"Stitching Your Story: 5 Meaningful Ways to Include Your Heritage in Your Wedding Veil"
A wedding should be an expression of you and your partner - a chance to tell your story! A bespoke embroidered veil can be the perfect way to do this, particularly by including elements of your cultural heritage. I can embroider symbols, meaningful flowers, national animals or any personal embroidery that represents the coming together of 2 cultures!
Here are 5 wedding veil ideas inspired by cultural symbols and tradition - all chosen by my real Hannah Cummings Embroidery brides to reflect their heritage or way of life! I turned their suggestions in to a bespoke sketch and developed it in to bridal embroidery to sit perfectly on their unique wedding veil.
A Finnish Emblem of Protection.
Jasmine had a Finnish emblem of protection nestled in to the side of her veil up high by the head so it could easily be seen. This is a very meaningful emblem to her family (so much so she even commissioned a beaded version from me that could be framed after the wedding!) By including this one simple reference to her cultural heritiage, jasmine’s veil became so much more personal and unique, and her family member’s were so touched when they saw it on the day! Traditionally, the symbol was used to ward off evil spirits!
Jasmine’s Finnish emblem of protection embroidered on to her wedding veil.
2. Venezualan Orchids and Rosa laevigata
(Cherokee Roses) from Georgia.
Nicole requested Venezualan orchids from her home country embroidered on her wedding veil, along with Rosa Laevigata, to represent her fiance’s hometown in Georgia. She loved them so much that she asked if she could send the sketches to her stationery designer who would include them across her stationery suite! By including these two specific flowers on her unique wedding veil, Nicole was able to celebrate the coming together of both of her and her partner’s cultural heritages in a beautiful and visual way! It meant that her wedding veil was different, one of a kind and truly represented them as a couple.
3. A blue embroidered tractor!
Millie made reference to her farming way of life, by including (my first ever) tractor on her veil! I was told that 'only you could create an elegant embroidered tractor!' It was a very specific blue which we spent time finding to represent the exact tractor brand! Milli has since used her bespoke wedding veil in a pregnancy photoshoot, and plans to use it again for her newborn shoot when the little one arrives! Millie surprised her husband with this personal veil embroidery, and it was such a lovely nod to their way of life and farming heritage.
Millie’s blue tractor embroidered on to her wedding veil to celebrate her farming heritage.
4. A Scottish Thistle.
Annabel wanted to include a nod to her Scottish Grandparents on her bespoke wedding veil, and chose a Scottish thistle to represent them! I nestled it amongst her flowing embroidery design (which was made up of her bridesmaid’s birth flowers!) This small feature included subtly in the veil embroidery was such a great way to point to her heritage and honour her Grandparents, without it being too overbearing as a feature. National flowers are such a great way to give a nod to your heritage on your wedding veil!
5. A coastal Suffolk theme.
Clemmie grew up in Suffolk (my own hometown!) and was getting married by the sea. She wanted her embroidered veil to feature all things Suffolk themed to represent her childhood and her love of the area. This included a crab (one of my most popular motifs on instagram!), the scallop sculpture on Aldeburgh beach, as well as many grasses and flowers that can be found around Suffolk. Clemmie will be able to treasure her veil embroidery and hand it down to future generations if she wishes, as a way to pass on a little piece of her Suffolk heritage!
I hope these 5 ideas have given you some inspiration as to how you could include your own cultural heritage on your embroidered wedding veil! (Here’s a bonus link to my instagram post on Amy's Seaside Veil! reflecting her upbringing on the Isle of White - featuring shells, coral and starfish!)
There are many places throughout your wedding where you can give a nod to your cultural heritage, be it in the ceremony, through the food you eat or the music you dance to. But I think including these personal details on your wedding veil is extra special, as it is something that you will treasure forever and can be passed down to future generations. You can use imagery to tell your story, combining it with elements from your partner’s heritage too!
Whether its flowers, colours, lettering or symbols, I can design and stitch your one-of-a-kind embroidered veil to reflect your cultural heritage, and that of your partner or family. You veil will be truly yours and and expression of your story! Head to my gallery page for even more inspiration, or to my contact form to get the ball rolling and find out more!
Read on for the full story of Amy’s seaside veil in my previous blog post!
