Selecting wedding hairstyles with a veil in mind is a trickier task than most brides may expect. After all, a veil is an accessory most have never worn outside of a costume party, and it takes some thought and care to consider the way it will flow alongside your tresses. Many will choose to pair their veil with some form of an updo, which helps pull the hair off their face and brings a styled polish to their look. Others might embrace the natural movement of their hair and wear a veil perched on the crown of their head as their locks brush their shoulders.
If you want to discover the best way to style this hair accessory for brides, look no further than the celebrations featured in Vogue. Plenty of brides have shown wedding hairstyles with a veil that can fit almost every hair length and fashion aesthetic—so get inspired with these veil-adorned coifs ahead.
1. Low Tight Bun With a Center Part
For a sleek and smooth updo to pair with a veil, take note from Sofia Richie’s wedding day style. The bride wore a clean low chignon with her hair clearly parted at the middle of her crown and pulled tightly back. The bun provides an easy grip for a veil’s comb to be cleanly tucked away.
2. Sock Bun
If you have thick hair, take advantage of your plentiful strands to create a voluminous sock bun at the back of your head. We love how the chignon is hidden and creates some shape to the placement of this bride’s mantilla veil at her Montecito wedding, yet can also make a statement on its own once the veil is removed.
3. Braid Down the Back
At fashion designer Sandy Liang’s New York City wedding, the bride wore a thick braid plaited down her back along with her veil as she headed off to the after-party portion of the night. This is a fun option for a bohemian bride who wants their hair to peek through a sheer tulle style.
4. Twisted Chignon
A twisted chignon is a versatile coif that can take you through your wedding day, as it did for bride Rhiannon at her Lisbon celebration. It can serve as a foundation for a long veil with a fastening comb, then later be revealed as a chic, clean style as the reception continues.
5. Chignon With Face-Framing Tendrils
Want to wear an updo with your veil, yet don’t love your hair fully slicked back? Take note from bride Mari Fonseca, who left a few face-framing pieces out of her beach wedding. Bring polish to the style by first blowing out the hair, then using a curling wand on those front pieces.
6. Down With Brushed Out Curls
No need to wear an updo with your veil. If you love wearing your long hair down, you can still easily wear a flowy piece of tulle with it. To add some romance to your look, consider wearing your hair in loose curls that are brushed out to create a soft wave full of movement.
7. Loose Updo With Natural Curls
Bride Megan Thomas let her natural curls bring exciting movement and volume to her wedding day look, allowing them to cascade from her updo. Placing her veil comb at the base of the style made sure her curls wouldn’t be hidden during the ceremony.
8. Layered Chignon
Brides with long hair have the option to get sculptural with an updo beneath their veil. At Sara Worth Mullally’s wedding, she chose to have her hair twisted in two layered chignons down the crown of her head. This layered style provided a nice perch for the bride’s ruffled veil to cascade to the ground.
9. Down With a Deep Side Part
At Venus Williams’s Florida wedding, she chose to wear her hair in a Hollywood wave style with a deep side part tucked behind her ear. This style is great to keep your locks sleek, smooth, and off the face, but also provides a beautiful base to be framed by a veil at the crown of the head.
10. Wrapped Chignon
Your hairstyle doesn’t have to be covered by your veil. At Josephine Skriver’s celebration, she let her updo—a bun wrapped further with twisted hair—get some attention and pinned her veil beneath the chignon.
11. French Twist With Face-Framing Bangs
Want something different than a classic chignon? Consider wearing a French twist beneath your veil. Bride Lillian Myer had her hair rolled up in this chic style for her wedding day, with her veil pinned on top. She left out a few loose bang pieces in the front to help softly frame her face.
12. Long and Natural
Bride Tish Weinstock took a gothic approach to her wedding day look, wearing a Juliette cap veil with a blusher that covered her head. Instead of styling her long hair beneath, she left it natural and full of texture.
12. Long, Straight Blowout
Looking for a more polished feel? Look to Olivia Culpo’s wedding hairstyle. The bride had her hair blown out to be long and straight with slight movement on the ends. Beginning the day with a blowout and her veil made it easy to transition her hairstyles into a half-up look at the reception and a ponytail at the end of the night.
13. Low Braided Updo
Add some intrigue to a classic chignon by first braiding your strands. We love how Juno Wheeler wore a wrapped braid style at the base of her head with bangs loosely framing her face at her celebration. While this bride didn’t wear a veil, we think one could easily be added above this braided chignon.
14. Loose Curled Updo
Actress Sarah Hyland favored an undone look for her wedding day hairstyle. Loose, styled curls spill out from the front half of her crown, while a messy chignon is tucked away beneath her veil. This style is perfect to add some whimsical romance to a look.
