A Glorious Wedding Veil Covering The Face

Are you planning on wearing a wedding veil covering the face on your wedding day? Wearing a veil is a tradition that dates back thousands of years. In fact, some historians believe that the veil may have originated as a way to protect the bride from evil spirits. Today, a wedding veil covering the face still plays an important role in many wedding ceremonies even if it is mostly symbolic. So what is the origin of this tradition?

Why is the wedding veil covering the face?

The Origin Of The Wedding Veil

The earliest known reference to the wedding veil is from ancient Greece. Brides would wear veils to ward off evil spirits. A few centuries later, in Rome, brides wore veils to symbolize their purity. The veils were red instead of white, but that’s a detail! Fast-forward to the Middle Ages, and we continue to see wedding veils covering the face in the Christian church. By the Renaissance, the veil became more of a fashion accessory to be adorned with jewels befitting the bride’s status. It wasn’t until the Victorian era that the wedding veil regained some of its original meaning and went back to symbolizing purity and virtue.

Why Is The Wedding Veil Covering The Face?

So, why does a bride wear a wedding veil covering the face? There are a few different theories. In some cultures in which arranged marriages were common, it was important for grooms not to see their brides’ faces until after they were married. There could be no turning back until the marriage had been finalized. Only then could the groom lift the bride’s veil to reveal her face. Meanwhile, in other cultures, many brides wore a veil covering the face to protect themselves from bad luck or against the “evil eye”.

These days, of course, wedding veils are more about style than anything else. Brides choose to wear them as a nod to tradition. What if you think of lifting the veil covering the face as a symbolic gesture by which, the groom accepts his bride for who she is?