The veil I wore was a family heirloom, so fortunately I didn’t have buy it! Given that I’ve never been to a wedding (including mine) where the bride wore her veil for any length of time beyond the ceremony and maybe a few photos, I would search used sites and hit up David’s and other less-expensive bridal stores. I’ve heard Etsy can be a good resource, too.
With my veil, because it was 80+ years old, I was concerned about the colors matching, but it wasn’t an issue. My gown was ivory and the veil was Belgian lace. The colors were not a perfect match, but it didn’t matter.
I too recommended Etsy and David’s Bridal for affordable veils. I was completely put off by the mark up on them in bridal shops and salons ($500 for a piece of tulle with some beading attached to a comb?!?). Yikes! I will be ordering mine from Etsy.
lastquarter2: that’s gorgeous, and what a steal! I think I will see if ebay has what I’m looking for, and if not, have one custom made through etsy. I can’t stomach spending the equivalent of a wedding dress on a piece of tulle and beading that I will wear for an hour.
I was also not willing to spend an arm and a leg for something I was going to wear for an hour. I got one on tradsey for $9, but it wasn’t as high quality as I hoped so I turned to etsy. It was perfect! I’m not sure if she does beading, but it is worth asking. She was great to work with – quick to respond to questions.