15. Braided Bun
Love a full bun hairstyle but want to add a twist? Consider having your hairstylist create a braided bun instead. Bride Carly Cucco chose this look for her wedding day, pinning her veil comb just at the top of the wrapped style so it could stay intact the rest of the evening.
16. Extra-Low Chignon
Another idea for a wedding day chignon is to create volume and depth at the nape of your neck. Bride Oleema Miller pulled her locks back into a clean, yet not-so-tight chignon that kept the hair out of her face. Pinning her veil above the style made for a stunning photo in the wind.
17. Twisted Back Chignon
The twists of a chignon don’t have to be limited to the actual knot at the back. Vogue contributing editor Eaddy Kiernan also created intrigue by twisting back her hair along the side of her head to add a dynamic feel to the style. She let this style peek through a blusher veil during her ceremony.
18. Curled Ponytail
Love to have your hair long and loose, but also want it pulled back for your wedding day? Consider a styled ponytail with your veil. Model Kate Bock wore this style for her New York City wedding. Curling the strands descending from the ponytail brought polish to the look.
19. Loose Half-Up Style
Lauren Rothberg also embraced a relaxed style at her California nuptials. The bride wore a half-up, half-down look to pull her hair back, yet allowed loose, front pieces that had been blown out to cascade in front of the veil.
20. Half-Up With Face-Framing Strands
Don’t want too relaxed a look? Take note from Taylor Hill, who pulled her hair back behind her veil yet allowed two strands to frame her face. She also had her hair parted cleanly in the middle to help create balance.
21. Naturally Curly Chignon With Baby’s Breath
You can absolutely wear hair accessories alongside your veil. Bride Adriana Diaz added baby’s breath to the top of a chignon crafted with her natural texture on display. Pinning her veil beneath the knot allowed the two adornments to not overlap.
22. Half-Up, Half-Down With Bangs and Baby’s Breath
Singer Carly Rae Jepsen also wore baby’s breath in her hair at her New York wedding, yet added it to a half-up, half-down hairstyle that allowed her bangs to come forward. Her veil was secured with a comb where her hair was fastened.
23. Messy Half-Back Bouffant
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At her Halloween wedding, Rainey Qualley brought drama and ease to her wedding day hairstyle by pulling her naturally wavy hair half back. She teased the look to create a slight bouffant at the crown for extra volume.
24. Twisted Chignon With a Deep Side Part
For her nuptials, Huma Adebin wore a complex low chignon with plenty of twists along with her veil. The embroidered tulle accessory lay at the top of her crown, while a deep side part with extra volume framed her face.
25. Natural Wave With a Side Part
At Serena Marron’s farm wedding, she wore her hair close to her natural texture. Her hair was parted with a defined side part, cascading down behind her veil in soft waves. Adding a touch of product to eliminate frizz can help perfect this look.
26. Hollywood Waves
Singer Demi Lovato embraced glamour with her Hollywood waves hairstyle at her Los Angeles wedding. A deeper side part and bouncing waves with smooth volume give this look a classic polish.
27. Low Voluminous Bun With a Barrette
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A bejeweled barrette is another accessory you can pair with a veil. At Madison Utendahl’s nuptials, she attached a veil to this clip just for her walk down the aisle. The gauzy tulle was removed soon after to reveal her pearl-accented barrette.
28. Natural Curls
Diotima designer Rachel Scott wore her hair down with her natural texture on her wedding day. A thin woven veil let her defined curls shine through and frame her face.
29. Braided Half-Up, Half Down Hair
At her Sicily wedding, bride Luisa Beccaria had her curly hair tied back with two rows of braids that came together with another braid down her back. This bohemian-esque look was later tucked beneath a hooded veil for her trip down the aisle, later to be revealed at the wedding reception.
Wedding Veil Hairstyle FAQ
Veils often come with a hair comb that can help you attach the piece by gripping in your hair. A classic veil comb can be applied more securely by first pushing the comb with the teeth pointing towards your face through hair on your scalp. Then, flip it backwards to match the curve of your head and push it further to secure it. You can add more bobby pins to ensure it won’t move. If there isn’t a comb, bobby pins will once again be your best friend to make sure it stays in place.
The best way to avoid damaging your curls is to create an anchor point for your veil to adhere to. Creating a small braid or tiny ponytail allows you to connect the veil to that point without having to follow the typical method that could mess with a textured style.
It all depends on your preference. If you have a chignon at the back of your head, you could have a veil placed below the knot to show off the style or above so it covers the updo.
Once again, it’s up to you. While many decide to remove the veil after the ceremony to allow for more flexibility, it’s fully possible to wear it for the entire day. A veil style that is short enough that it won’t be easily stepped on is the best choice if you want to wear it for a long period of time.
