How to Make a Bridal Veil With a Comb

 This post shares all about how to make a bridal veil with a comb. If you’re looking for how to make a simple bridal veil, I’ve got you covered. I made my own veil for my wedding, and it was perfect!

How to Make a Bridal Veil With a Comb

We had a great wedding. It was a low-key afternoon in Colorado with only our parents there. I found my dress secondhand (read all about why I sold my wedding dress, too). We did almost everything with a non-traditional approach. But since I wore a wedding dress, I also wanted to wear a veil.

I’m not particularly old-fashioned; I just liked the idea of a veil. However, I quickly realized that veils are expensive. I wanted to keep it simple…I didn’t want beading, sequins, lace, or multiple tiers. So, after being unable to find exactly what I wanted, I decided to make my own.

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Wedding Veil Netting Fabric or Tulle Fabric?

I’m going to walk you through the steps to make a veil like mine. But before I do that, I want to talk about two major things that will influence how your veil looks: fabric and poof.

I did a lot of research on veil fabrics before deciding to buy my fabric. I didn’t want the veil to be too stiff— I wanted it to be soft and flexible. But I also knew I couldn’t afford silk tulle (Kate Middleton’s veil was silk tulle; see how soft it was?). During my research, I found this extremely helpful graphic from custom veil designer Veils by Roxanne.

The fabric on the far left, bridal illusion, is the most commonly used fabric for bridal veils. It’s just tulle, and tulle is cheap (seriously cheap). It is stiffer than most other veil fabrics, which you can see pretty clearly by comparing it to the other fabrics in the lineup. 

You’ll notice that the veil fabric I wanted, silk tulle, is pretty much the exact opposite of the popular and affordable fabric I could easily purchase at my local fabric store. 🙁 But wait! What is this “English net” fabric? It looks a lot like silk tulle, so I did a little research.

And here’s the deal: If you want something that has a silk tulle look and feel without having a silk tulle price tag, English net is your answer! In fact, this is the exact fabric I ordered, and I was extremely pleased with it.

Here is my DIY wedding veil made of netting fabric:

Michele Hart Photography

The second thing you need to consider is the poofy factor. Do you want a more voluminous veil that has more height near the crown of your head? If so, a stiffer fabric, like tulle, will be your best bet, but you also want to consider the width of your veil.

The wider the piece of fabric you have, the poofier the veil will be when it’s all bunched up and put on a comb. That said, whatever fabric you prefer, the instructions in this tutorial remain the same. So, if you’d like to make a simple bridal veil, read on!

HERE IS WHAT I USED FOR MY VEIL:

• Fabric–for this tutorial, I’m using tulle. If you want to use the fabric I used for my actual veil, you can buy it here.
• Iron and ironing board/pad
• Sewing machine
• Needle, thread, & scissors
• Measuring tape and something to mark your fabric
• Comb (plastic, wire, they both work–it will be hidden in your hair)

And here’s how to make a bridal veil with a comb:

Step 1: Iron and Prep the Veil Fabric

Gently iron out any kinks or folds in your fabric. Then, lay the fabric on  large, flat surface. I’ll be using a piece of fabric that’s 55″ wide and 30″ long, so the finished product will give you an idea of how the measurements I’m using look.

Step 2: Measure, Mark, and Cut the Tulle or Netting

Using your measuring tape, mark where you’ll need to cut. Since I’m leaving the edges of the veil raw (i.e., I am not adding a ribbon trim or something similar), I cut very carefully.

Note: If you want to round the two corners on the bottom of your veil, you are more than welcome to do so! You’ll just need something round to trace, which will ensure that each corner is evenly cut.

Step 3: Start Sewing Your Veil!

It’s time to sew. Set your sewing machine on the longest stitch length and sew a straight line of stitches along the top (one of the width sides) of the veil. Make sure to leave a long tail from your bobbin thread.

Step 4: Continue Sewing Your Veil 🙂

The fabric may have bunched a bit while sewing the line in step #3, but that’s okay. Flatten the fabric; then, sew a second straight line of stitches about one-half inch below the first line of stitches. Leave a long tail from your bobbin thread here as well.

You now have two parallel lines of stitches! Congratulations. That was the hardest part.

Step 5: Gather the fabric to form the veil

Now it’s time to gather the fabric to morph it from a piece of flat tulle into a veil. To do so, hold the veil and gently pull the bobbin thread for each straight line of stitches. Your fabric will begin to gather.

If you end up with a bottle neck of bunching fabric, you can help it along.

When your fabric is gathered enough to be the same length as your comb, tie the threads at each end. Trim the excess thread, as well as the excess tulle from the top.

Step 6: Attach the veil to a comb

The veil is done, but you need a way to attach it to your head. Grab your comb and set it so that it’s curving up. Then lay the gathered edge of the veil on the comb. Ensure the side of the veil that you’d like to be on top is facing UP.

Use your needle and thread to sew the veil onto the comb by sewing stitches around each comb tooth. Tie knots in the threads on the end.

Put it in your hair with the comb teeth facing down and with the comb curving toward your head.

You can customize your veil in any way you’d like. You can use colored tulle instead of white/ivory; adhere rhinestones, ribbon, or decoration to the comb to cover up the stitches; or sew the veil onto another type of comb. Whatever you want.

I truly hope that this tutorial helps you…it was a very rewarding project! Good luck!!

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