bridesmaids in white maxi dresses helping bride in ballgown and long wedding veil holding white bouquet

Can Brides Wear a Wedding Veil for Reception? How to Bustle Your Long Veil

Can I wear a long veil for my reception?

Absolutely! It is your wedding, and you can certainly wear your veil for the reception if it makes you feel more beautiful and special. I have seen more and more brides choose to wear their veil all night long. 

Brides love how beautifully the wedding veil sways for their first dance. It photographs like a dream! 

bride dancing with groom at reception wearing long puffy cathedral length wedding veil and ballgown

When do brides take off their wedding veil?

Many brides choose to take their veil off after the ceremony or after they take their bridal portraits. However, many brides want the drama of a long flowing wedding veil for their ceremony, and they don't want to take it off for their reception. They want to wear it for the first dance so that it sways beautifully with every step.  After all, there is just something about the bridal veil that makes a beautiful bride in a white dress feel like a bride.

So what is the solution?

You bustle it! It’s actually possible to wear your cathedral length bridal veil all night long without feeling like you’re in danger of tripping. 

Brides with long veils no longer have to buy a shorter veil for their reception... unless they want to of course.   

bride and groom dancing at reception with bride in lace fingertip length wedding veil

What supplies do I need to bustle my bridal veil?

You can bustle your wedding veil with decorative veil bustle pins. There are also rhinestone pins, non-decorative ones, and even pearl pins. I like the style with pearls on the end because who doesn't love pearls?

pearl hair pins hat pins to bustle your wedding veil for the reception

pearl veil bustle pins with rhinestones and butterflies

You will need at least 2 hair pins, but heavier veils may need up to 4 pins to be extra safe.

You also should make sure that your veil is attached to a tulle-wrapped metal or plastic hair comb as shown in the photo below. You will be pinning the bustle pins to the wrapping of the comb. If you ordered a style of veil without this then it isn't possible to bustle your veil using this method. 

tulle wrapped silver metal comb for rose Venice lace appliquéd wedding veil

How do I easily bustle my cathedral veil?

  1. Pull the veil up from the middle center of the veil to the top of the hair comb.
  2. Pin the fabric from the middle center of the veil to the comb on either side of the veil comb with bustle pins.
  3. Put the plastic stopper / backing on the end of the hair pins after you position the pins in the comb.

 

Who should bustle my bridal veil?

It is actually super simple. Enlist the help of your bridesmaid or mom to do this without messing up your hair. Brides who remove their veil would need help to take the veil out of the hair anyways. This way they are just pinning it shorter. Less risk of a hair catastrophe!

bridesmaid putting wedding veil in bride's half up hairstyle with flower hair pin

If you are like me, then you will trip if there is even a small possibility of that happening. So prevent that with these handy bustle pins. There is no need to sew on fancy buttonhooks or clasps like many dress bustles. 

If you would like a pair, then I am happy to offer them free of charge for every bride I work with who lets me know that they want one. Send me a message letting me know you want a pair.

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