princess Diana possibly had the grandest of all. The former Princess of Wales wore a dress designed by the Emanuel Salon, alongside an ornate tulle veil hand-embroidered by artisan Peggy Umpleby. Draped over Diana’s 25-foot train, the veil measured a staggering 140 metres (almost 460 feet).
While not as dramatic, both of her daughters-in-law also wore veils; Kate Middleton donned a nine foot veil for her marriage to Prince William in 2011, while Meghan Markle stepped out in a 16.5 foot bridal veil on her nuptials to Prince Harry in 2018. Markle’s veil also had sentimental illustrations embroidered into the fabric (apparently it took 500 hours for embroiderers to create all the details), with 53 individual flowers depicting all 53 countries of Commonwealth, alongside California poppies to symbolise her home state and wintersweet in reference to the blooms that grow outside Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace (where the royal couple once lived).
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It’s not just the royals who love a bridal veil, either. Celebrity brides have long been a fan of the humble veil – and, like Meghan Markle, many like to put a personal spin on the wedding accessory. Ariana Grande gave a nod to Audrey Hepburn by adorning her veil with a big white bow, Sofia Richie Grainge opted for chic textural elements with a water droplet effect, and Hailey Bieber had her cathedral-length, custom Virgil Abloh wedding veil embroidered with the words ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART’ – making quite the (literal) statement.
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And that brings us to the present. Despite the origins of this bridal tradition, veils are now a very modern part of the wedding ensemble. They allow for customisation, personalisation and sentimental touches that turn them from accessory to family heirloom. A bride’s veil is arguably just as important as her dress, and plays a huge role in delivering that mega bridal ‘moment’.
