What the Bridal Veil Symbolizes

Nowadays the bridal veil became an inalienable part of the bridal outfit. Wedding veil is a widespread headpiece that contemporary brides wear both during the ceremony and sometimes during the reception. But, in fact, the bridal veil has a history behind it, though today brides treat it more as a beautiful bridal accessory. Let’s find out what the bridal veil symbolizes.

The meaning of the bridal veil

Arranged marriages
As in the ancient times the arranged marriages were a widespread notion, brides used to wear the wedding veils in order to ensure the groom wouldn’t refuse to marry the bride, since the marriages were arranged by the groom and bride’s fathers and the groom could back out once he sees the face of unattractive bride.

Medieval traditions
In the medieval traditions brides had to wear the veil in order to protect themselves from the evil spirits since the bride was exposed to the harm because of her happiness. As the veil symbolized the purity and decency, it was supposed to confuse the evil spirits.

Judaism and Christianity
In Judaism and Christianity the white wedding veil represented the bride’s virginity. The bride covered her face and thus protected her modesty from all the men except from the groom. Once the groom lifts the veil, he denotes that he will be the one who will defile the bride.

Besides the bridal veil was the symbol of the bride’s inner beauty. So, when the groom marries the bride, whose face is covered with the veil, he states that his love is everlasting regardless the fading of her beauty.

Contemporary traditions
Nowadays brides avoid covering their faces with the veil since the virginity lost its significance. If you still want to demonstrate your purity, cover your face with the veil and lift it during one of the two points of the wedding. Your father is the one who is supposed to lift the veil at the beginning of the ceremony as the symbol of giving away his daughter.

Another way is having the groom lift the veil before he kisses the bride to signify the end of the ceremony. This way he states that he will fully take care of the bride. However some contemporary brides tend to lift the veils themselves as a symbol of the partners’ equality in marriage.