What Is a Cathedral Wedding Veil—and Is It Right for You?

(Updated February 2026)

If you watched Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, you saw a perfect example of a cathedral wedding veil making a regal entrance. Meghan’s veil was a stunning 16-foot silk tulle veil, designed to trail gracefully behind her as she walked down the aisle.

The terms cathedral and tulle don’t describe the style of the veil, but rather its length and fabric. A cathedral wedding veil typically measures 108–120 inches long, extending beyond the train of the wedding gown. This dramatic length is what gives the cathedral veil its signature elegance.

Silver Crystals Scrolled Scallop-Edge Bridal

The Tradition Behind the Cathedral Veil

Long wedding veils have historically been associated with formality, ceremony, and status. In royal and church weddings, extended veils emphasized the importance of the occasion and added a sense of reverence as the bride entered the space. Over time, the cathedral veil became a symbol of grandeur—perfectly suited to formal venues and traditional ceremonies.

Embellishing a Cathedral Wedding Veil

Cathedral veils can be beautifully simple and unadorned, but with so much fabric, they also offer endless opportunities for embellishment.

A memorable example is Meghan Markle’s veil, which featured hand-embroidered flowers representing all 53 Commonwealth countries. To preserve the veil’s pristine condition, the embroiderers were required to wash their hands every 30 minutes.

Another uniquely personal veil was worn by Angelina Jolie, whose cathedral-length veil was embellished with artwork created by her children, a true one-of-a-kind statement.

While most brides won’t commission custom embroidery, there are many stunning options available, including cathedral veils adorned with:

• Lace edging

• Crystals or rhinestones

• Sequins or subtle beadwork

• Two-tier cathedral veils with a blusher for a romantic, vintage feel

Is a Cathedral Wedding Veil Right for Your Dress?

While it’s easy to picture the drama of walking down the aisle in a cathedral veil, the most important question is whether it complements your dress and overall look.

When shopping for your veil:

• Try on multiple veil lengths during your first dress fitting

• Shop early so you have time to compare styles

• Look for veils designed to pair with your gown—many designers offer matching options

If your wedding style is more formal and traditional, a cathedral veil can elevate your entire look. For more informal weddings, shorter veils—such as a blusher, bandeau, or fingertip veil. You want to wear a veil that feels more appropriate while still adding personality and charm.

Cathedral Veil Alternatives

If you love the idea of a long veil but find a cathedral length overwhelming, consider these veil options:

• Chapel veil: approximately 90 inches

• Floor-length veil: approximately 72 inches

And if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, a custom-made veil allows you to choose the perfect length, fabric, and embellishments to suit your vision.

 

A cathedral wedding veil is undeniably dramatic, timeless, and elegant—but it’s not for every bride. Understanding its length, history, and how it works with your dress will help you decide whether it’s the perfect finishing touch for your wedding day.

 

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Wedding veil styles of the 1900s

While some look at the bridal veil as a simple fashion accessory, choosing the right veil takes some consideration. For instance, if you’re choosing a beach venue, you certainly don’t want a long veil dragging behind you to get snagged on the boardwalk when you make your dramatic entrance. Along these lines, you also need to consider the hairstyle you have planned, and you want it to complement your dress.

In the past I’ve written about the history of the bridal veil from ancient times that includes the Greeks thinking the veil protected from evil spirits, and how in Medieval times brides sported the veil as a symbol of purity. Today some brides choose to go without the veil, and modern brides aren’t thinking about evil spirits or even what the veil represents, unless they are trying to find a bridal veil to fit the theme of their wedding.

Today, we’ll look at the history of bridal veil styles from the 1900s. While I mention trends of the day, remember that many brides still chose to go with a more traditional veil rather than follow a craze when it came to their wedding day.

Great Gatsby wedding fashion.

1920s

For those planning a Roaring 20s or Great Gatsby themed wedding, the bridal fashion of the time was most often designed using silk and decorated with flowers and leaves matching the flowers in the bridal bouquet. Cloche veils were very popular. Other common styles included headband veils or veils crafted from lace or silk worn over the head and shoulders.

1930s
In the 30s, brides wore tight fitting dresses and loosely-fitting veils which hung over their heads.

1940s

During the war years, rationing played a role even when it came to weddings. It wasn’t unusual for the same wedding dress and veil to make the rounds − worn by multiple brides. In the post-war years of the 1940s, small, birdcage veils became popular, which is currently a reemerging fashion trend.

1950s

In the 1950s, traditional veils gave way to the tight-fitting skullcap veil.

1960s

Bridal veils took on a more modern flare in the 60s. They tended to be shorter, some shoulder length or perhaps reaching about midway down the back. Instead of lace, they were often fashioned out of netting and fastened to a decorative headpiece secured with a comb.

60s netting fastened to decorative headpiece secured with a comb

1970s

The late 60s and into to 70s wedding veils returned to longer fluid styles with a bohemian air that mimicked the flower-power hippy look of the day.

1980s

For readers who were alive at the time, things were big in the 80s. We had big hair, and big shoulder-pads. Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married and the event was a media sensation with more than 750 million people from around the world tuning in to the first televised royal wedding. Her extravagant silk-and-taffeta gown was full, lavish, and what I’d call cinderellaish. But her veil! It was 40 feet long! I’ll never forget watching her and feeling that fairytales do come true as she entered St. Paul’s cathedral. I don’t know if she was the single catalyst for long veils, but it certainly was the trend in the 80s.

1988

1990s

In the 90s, brides wore big puffy sleeves and dresses decorated with heavy bead work. It was also a time when some brides decided to go without the veil altogether and in its place they wore a headpiece or hat.

The wedding veil tradition started back when veils were a commonplace fashion accessory. Today, wearing veils may be “old fashioned” but many brides feel it a necessary adornment on that special day. From among the trends of the past, if you look, you may you find inspiration to create your own look on your wedding day.

Photo credits: pixabay.com, flickr, pexels,  flickr