Behind the Veil

Bride here. The search for a wedding veil has led me down some strange and horrifying paths. One of the most common types of edging on a bridal veil is a pretty satin cord, for which the bridal industry has come up with the evocative name "rat-tail." As it turns out, we are striving for a 100% rodent-free wedding, so the rat-tail veil is out of the question.


And this little number, while it get points for originality, may possibly be hiding rodents. Plus, I'm not sure if the shade is quite right for my dress. So this one is out, too. (One can never be too careful.)


Eventually I came to the conclusion that my best bet would be to make my own veil. Sadly, I possess only the most rudimentary sewing skills (and even my button reattaching abilities are questionable). But what I lack in the skills, tools, vocabulary, spatial reasoning abilities, and common sense needed to sew, I more than make up for in optimism!

Did you know that the kind of tulle most frequently used in veils is called "Bridal Illusion"? In my case, it probably should be called "Bridal Delusion."

Thank goodness for friends.

My dear friend Janette must have sensed that without her help, I would end up walking down the aisle carrying a long piece of tulle in one hand and a crumpled-up Vogue pattern in the other. So she drove out from Madison to help me make my veil. And when I say "help me," I mean do 95% of the work and watch me closely to make sure I don't injure myself on the straight pins.

I learned a lot. For instance, when it says on the pattern..."Fold line. DO NOT CUT ON THIS LINE."... they aren't kidding!

While "we" were hard at work, George the cat volunteered to help, too. She took a nap on some of the pattern pieces, and woke up to find...


After much meowing, we determined that she was disappointed with the puny size of her tulle bow. So we upgraded her to a much more festive model, complete with Swarovski crystal trim. Can't you see how much she loves it? She's got wedding FEVER!