Wedding traditions with the veil
The veil hides and reveals.
The veil hides and reveals. It has been a sign of modesty, of protection, of a bride's transformation and of a thing about to be unwrapped. Many cultures have a moment when it is lifted, and that moment is among the most emotional of the day.
Lifting and covering
Roman brides wore a flame-coloured veil, and Greek brides lifted theirs in the anakalypteria. In Jewish weddings the groom covers the bride's face in the bedeken to show he chooses the right bride, a custom linked to Jacob and Leah. In North India the ghunghat is a veil over the face, and in Iran the bride sits at the sofreh aghd under a canopy of silk held by unmarried women. In Western weddings the father may lift it, or the groom after the vows.
Modern choices
Veils are now often worn only for the entrance, or are skipped. In Muslim weddings some brides wear a hijab with the dress, and others do not. Whether to wear one is the bride's decision, and the many styles, from the short blusher to the cathedral veil, reflect a long fashion history.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on The veil (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇰🇿 KazakhstanBetasharбеташар
The lifting of the bride's veil by the groom's mother during a Kazakh wedding ceremonyRite · The ceremony
🇪🇸 Spain and 4 moreMantilla
A lace or silk veil worn over the head and shoulders by women in Spain and Latin AmericaAttire · The weeks before
🇺🇦 UkraineSong about the RushnykПісня про рушник (Pisnia pro rushnyk)
A Ukrainian song that celebrates the embroidered cloth used in weddings and family life.Performance · The ceremony
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyWeddings in ancient Rome
The religious ceremonies and attire that marked a union in the city of Rome before the rise of Christianity.Rite · The weeks before
🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreDirndl
The bodice, skirt and apron dress worn by brides in the German-speaking Alps.Attire · The ceremony
🇸🇩 Khartoum, SudanJirtigالجَرْتِقْ (Arabic)
A Sudanese inauguration ritual where the groom is symbolically crowned as a king.Rite · The weeks before
🇩🇪 Hanover, Germany and 5 moreBridal crownBrautkrone
A headdress worn by brides in Central and Northern Europe to symbolize purity and status.Attire · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United StatesNavajo wedding ceremony
A Navajo marriage ritual centred on harmony, family union, and nature inside a Hogan.Rite · The eve
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreWhite wedding
A formal Western ceremony marked by a white bridal gown and traditional Christian rituals.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaIndian wedding invitationsNimantraṇa patra (निमन्त्रण पत्र)
Decorated cards sent to announce a marriage and invite guests to the celebration.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBridesmaid
A female attendant who supports the bride during a Western wedding ceremony.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreChinese pre-wedding customs三書六禮 (sàam syù luhk láih)
The traditional betrothal rituals of the Book of Rites that prepare a Chinese marriage.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreNude wedding
A ceremony where the couple or guests participate without clothing.Modern · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreChuppahחֻפָּה (ḥuppā)
The four-poster canopy that marks the Jewish wedding ceremony and symbolizes the couple's new home.Setting · The ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaHonggaitou紅蓋頭
The red bridal veil worn by Han Chinese brides to cover their faces before the wedding night.Attire · Procession and arrival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions
Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWedding veil
A cloth covering the head or face worn by brides and grooms to mark marriage.Attire · The ceremony
🇷🇴 Ieud, RomaniaNunta mortului
A symbolic Romanian rite that dresses an unmarried dead person as a bride or groom to complete their life cycle.Rite · The weeks before
🇺🇦 UkraineWax wedding head wreathвосковий вінок
A paraffin and paper bridal crown worn in parts of Ukraine until the late twentieth century.Attire · The ceremony
🇰🇷 Gwangju, South KoreaGeommu검무 (Geommu)
A graceful Korean sword dance performed with dual short swords and traditional musicPerformance
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 moreEaster palmPolish: palma wielkanocna; Lithuanian: verba
A decorated willow or juniper bundle blessed on Palm Sunday to protect homes and crops.Blessing · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Mantilla: Museu Valencià d'Etnologia, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bridal crown: Daderot, CC0, source
- Indian wedding invitations: Onef9day, CC BY 3.0, source
- Wedding superstitions: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Betashar: Steve Evans, CC BY 2.0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chinese pre-wedding customs: Anonymous ( China ) Unknown author, CC0, source
- Wax wedding head wreath: Sofo, GFDL, source
- Nunta mortului: Iosif Berman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nude wedding: Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, source
- Geommu: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Easter palm: Evaldas Liutkus, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chuppah: me, Public domain, source
- Honggaitou: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
- Jirtig: Alzain Mohammed, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Navajo wedding ceremony: Neeta Lind, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bridesmaid: Photographer not credited; relative or work for hire of relative., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wedding veil: David Ring, CC0, source
- Dirndl: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de, source