The wedding veil is one of the most common used accessories by brides for some time now! Not only does it have different ways of looking and for being worn, but it can also be discussed at a symbolical level.
We think that you need to take into account the history of it in order to understand this bridal accessory better, so this is how it came into our heads to create this review…..
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
In all cases, the veil is worn by women and only by them and by wearing this you’re able to cover the face and head. From a religious point of view, the bridal veil will show honor to a space or an object. In some cultures, like the Arabian ones, the veil is considered to be an essential accessory for women.
Source: http://www.edenbridals.com/v002-p-1662.html
Now, we’ve been talking in general about this accessory, which nowadays seems to be a piece directly related to fashion, but it seems that it’s history goes way back in the 13th century BCE somewhere in the Assyrian spot, where veiling was primarily observed.
Let’s jump directly from veils in general to the wedding veils! If the woman follows the traditions, she’s most common to wear in her wedding day a white bridal veil, which symbolized in the old times virginity. Nowadays, let’s leave the hypocrisy behind and admit that most of the women who get married aren’t virgins.
We can’t relate to the bridal veil as being entirely a religious item, due to the fact that the Western side of the globe doesn’t believe in religion at all, but it’s long used in history, before being adapted by the West side as well.
Firstly, the Roman brides were those who wore such accessories on their faces and it wasn’t white at all, it was really red and called “flammeum” – being designed especially for getting rid of evil spirits in the big day. From the early times, this accessory jumped to only being used in the 19th century for suggesting the woman’s modesty.
You know pretty well the custom of lifting the wedding veil and kissing the bride, this seems to be the first gesture that the groom does in order to emphasize his possession of the wife.
Nowadays, some of these rituals are still kept: like the one in which the groom lifts the veil and kisses the bride, but we’re sure that most of the men aren’t aware of the fact that this means that they “possess” their wives.
In these modern times, as we emphasized previously, you’re not going to see brides choosing the wedding veil for the sake of innocence, but due to the fact that it goes greatly with the wedding dress that they’ve chosen.