...and here's my reasons why......
Unless you are a professional, this is not an arts and crafts project. This is your wedding veil, the crowning topper to your wedding dress.
So you bought a pattern and some tulle and it looks easy...but I've seen some really screwed up crooked concoctions because its NOT as easy as it looks. Its hard to get it gathered and sewn onto a comb evenly. Trust me on this one. You'll have flat spots and bunches and it will look really bad. Its really difficult and tedious work to sew on beads and a hot glue gun will burn through the tulle or glue the tulle to your work surface. You can't embroider on tulle with an ordinary sewing machine, it will get stuck in the feed of the machine and tear it. And how do I know this? Because I've done all of the above at one time or the other. I had a line of bridal veils that I sold nationally. I've done a lot of custom veils and I've got all the right tools and the experience and its very difficult and tedious work.
The tulle you buy in the fabric or craft store is not the same quality as you would get in a purchased veil. The fabric store tulle is heavier, has wider holes in the tulle and it is stiffer. It may not be wide enough and give you the fullness you need for your veil. You can't seam tulle. The stiffer tulle doesn't fall, drape or hang properly. It sticks out where it shouldn't.
You wouldn't buy an expensive pair of Italian shoes and then wear a dress you made in a sewing class to a formal affair. Its the same thing as wearing your wedding dress with a homemade veil. It just doesn't work.
If you need to save money on your veil, there are bargains on great veils. Every bridal salon has marked down veils. Ebay has a lot of deals. And you can always borrow one from a friend of family member.
this post is kind of offensive. ive seen so many hand made veils just as nice, sometimes better than store bought ones. i think they are insane to charge $100+ for a friggin piece of tulle.
ReplyDeletereality check.
Sorry, I stand by my comments. The tulle you buy at Wallmart and Joann's is not the same quality or width of what is used in the wedding industry. Its stiff and doesn't gather as well as the English and French tulles. Good tulle is expensive and gathers, falls and lays better than the stiff tulle you buy in fabric stores.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a few well made veils, but these were made by people who didn't decide to just make a veil, they knew what they were doing. If you would see the stuff people have made and bring into the bridal shop, you'd try not to laugh..or cry. Crooked veils, big globs of glue, plastic fake crystals and cheap faux peeling "pearls".
The veils that cost over a hundred dollars are English or French tulle with hand embroidery and hand sewn crystals. You can't replicate those at the price you can buy them in a bridal shop. And since I manufactured a national line of bridal veils, I know that for a fact.
I'm going to have to agree with crafty fox. This is ridiculous. You mentioned that you manufactured veils for a national line which says two things to me: 1) that you are pimping product
ReplyDelete2) "national line" sounds synonymous with assembly line
Don't be afraid to make your own veil. There's nothing impressive about standardizing a wedding.
Anonymous...
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you, there is nothing impressive about standardizing a wedding. I see it all the time, cookie cutter big box weddings that all look alike. Get an original idea.
I've never pimped any product. The veil line was mine alone and had no assembly line and it sold nationally. It was all hand done and designed by myself and my mother who is a dress designer. The amount of time involved, advertising costs and product costs made me stop manufacturing. It was all done in the bridal salon and it was very successful. However, prices at wholesale level rose and I couldn't justify passing the costs along to the customers. The junk coming out of China at pennies on the dollar made it impossible to compete because the brides didn't see the quality, all they saw was the price. I wanted to send out quality work, but the costs didn't justify the amount of work, so line ended. Went out with head held high. And I'm not a hack, I am a trained milliner and veil designer.
My words are meant for the do it yourself-er who had never sewn or tackled any project in their life and suddenly decided to make their wedding veil. I stand by what I said...you have to have a clue what you are doing and how to do it. The ones I've seen were clueless. I've seen great veils on eBay and Etsy, the ones I'm talking about are not those veils.