Hairstyles of the 1920s and the popular hats and hairpieces women wore with them influenced wedding veil styles of the 1920s. Cloche hats and bandeau headbands were popular headpieces for everyday and evening fashion. These same designs were used in veils. They were designed to go with vintage hairstyles shaped close to the head and fingerwaves.
- Veil Lengths of the 1920s
- 1920s Bandeau Wedding Veil
- Juliet Cap Wedding Veil
- Cloche Style Headpiece
- 1920s Bridesmaid Headpieces
Veil Length of the 1920s
The most common wedding veil length in the 1920s was the cathedral length veil. It dragged long behind the bride as she walked down the aisle. After the ceremony, the bride wrapped the veil around her arms wearing it almost like a shawl.
1920s brides also wore a chapel length veil, which just hits the floor behind her without a train dragging behind her.
Vintage Wedding Veils: See all posts about wedding veils of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
Some brides wore what would be considered a ballet length today. The modern woman of the 1920s often wore a wedding dress that was hemmed to hang just past the knees and the ballet length veil would fall to be right in line with the dress hem.
1920s Bandeau Wedding Veil
The bandeau (French for headband) was a popular headpiece flappers wore in the 1920s. The band was often beaded or decorated with rhinestones. The bridal version of a bandeau was often decorated with wax flowers, which were popular for bridal veils. Wax flowers were affordable, available year round, and the wax sparkled in the light like pearls.
What makes this veil unique is how it is worn. Although it is technically a headband, women in the 1920s wore them low just above the front hairline or across the forehead.
How to Copy the Bandeau Veil Today
There are a few options available for you if you want to recreate this vintage bandeau type veil.
- This Lace flower band veil with a tiara shape is a nice modern option.
- Piece the veil together by getting a 1920s style bandeau like this rhinestone one and add a veil with the length of your choice to your hairstyle to make it look like one piece.
Need a Vintage Hairstylist for your wedding day? Vintage Hair Specialists in a city near you.
Juliet Cap Wedding Veil
The Juliet cap veil is the same silhouette as a cloche hat. Cloche hats were designed to fit snug around popular fingerwaves, a vintage wedding hairstyle that always looks beautiful. The Juliet cap wedding veil is usually just a large piece of chiffon material, but the gather of the fabric around the ears gives it this snug fit. It was the perfect veil for the hairstyles that fit close to the head.
Some brides wore a lace version of the Juliet cap. The veil was broken up into 2 parts: a lace cap with the tulle veil fabric attached around the back of the cloche.
Cloche Style Headpiece
The cloche, usually a hat, was a popular headpiece shape and so brides incorporated the shape into their wedding veils as well. Cloche translates from French to mean “bell” and also “cover”. The cloche bell shaped wedding veil, like the juliet cap, was a perfect shape to fit over the hairstyles of the 1920s.
1920s Bridesmaid Headpieces
The bridesmaid of a 1920s wedding might wear a more simple bandeau, so as not to upstage the bride. She also might wear a lightweight cloche hat or some simple ribbons and flowers in her hair.
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1 Comment
Andrew
I really like old fashioned things and love your wedding veils.
My wife to be has chosen a swarovski crystal wedding veil which does look great!
I think I prefer the 50’s to the 20’s though!