Vintage Wedding Veil Restoration For A Modern Bride
Updating Your Mom’s Wedding Veil
The reasons brides want to restore and modernize their mother’s wedding veil are just as unique as the veil itself. It is a personal story, and one I have loved being part of for 27 years as the owner of Headpiece.com.
Many brides today are forgoing salon-bought veils in search of family wedding heirlooms with a shared history. Your mom’s vintage veil can be altered to make it your own, with a fashion and flair that no other bride in the world will ever have.
A Meaningful Way To Incorporate Your Mom On Your Wedding Day
Honoring Your Mom
Casey found “the dress” at her first boutique stop. She also tried on a long veil with leaves on it. With her fall wedding planned in upstate New York, she loved the look of it all, but something was missing.
“I truly felt like my wedding-day look was complete, and since I was getting married in the fall, it all made sense. My only hesitation was that it all felt so new. I loved my dress, but the veil was somewhere I could do something more meaningful.”
“My mom passed away two years prior to me getting married, and I wanted her to be with me on my wedding day in as many ways as possible.”
Casey and her mom, Eileen.
“I went home that day, looked at a picture from my parents’ wedding day, and immediately asked my family if they would be okay with me opening my mom’s preserved wedding dress from 35 years ago.”
When Casey opened the box and saw her mom’s headpiece and veil, she decided her mom’s veil would be her “something old.”
“I was surprised to see that my mom had a long veil, which was what I wanted, and a beautiful headpiece that buttoned onto the veil. I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate them into my wedding with a more modern look.”
“My mom would have been more than happy to let me open her wedding box and have me repurpose something so meaningful to her.”
Restoring A Vintage Wedding Veil Into A Modern Heirloom
How To Make Mom’s Veil Your Own
Growing up in Pompton Plains, Casey and her family are very familiar with Headpiece.com.
“Headpiece.com has always been special to my family. Marie made my communion headpiece, my sister’s communion headpiece, and my cousin’s bridal headpiece.”
Photo by Antonietta Henry
Casey brought her mom’s vintage headpiece and veil to the shop for a consultation. The veil was long and in beautiful shape, with her headpiece reminiscent of 90s bridal style. The beaded sequin leaves had oxidized to a beautiful pastel ivory, and the pearl filaments were plentiful enough for more than one accessory.
“I had so many ideas for repurposing her mom’s headpiece into bridal accessories. Casey decided to restyle it into two hair pieces for her flower girls and use only her mom’s veil for her wedding. ”
Casey loved how the leaves looked on the veil she tried on at the bridal salon. I showed her a beautiful leaf embroidery I had at the shop, and suggested that we embellish her mom’s restyled veil with hand-sewn fluttering leaves. Her wedding dress was a simple, clean line silhouette, and she loved the idea of adding texture and design to her veil.
“For the flower girl headpieces, I didn’t know exactly how I wanted them to look. Marie offered so many ideas, such as multiple pins, hair clips, or one larger piece for both of them. She listened to my vision and created two stunning, youthful pieces.”
Wearing Her Heirloom Veil On Her Wedding Day
Wedding Photography by Janelle Kappa
GOWN / Flora VENUE / Inness VINTAGE VEIL RESTYLE / Headpiece.com BEAUTY / Sainte Lüx Weddings FLOWERS / Athabold PLANNER / Gilded Lilly Events
“I loved every single part of my veil and could not wait to wear it on my wedding day.”
“I had the idea of leaves, but Marie brought that to life. She started with scattered, smaller leaves at the top of the veil, then gradually added larger leaves down to the bottom, really aligning with the fall season.”
“My mom would have loved to go wedding dress and veil shopping with me, so wearing something of hers on my wedding day, not buying it new, meant all the more to me.”
“When it came time to pick up my veil, I asked my dad to come with me. My dad was able to stare at everything, take it all in, ask any questions he never knew he had about veils and headpieces, and compare his wedding-day photos with the new designs. If my dad had not come to that appointment, he would never have had the time or mindset on my wedding day to appreciate the details and meaning behind each part of it.”
Wedding Day First Looks
“My dad had already seen my dress and veil and saw me get my hair and makeup done, so he somewhat knew what to expect, but no matter how prepared you are, the moment is so special. He cried, we hugged, and then my sister joined us for a group hug. It was a touching moment that made it feel like it was all happening.”
“Our wedding weekend was incredible. Casey put so much work and planning into everything, but our first look was one of the best moments, and her veil was such a huge part of it. She looked absolutely stunning, but knowing how meaningful it was to her to have her mom with her through her veil was a really special part of our big day.”
“Jack and I were excited that we were about to get married. It was a giddy feeling, like we had so much to look forward to in one day and just wanted to enjoy each moment without rushing anything away.”
This room in the farmhouse at Inness is intentionally dark, with natural light for striking photos. It has a fireplace and offers an “honor bar.”
Wedding Ceremony At Inness
“I knew I wanted my two flower girls to wear something in their hair. Having two matching headpieces that held meaning to them truly made it so special. Their headpieces were beautiful, perfectly understated, coordinated with their dresses, and were exactly what I wanted.”
“Most of my wedding guests knew the significance of my veil and could not believe the final design. My wedding day began warm, and then it turned chilly and windy. ”
“During our ceremony, the sun broke through, and while our guests were still in the shade, it was shining on Jack and me. I really felt like in that moment my mom was with us..”
“I think my mom would have loved that I incorporated something from her special day into mine.”
“I absolutely loved my veil! I wore it for the first looks, the ceremony, and our sunset pictures. I never wanted to take my veil off!”
“I am so grateful that Marie fit me into her insanely full schedule. It meant the world to me that she was willing to work with me, create my vision, and complete it before my wedding day. Marie truly cares about her clients and wants to bring sentimental moments to life.”
As you have seen with my bride, Casey, a vintage veil or headpiece doesn’t have to stay tucked away in a box to be meaningful. With careful restoration and a thoughtful redesign, it can be styled into a modern piece that still feels deeply connected to the woman who wore it before you.
There are many hidden possibilities in your mom’s (or grandmother's) vintage pieces. With creativity, skill, and a shared vision, any family piece can be reimagined for your own wedding day.
If you’ve been holding on to an heirloom and wondering if it could ever feel like “you,” know that it can be transformed into something modern, wearable, and very personal.
See you next month on the Fourteenth