Of frivolity and flights of (wedding veiled) fancy...

I was asked by Mum what kind of veil i wanted for my wedding outfit today. She's decided to make the lace for the edge of it (yay!), so she requires a vague idea of how much she needs to slave over. Momentarily stumped, I proceeded to research Regency styles, realising this was one big area i'd completely forgotten. According to this quick research, women didn't always wear them and only if they could afford such frivolity. The lace edging was usually the expense that put many off. Most veils that were drawn appear to have been of medium length with a square/round hem and lots of flowers with curled hair, usually pinned to the back of the head or gathered and draped over the top. (see below)

I'm not so sure about fancy flowers, but a lace edged veil with decent length would be rather lovely....

...and then i saw these and yearned to be in their shoes:

...Then i thought, stuff it! Long, wind gusted veils are marvellous for photos on a windy day! Then i found the amazingly dazzling Grace Kelly in all her graceful glory:

Suddenly i wasn't so sure i wanted a Regency dress or a long veil at all, recalling the number of times i'd drawn up scribbles of long sleeved lace dresses with silk buttons and tailored features like hers and both my grandmothers' (no doubt inspired by Grace). The guns will be stuck to though. Gorgeous as it is, i have found my Mr Darcy and i'll kick myself if i'm not Elizabeth Bennett for it. :-) And it gets better... i found evidence for a long (to the floor and beyond) veil in the midst of Regency, so it's not all mad... ;-)