For centuries, brides in countries and cultures worldwide have worn veils - they are a staple of wedding attire.
Princess Diana’s veil was 25ft long, Kate Middleton’s veil was made from ivory silk and had lace edges, and who could forget the Instagram of Kim Kardashian's cathedral-length Givenchy veil.
Although the connotations of veils are romanticised, the history behind them is, in contrary, quite unsettling.
Historians trace veils back to ancient Rome, where their sole purpose was to act as a disguise mechanism to hide the bride from evil spirits and ward of the ‘evil eye’. In Johnston’s The Private Life of Romans it is stated that the bride was cloaked head-to-toe in a red sheet called a ‘flammeum’, which is likened to the Latin term ‘flamma’ meaning flame.
Though the word ‘inconspicuous’ may pass us by when envisioning a woman wearing a bright red floor-length veil, the Romans were believed to have suspicions that evil spirits were jealous of happiness, so brides would have to hide their purity and jubilance.
The ‘unveiling’ of the bride would be a significant point of the wedding ceremony, symbolising the passing of the bride from the father to the new husband. Often in ancient cultures the groom won't have seen the bride until he removed her veil on their wedding day so, especially when the marriage was arranged, the groom wouldn’t be put off by a less-than-attractive bride and refuse to marry her. The superstition that it is ‘bad luck’ to see the bride before the wedding day is a tradition still prevalent in contemporary society.
On a more oppressive note, the veil and the train were traditionally designed to be incredibly heavy, rooting the bride to the spot as to effectively trap her and prevent her from running away - not exactly romantic, eh?
Celebrity Veils - Grazia
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Marilyn Monroe**
Marilyn Monroe married Arthur Miller on 29th June, 1956. Marilyn was the ultimate rock 'n' roll bride with a chin-length veil and simple beige dress, but the wedding was low-key and intimate.
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Priscilla Presley**
Priscilla Ann Wagner married Elvis Presley on 1st May, 1967 when she was just 21-years-old. Her veil was secured with a rhinestone crown - a rock 'n' roll princess.
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Katie Holmes**
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise married in Italy on 18th November, 2006. Katie's wedding attire was designed by Giorgio Armani and was embellished with 400ft of crinoline and tulle which reportedly took 70 hours to make.
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Grace Kelly**
Grace Kelly's wedding attire is one of the most iconic of all time. She married Prince Rainier III of Monaco on 18th April, 1956 in a gown designed by Helen Rose. Her Juliet-style lace cap was attached to 90 yards of tulle embellished with beautiful appliqué. It is said to be the inspiration behind Kate Middleton's wedding dress.
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Gwen Stefani**
Gwen Stefani married Gavin Rossdale on 14th September, 2002. The John Galliano gown (remember her song lyric?) was white-and-pink ombre and topped off with an antique lace veil. The dress was later featured in an exhibition showcasing iconic celebrity wedding gowns at the Victoria and Albert museum.
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Bianca Jagger**
Bianca Perez Marena De Macia married Mick Jagger on 12th May, 1971. Her gown was simple but oh so chic - she wore an ivory smoking jacket by YSL Le, a wide-brimmed hat and classic veil.
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Kate Moss**
When Kate Moss married Jamie Hince on 1st July, 2011, she wore a gown and veil designed by John Galliano. The vintage-inspired Juliet-cap veil was delicately embellished to complement her boho-style slip gown, which took inspiration from Zelda Fitzgerald's gowns from the 1920s Jazz Age. The gown was the centre piece of the wedding dress exhibition at the V&A museum.
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