A wedding headpiece and veil is a timeless bridal look, creating a beautiful focal point as you walk down the aisle.

One of our favourite wedding looks combines two timeless accessories—wedding veils and headpieces—to create a beautifully layered, multi-dimensional bridal style. Whether you’re going for a classic, romantic vibe or something more modern and cic, layering a veil and a headpiece adds depth and personality to your look.  But achieving this balance requires careful consideration of styles, textures and placement. In this post, we’ll guide you through the process of layering a wedding veil with a headpiece, offering practical tips to ensure your accessories complement each other perfectly.

1. Choosing the right veil and headpiece combination

When layering a veil with a headpiece, the first step is selecting pieces that work harmoniously together. Here’s how to approach this:

Consider the veil length and style: The length and style of your veil will influence the type of headpiece that pairs best with it. For example:

  • Short veils (birdcage, blusher veils): These styles pair beautifully with smaller, more delicate headpieces, such as simple combs or vintage inspired clips.
  • Medium length veils (elbow, fingertip): These lengths are versatile and can be paired with a variety of headpieces, from intricate tiaras to floral crowns or statement combs.
  • Long veils (chapel, cathedral): Longer veils often work best with more substantial headpieces, like crowns or headpieces, which will anchor the veil and add a regal touch. The density of gathers on your veil and the width of the veil comb will also influence the overall look.

Match the aesthetic: Your veil and headpiece should share a similar aesthetic to create a cohesive look. If your veil is adorned with lace or beading, consider a headpiece that features similar details. Conversely, if your veil is simple and understated, a more ornate headpiece can add the right amount of flair and accentuate the details on the back of your wedding dress.

Coordinate with your dress: Ensure that both the veil and headpiece complement your wedding dress. For example, if your dress has a lot of intricate detailing you might opt for a simpler veil and headpiece to avoid overwhelming your lookd.

Laurette Bridal Hair Pins 4.jpg
Shop this look: LAURETTE bridal hair pins
Honeysuckle Floral Wedding Headpiece 6
Shop this look: HONEYSUCKLE bridal headpiece
Rosa Floral Hair Pins 7.jpg
Shop this look: ROSA bridal hair pins
Audrey Minimalist Chapel Wedding Veil 12
Shop this look: AUDREY veil
Bride Alexandra Wears Laurette Hair Pins 1.jpg
Shop this look: LAURETTE bridal hair pins

2. Placement matters: Positioning your veil and headpiece

The way you position the veil and headpiece can dramatically affect your overall bridal look. Here are some tips for getting it just right:

  • Classic placement: Traditionally, the veil and headpiece are positioned at the front/top of your headpiece. Similar to the look of a tiara, this look feels regal and effortless.
  • Contemporary placement: For a more modern look, consider placing the headpiece with the veil underneath at the top of an updo or half up hairstyle.
  • Low placement: If you’re wearing your hair in a low updo or chignon, you can position the headpiece and veil at the nape of your neck. The placement is elegant and works well for brides who prefer a subtle, understated look.
Lucille Floral Bridal Headpiece 4.jpg
Shop this look: LUCILLE wedding headpiece
Enchanted Bridal Tiara 1
Shop this look: ENCHANTED bridal headpiece
Bride Gerrie Wears Marion And Audrey 4
Shop this look: MARION bridal headpiece
Enchanted Bridal Tiara 2.jpg
Shop this look: ENCHANTED bridal headpiece
Verse Floral Bridal Hair Comb 9.jpg
Shop this look: VERSE bridal headpiece
Marion Floral Bridal Comb 5.jpg
Shop this look: MARION bridal headpiece
Clarabel Floral Bridal Tiara 5.jpg
Shop this look: CLARABEL bridal headpiece
Wisteria Blush Wedding Headpiece 12.jpg
Shop this look: WISTERIA bridal headpiece
19 Bride Wearing Lyric Headpiece Audrey With Pearls 1 682x1024
Shop this look: LYRIC bridal headpiece
Real Bride Lena Wearing Bespoke Everly Headpiece With Rhinestones Copenhagen 2 750x500
Shop this look: MARION bridal headpiece
Clarabel Floral Bridal Tiara 4.jpg
Shop this look: CLARABEL bridal headpiece

3. It's all about the proportions

When choosing your bridal comb, consider its proportion relative to your veil comb. You’ll be positioning them next to each other so size is important. The body of your bridal headpiece should be wider (longer) than the width of your veil comb.  So if your veil’s comb is 3 inches long, your headpiece needs to be at least 4-5 inches long.

