I also made my own veil. It was time consuming more than anything, but it was worth it.
The lace that I used is called alencon reembroidered beaded lace. I couldn’t find any lace that that matched my gown at Joanns, so I purchased my lace on ebay. It was some lace that the seller had from somewhere and I don’t really think she knew how expensive it really is or maybe she was just cleaning out her stock. I was lucky enough to find it for really cheap; $9.99/yd.
When I searched online, I could only find it for about $40.00/yd or more. Here is a link to a lace site that I found: http://www.laceco.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=48&sort=20a&page=1
I didn’t purchase from them, but they look like they have some good prices and may have what you are looking for.
There is a fabric store here called Hancock Fabrics. I didn’t look there because whenever I have looked there before, they have been way too expensive for what I wanted to spend, but they do have a large wedding section.
Keep in mind that nice lace is going to be expensive, but in my opinion, it is worth it.
I was at Joanns the other day and I did see some lace trim that was similar to mine, but it wasn’t as wide. I don’t know how much it was though. If you have a bigger Joanns in your area, you may want to check them out to see what they have. If you use one of their coupons, you can save a bunch of money and they will let you special order and still use the coupon. You will just have to pay shipping, if it is something they don’t keep in stock all the time.
When I sewed the lace to the tulle, I placed it on the tulle so it laid about halfway on the tulle and then I sewed on the inner edge of the lace. Keep your stitches tiny. Only pick up the tiniest amount of tulle and lace with your needle and go slow. I wish I was there to show you. It is hard to explain. Make sure you lay your tulle flat to pin the lace to it. If you make a fingertip length veil, you will need at least 4 yds of lace. If you can get it in one solid piece that would be the best way. Also, start to sew the lace from the bottom of the veil. I tried on my veil by holding it in place on my head several times before I started sewing to make sure everything was lined up correctly. Use a tape measure or yard stick to make sure everything is even. Also, remember that your lace will be on the outside of the veil when you are wearing it.
Oh, my lace is about 4″ wide at its widest point.
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