Bridal Hair Accessories: Flowers and Hats

Since I was in Montreal for Thanksgiving last week (in case you don’t know, Thanksgiving is celebrated in October in Canada) and didn’t post, we’ll double up this post. Let’s get started. In the final installment in the search for veil alternatives we’re going to look at flowers (not real ones, although those are definitely an option) and hats.

Flowers first. I know I said that I’m not going to cover real flowers, but don’t get it in your head that I mean those silk flowers you find at your local Michael’s. I don’t like typical fake flowers. You should go for the real thing if that’s the look that you’re going for. No, I’m talking about stylized fabric flowers.

I came across this flower a while ago while I was searching Etsy and loved it. (I also adore the blue shoes the bride in the photo is wearing.) I saved it in the hopes that I’d have a blog post to include it in. And that post has arrived.

You can pick a flower that’s traditional white like this bold satin cutout flower with a pearl laden center.

Or this delicate rhinestone beaded cut organza flower with a center cluster of pearls.

But why stick with white? Choose any color your favorite color, your groom’s favorite color, your team’s color or any color under the sun that speaks to you, whether has any other place in your wedding or not. You could even get your “something blue” in that way.

Want something a little more elaborate? Try this handmade flower created using goose feathers, ostrich feathers and bleached peacock feathers with a vintage costume jewelry center.

No one will even notice you’re not wearing a veil if you choose this stunning piece, which is made of mesh with a hematite center.

There are loads of options for flowers. You are only limited by your imagination and personal style. Well, and I guess your dress choice, because, let’s face it, that will be the most important thing that will dictate the style of your accessories.

And now to our final veil alternative…the wedding hat. For some reason when I hear “wedding hat,” I think of a big, broad brimmed hat with lots of fake flowers. Something like this:

And hey, if that’s your style, go for it! But after doing some research, I’ve found some beautiful wedding hats that look nothing like the one above. I’ve also found that there seem to be two main categories of modern wedding hats—cocktail caps (on the left) and tiny top hats (on the right).

The tiny top hats are quite chic. If you choose this option, be sure to wear your hat jauntily to one side. You can get your mini top hat covered in feathers…

or tied with a bow. This one can even be made using whatever fabric you send them, so you could get it made to match your dress (assuming you could get the exact fabric of your dress).

Then there are cocktail caps. This hand sewn vintage-inspired number with curled ostrich and pheasant feathers would be perfect with a romantic vintage-inspired dress.

Looking for a little something? Then the next two hats are for you. One with a flower and the other with feathers and Swarovski crystals, these dainty hats add a touch of elegance to your wedding coiffure.

Now, we’re looking for veil alternatives, so you’ll have to imagine the following hats without the veils. I like the star detail on this cocktail cap.

The hat on the left has a spray of feathers with lovely beading details. The one on the right is a pillbox, not a cocktail cap, but I like the simplicity of the hat contrasted with the pouf of feathers and rhinestones.

I’ve shown you a number of alternatives to the traditional veil. We’ve seen hair vines and hairpins, headbands, modern tiaras and now flowers and hats. Although this is by no means an exhaustive list, you should have plenty to think about and perhaps you’ve even found the accessory that you’ll wear instead of a veil on your wedding day.

Happily Ever After,

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