  • Extra wide veil comb? A veil comb that’s 4-4.5 inches or wider is best styled with a longer and narrow comb.  Delicate hair pins will appear disproportionate and too busy in the hair.
  • Plastic veil comb? Consider the thickness of the veil comb itself, particularly ones that are attached to thick plastic combs with a lot of tulle wrapping.  These veils are hard to work with because they appear heavy and chunky in the hair. We avoid plastic combs across our collections and we only use fine metal hair combs as they’re stronger, sturdy, flexible and lightweight.
  • Love a fuller veil with lots of volume?  Ensure your headpiece is wide enough to cover the veil comb. The VERSE comb is a smaller comb that pairs perfectly with a fuller AMORA wedding veil. At just over 5.5 inches wide, the VERSE is perfect to cover a wedding veil comb that’s up to 4 inches wide.
  • If you prefer a sheer wedding veil, a drop veil like our ROSELLA chapel veil or BLAIR fingertip veil will sit flat against the head and will ensure your bridal comb will sit flush against it.
Jasmine Wedding Hair Comb 1.jpg
Shop this look: JASMINE floral bridal headpiece
Floral bridal accessories for the modern bride
Shop this look: ELVIRA floral bridal headpiece
ELANA bridal headpiece
Shop this look: ELANA bridal headpiece
Gisella Bridal Hair Comb 1.jpg
https://www.taniamaras.com/product/gisella-bridal-headpiece/

The advantages of wearing separate pieces rather than one that is sewn together

Choosing to have a separate veil and headpiece rather than one that is sewn together offers several key advantages in terms of flexibility, styling options and practicality.

  1. Flexibility in styling: When the pieces are separate, you have more versatility in how you style your hair and position the accessories. You can experiment with different looks, trying the veil at different heights. A separate headpiece and veil allows you to adapt your look throughout the day. For example, you might choose to remove the veil after the ceremony while keeping the headpiece on for the reception.
  2. Practicality: If the veil is sewn into the headpiece, removing the veil can be complicated and may require the help of a hairstylist. With separate pieces, the veil can be easily removed without disturbing the headpiece or hairstyle.
  3. Maintenance and care: It’s easier to manage, clean and store a veil and headpiece when they are separate. Veils are typically more delicate and prone to wrinkling, so having them unattached makes them easier to handle without damaging the headpiece.

How to secure your look

The more accessories you have in your hair, the greater the base that is needed to support them. We suggest the layered look is best suited for an updo, but a half-up half-down or even loose wavy hairstyles can be achieved using a few simple techniques to secure those metal hair combs.

If you are wearing your hair all down, your hairstylist will most likely create a hidden foundation under the hair to support the piece in your hair. These extra precautions (extra hair pins!) will securely hold the headpiece and veil in place.

  • Use multiple hair pins: Secure your veil and headpiece with multiple bobby pins or hair combs to ensure they don’t shift during the day. Make sure to choose pins that match your hair colour for a seamless look.
  • Try it on together: During your hair trial, make sure to try on your veil and headpiece together. This will give you a sense of how they work as a pair and allow your hairstylist to make any necessary adjustments.
  • Consider weight and balance: If your headpiece is particularly heavy, you may need to reinforce it with xtra pins. Similarly, if your veil is long and voluminous, make sure it’s anchored securely so it doesn’t pull on your headpiece.
The Layered Look Wedding Headpieces And Veils 2
The Layered Look Wedding Headpieces And Veils 1

Once the veil is secured into place with bobby pins, you’re now ready to position the headpiece and pin it into place. It’s best to secure the veil first and then the headpiece on top of the veil’s comb for a more seamless finish.

Choose headpieces constructed using split combs or no comb at all

When styling your wedding comb and veil, make sure you take into account how they’re constructed. If you have two central combs (one on the veil and one in the middle of the headpiece), it will be possible to layer them one of top of the other but it may be more of a headache – literally – than it’s worth.

Look for headpieces designed around a split comb system or headpieces which don’t feature a comb at all. This way you can easily position the veil, position the headpiece and easily secure them into place. The two comb system is signature to our brand – we feel two combs allows extra flexibility with style around various hairstyles and head shapes. And of equal importance, it means you can style your headpiece with a veil. Just ensure the combs are wide enough to sit either side of the veil’s comb.

Need personalised styling advice?

Need styling advice to bring together your bridal look? Get in touch with photos of your wedding gown and your favourite pieces from the collection. We would love to offer ideas and recommendations on pieces to suit, including how our pieces can be customised to suit you.

SHOP BRIDAL HEADPIECES

Designed to be worn with or without a wedding veil, discover customisable bridal headpieces for you.

You may like