Modernizing Mom’s 1990s Wedding Veil And Headpiece

Offering brides options to modernize their mom’s vintage headpiece is a hot wedding trend. Creating a new style while preserving sentimentality is the key.

I have never met a bride who wanted to wear their mother’s headpiece exactly as she wore it on her wedding day. The level of updating depends on the bride. Some just want to tidy things up, and others want to take it to the highest level of restyle.
— Marie Hunt, Designer/ Owner Headpiece.com

I never thought in my wildest dreams that my headpiece from thirty-one years ago would be changed into a modern-day piece for my daughter to wear on her wedding day.
— Lisa Agolia, Mother of the bride
1990s bride wearing large pearl and crystal headpiece with pouffy wedding veil

Lisa’s wedding day in 1994

I couldn’t believe how similar these photos were of Lisa and her daughter, Ally, on their wedding day. I believe this photo was unplanned, but closely resembles the one of her mom and dad. What makes it so special is that Ally chose to wear her mom’s wedding veil restyled for her first dance.

Bride dancing wearing 1994 style wedding gown crown and puf veil

Lisa’s first dance in 1994.

Bride wearing her mom's restyled vintage wedding veil dancing with groom

Ally’s first dance in 2025. Photo by Leandro Da Silva

Seeing my daughter wearing this beautiful heirloom piece is a memory that will live with me forever.
Bride with her mom at the Pleasantdale Chateau

Ally and her mom, Lisa, on her wedding day at the Pleasantdale Chateau. Photo by Leandro Da Silva

From the moment my mother and I walked into Marie’s shop, I knew right then and there that the final outcome of my design was going to be something special.
— Ally Agolia, Bride-to-be

Updating A 90s Bridal Headpiece

Nineties accessory fashion produced luxuriant styles. Bridal headpieces were tall and opulent exuding grandeur. Wedding veils carried over the pouf from the eighties and gradually became more voluminous as the year 2000 approached.

I have always been in love with the style of my mother’s wedding headpiece. I thought it would be an amazing idea to incorporate it for my wedding, as this was so special and meaningful to her.
— Ally
1994 pearl and crystal bridal headpiece and pouf veil

This vintage headpiece was among the heaviest crowns I have worked on. It measured five inches tall and weighed over half a pound.

Heavy 1994 bridal headpiece weighing over half a pound

The headpiece weighed in at 8.53 ounces.

In addition to its size, this crown’s original construction contributed greatly to its weight. Actual bridal millinery design was on the decline as the seventies arrived. Glue replaced old-fashioned stabilizing techniques, creating bulk and heaviness. See the actual crown in this cute Instagram Reel I created.

Ally loved the pearl and crystal elements of her mom’s piece. To reduce bulk and heaviness, I removed the elements we planned to use in the new design, and every crystal and tiny pearl was individually cleaned to remove hairspray damage and excessive globs of glue.
Restoring 1990s bridal headpiece to repurpose for wedding

Clipping every beaded prong is necessary to remove the beads for cleaning.

When I first saw my mother’s headpiece, I completely fell in love with the Swarovski crystals. I knew immediately that I wanted to wear it somehow on my wedding day.

When I clean crystals, they sparkle like new. Cleaning vintage crystals is time consumming and costly. When I see photos of hairstylists spraying hair with a bride’s headpiece in place, I know for a fact they will regret that one day. It may be a cool photo now, but hairspray can cause lasting damage to an accessory that most brides cherish and hope to pass down one day.

Cleaning vintage crystals for bridal headpiece restoration

The cleaned crystals are ready to be used in Ally’s custom headpiece.

The first photo is the original vintage element and shows the tarnished wire and dirty crystals. The next image shows the newly constructed pieces designed with the cleaned beads.

Before

After

My mother and I knew it was very possible to use and restyle her headpiece, and we both had full trust in Marie.

Ally wanted a statement-style hair clip to wear with her Hollywood wave hairstyle. Every detail of her headpiece was hand created, including the florals, leaves, and rhinestone frame. There is enough of her mom’s crown left to be used for future designs.

Custom bridal hair clip from moms-repurposed headpiece

Wedding Day at Pleasantdale Chateau

Wedding Photos by Leandro Da Silva Photography

VENUE / Pleasantdale Chateau VINTAGE HEADPIECE & VEIL REPURPOSE/ Headpiece.com HAIR / Ashley Raibick MUA / Makeup By Kandice FLOWERS / Debbies Designs GOWN / Eve of My Lady VIDEOGRAPHER / Victoria Lovaglio

I was completely in love and couldn’t believe how beautiful the headpiece came out.
Bride wearing feather robe slippers and custom hair piece sitting in chair
Bride reaching for wedding dress wearing custom hair piece made from moms vintage crown
Custom hair clip repurposed from vintage 1990s bridal headpiece
The entire piece completely stood out with my gown, and I was so happy with how nicely they both went together.
Bride with long hair wearing custom hair piece restyled from her moms 1990s crown
Mother and father with bride at Pleasantdale Chateau in New Jersey

Restyling her mom’s wedding veil added another opportunity to surprise her family and guests.

All of our family, friends, and guests thought this was so special and sentimental.
Pleasantdale Chateau bride dancing wearing her moms vintage bridal veil restyled
It was such an honor to wear something so special to my mother, and this will always be a cherished memory for both me and her.
The final headpiece design exceeded our expectations. It was absolutely stunning! Marie is a visionary who can make a bride and her family’s dreams come to life.
— Lisa

See you next month on the Fourteenth

Marie Hunt

This article was written by Marie T. Hunt, designer and owner of Headpiece.com.

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