Why Do Brides Wear Veils On Wedding Day

While most of us think of veils as an ornament accentuating the bridal beauty, but there is more to wearing a veil. From times immemorial veils have been an intricate part of wedding ceremony for all brides. From Queen of England to Princess of Whales to the now Duchess of Cambridge, they have all adorned a veil like no one else. There is a hidden purpose of a veil in every wedding. And traditionally veils were considered more than just a garment for extending the bridal charm. Let us look at wedding veil symbolism and wedding veil meaning in popular cultures all across.

What is a veil:

A veil is literally a piece of fine fabric used to conceal her face. It is intended to cover some or all part of the face. Every century brought an altogether different meaning for the bridal veil. Some cultures associated the veil with safeguarding the bridal beauty while others meant it represented the purity of the bride as being a virgin.

A veil has symbolic as well as ornamental value in current times. The veil and train of the modern gown dates back to Roman times. During those times Roman bride was covered head to toe like a swaddle in a huge flame colored veil. It meant more like the bride is on fire.

What does a veil symbolize:

Wedding veil symbolism is different for different cultures and traditions. Veils came into existence at different times in different cultures so each faith has their own significance associated with the wedding veil.

Purpose of a veil and why do women wear veils:

Wedding veil meaning for any current day bride would be to accentuate and style her look, but popular cultures from ages have been using wedding veil symbolizing something sacred and pure. Some of the wedding veil symbols decoded:

1- Brides wore veils to hide their face:

In earlier times, the father of the bride and groom would fix wedding and the prospects would not meet until wedding. So to safeguard the bridal beauty and also prevent any last moment rejections by the groom, the brides father would put a veil on his child. Brides at that time were given away in exchange of food, goods and more. This was to prevent the less attractive bride from getting rejected.

2- To ward off all demons and evil spirits:

Those times it was believed that demons and evil spirits may cast their spell and cause harm to the bride. Romans believed that evil spirits might appear and curse the newly weds. So the brides wore the veil to prevent heir face from being seen

3- To scare off the evil spirits:

Some cultures also believe that veils are there to scare off the evils. Romans were scared of the evil spirits and their brides would wear flammeum or a veil that covered entire body and looked like the bride is on fire. The fabric also camouflaged her face thus preventing the evil impacts

4- Veils signify purity of heart, mind, body and soul:

Veil from times immemorial has becomes an embodiment of virtues of innocence and submissiveness.

5- Brides wore a veil so they wont run away:

There is also a popular belief that states the veil would shield the path of the bride thus preventing her from escaping the arranged marriage. Even the trains of these bridal gowns were large for the same reason

6- Veils signified the ownership of the groom:

The practice of father of the bride walking her down the aisle and giving away her hand to the groom to which the groom would then lift the brides veil and seal the deal. So wedding veil symbolism here is more to do with the ownership of the bride

7- some even state the purpose of the veil was to symbolize virginity:

It was more of a thin fabric covered as reference to hymen and that means since the veil is intact the virginity too is intact. Thus the groom can proceed with the wedding

8- Bridal veils also signify that love is not skin deep:

In Jewish faith the bridal veil signifies that the looks of the bride do not matter and love is not just skin deep. And the groom is not just marrying the bride because of the way she looks, so the vows reads, that the groom would marry the bride out of sheer love without worrying about how she looks.

9- Some cultures made the bride wear a veil to distinguish between married and single women. A red cloth would be on the girl who is married to show that she has been taken already

10- For some south Asian cultures a veil signifies respect:

The women who is getting married has to wear a veil on her marriage ceremony and every day from there on. This is to pay her respect to the elders and her in laws. Many of these cultures still wear a veil to safeguard the sanctity of a woman and show respect to elders and in laws too

Wondering do you have to wear a veil:

Well for most of us its more of a fashion choice than culture in today’s times. The answer here lies in the fact that bridal veil form an important part of the ensemble. While it looks wonderful but it depends on the place of your wedding and theme of the ceremony decoration. For a breezy windy beach wedding its not recommended to wear a bridal veil as it wont stay intact. But for more traditional vintage kind of wedding ceremony a veil will add charm and elegance.

Conclusion:

Still confused what does the veil symbolize, well worry no more. We bring you everything you need to know about why do brides wear veil on wedding day from Roman times to present day. Wedding veil symbolizes ample things in many cultures and truly it adds charisma and glamour to the bride too. Pick your true treasure from the available kinds of veils and make your wedding the absolute stunning endeavor.

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