Wedding Wednesday: Veil (and a Giveaway!)

When I started planning my wedding, a veil didn't factor into my mental images.  I mean, I threw tulle (or a towel or a tablecloth) over my head when I played bride as a child, but I didn't imagine myself wearing a veil when it all stopped being abstract.  They're lovely, of course, and I know that there are tons o' cute modern and less formal options out there, but they always make me think of church weddings à la The Sound of Music.  Since we're having a civil ceremony in a barn, I just didn't picture myself wearing a veil.

That changed with my first dress fitting, when I told my mother and seamstress that I didn't want one and they both gasped in horror.  Honestly, I didn't feel strongly one way or another - but they clearly did, so I said I'd consider it.  As the weeks passed and I started looking into options, the idea became more and more appealing.  I still wanted to keep things simple, though, and, since our wedding is somewhat formal and traditional, that ruled out a lot of the current trends in bridal headwear.  (TheKnot.com has some terms and tips, if you're unfamiliar, as does Martha Stewart Weddings.)

Now, if you remember, there were four pieces of heirloom bling that I talked about using to accessorize my gown; two that made up a buckle and would serve as the focal point of the sash at my waist, and two clips that would sit at the top of my shoulders.  However, the buckle ended up having the wrong proportions for the sash and the shoulder clips looked incongruously vintage against my bespoke dress, so we axed both of those ideas and decided to turn the buckle into a comb for my hair!

It turns out that my mother's coworker, Nina, is an amazing craftswoman who makes, among other things, bridal headwear.  She's got two fabulous Etsy shops - one specifically for brides called CIAOsposa and one for every day special occasions called CIAOnina - and even had one of her pieces featured on Gossip Girl!  She very kindly offered to make my veil for me, so we passed along the buckle and, a few weeks later, received this:

via

It's gorgeous!  The veil is simple tulle without any edging and comes down to my elbows, curving around at the bottom in the front and dipping down a little lower in the back.  The magical thing, as you can see from Nina's Instagram above, is that it's detatchable from the comb!  I'll wear the whole veil for the ceremony and (some of) the photos and then can take off the tulle to just wear the comb for the reception.  Brilliant, right?  Nina is a magician.

And so, as a wedding gift to all of you from me, I'm giving you a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to either CIAOnina or CIAOsposa!  She doesn't just make headpieces, though that's what I've included in the collage below because I have a one-track mind right now - there are tons o' fun things in her shops for all ladies regardless of bridal status!  Check them out on Etsy and then come back here to enter this fantastic giveaway.  A winner will be announced next Wednesday.  Good luck!

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