Wedding Veil Styles & corresponding Veil lengths (10 types)

There is a lot of thought that goes behind a wedding preparation. A wedding veil turns a simply dressed bride into a princess. So you have to select the best wedding veil for your special day; And the correct wedding veil length is also important.

When it comes to choosing the wedding veil that will accompany a wedding gown, the main considerations are the style of the wedding gown and the theme or type of wedding and of course the personal preference of the bride.

Wedding Veils are mainly categorized according to the length they hang up to.

The total length of the wedding veil will depend on where you attach the veil comb to your hair. You may be keeping the veil comb at the back of your neck or higher up in the hair. This will, of course, change the length of the veil on you.

Wedding veil lengths

Birdcage Veil

This is a short veil that never extends beyond the chin of the bride. It could also be very short as to just reach the eyes from the crown where it is fastened. It is sometimes cut asymmetrically across the face for a more dramatic look. English netting is usually used for making the birdcage veil – this type of netting has large holes.

Shoulder Length Veil

It is usually 18″-24″ in length and is right at or below the shoulder.

This is one of the most commonly used veils when the wedding dress has beautiful embellishments and you would not want to hide those beautiful decorations underneath long veils.

The 18-inch shoulder length veil with many layers is called a Flyaway veil.

A short, fly away veil which is 20 inches long and lies just past the shoulders of the bride is also called a Madonna length wedding veil. This type of veil is a semi-formal style, suitable for a modern bride

Elbow length Wedding Veils

This veil is about 32″ Inches long and reaches the elbow or the waist of the bride.

Fingertip length wedding veil

As the name suggests this veil is of a length reaching the bride’s fingertips. Approximately it is about 36 to 45 inches long. Usually, it is 38 inches long.

Waltz length wedding veil

Also called Ballet length veil. This veil falls between the knee and the ankle (around mid-calf) and the length of the ballet veil is about 45 to 60 inches. The Walking length veil could be 60″ – 70″ Inches.

Full-length wedding veil

The full length wedding veil is a floor length one and it is about 72 Inches. This wedding veil will be even with the floor when the bride has her shoes on.

Chapel length wedding veil

Chapel length Wedding veil is about 90 inches long, a few inches longer than the full length veil and sweeps the floor. Both these wedding veils are formal styles. They are also called sweep veils or full veils as they could extend some 6 to 12 inches beyond the train of the gown.

Cathedral Length wedding veil

This veil is approximately 108″ Inches in length and extends at least one foot behind the bride and often extends further than that. An extended cathedral veil can extend upto 5 feet on the floor. This is the kind of veil you see in Royal weddings.

Blusher Veil

This is a type of veil which is not defined by its length, but by its position. This is the kind of veil that is placed over the face during a wedding ceremony, which is lifted by the bridegroom for a kiss. Blusher also refers to a portion of the veil which lies over the face, as part of the other kinds of veils. The length of the blusher veil could be as per the bride’s choice.

Mantilla Wedding Veil

This refers to a circular veil with a beautiful trim around its perimeter, made of lace, ribbon or beads. There are many ways to wear a Mantilla veil – It could be used as a blusher veil covering the face or folded by half and clipped with a veil clip on the hairdo so that it falls down in double layers or simply draped over the head and shoulders

You can learn more about the different types of wedding veils and how to make them in this post.

Updated on October 2, 2022 by Sarina Tariq

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