Weddings are a time when love, legacy, and personal style come together, and one of the most beautiful ways to honour that legacy is through fashion. In this special piece for Polka Dot Wedding’s Traditions Issue, Sally from Association of Wedding Gown Specialists shares her insights on how to honour wedding traditions with a family gown or veil. Whether it’s carefully restoring a treasured vintage wedding dress, reimagining a gown for pre-wedding celebrations, or weaving a family veil into your ceremony look, there are countless creative ways to celebrate heritage while still making your wedding day uniquely your own. Enjoy Dotties! 

Photography: Redbook Studios from Victor & Stephanie’s Love-Filled Homestead Wedding 

Years ago a woman came to us with a beautiful, but yellowed and stained gown from the late 1940s that belonged to her mother. She was the youngest of seven children, but no one else had wanted to wear it, and her mother was thrilled we could restore her gown to the true colour so her gown could be worn again. But your taste may be very different from your mother’s, and even if her wedding gown has been carefully preserved, you just cannot imagine wearing it for your own wedding.

Photography: Holly Osborne Photography from Catherine & David’s Coastal Boho Wedding in Garfield North

In that case, think of other ways to include her gown in your wedding plans. For example, if it fits, wear it to your shower or your rehearsal dinner. If not, put the gown on a mannequin to be seen at one of those events or even display it at your wedding reception. Of course, it’s not the same as wearing your mother’s gown for your own wedding, but she will be pleased, and your family will enjoy reminiscing about the original event as they enjoy your own wedding’s activities.

Photography: Charlotte Fraser from Mitch & Tara’s Fairy Garden Party Wedding at Fitzroy Inn 

Honouring Tradition With a Family Gown or Veil

Including your mother’s gown in your plans is one way to add a sense of tradition to your wedding, but there is still another way to include a meaningful reference to your family’ s history and create a tradition of your own. Wear a family veil!  It may be one that many brides in your family have worn (we have restored the colour of veils from as early as the 1740’s) or you may be establishing a lovely family tradition.

Photography: Birch & Wattle from Jo & Nikhil’s Radiant Peachy Wedding in the Sydney Botanic Gardens

Choosing the Right Veil Length for Your Style

As you know, there are several lengths of veils: bird cage, blusher, fingertip, ballet, chapel, and cathedral.  If your family veil is short, and you have always dreamed of a full-length, cathedral veil, a seamstress can help you add one or more layers of whatever length you would like. If it is long, and you think it will be in your way after the ceremony, it is possible to make the long layer detachable.

Photography: Leo Farrell from Holly & John’s Fun & Relaxed Collingwood Wedding 

Colour Considerations: Restoring or Matching a Veil

If the veil available to you is silk, you will not be able to change the colour, whatever that colour might be. Silk illusion does not like water, which is part of any colour restoration or colour change process, and silk illusion will dissolve in water.  If your family veil is cotton or an artificial fibre such as nylon or polyester, then any yellowing can easily be removed. Or if your gown is ivory or some other shade of off-white, you can use tea or another form of dye to make the colour blend with your new gown. Tea is slightly preferable because it is easier than a dye to remove without damaging the fibre of your veil.

Photography: Bec Matheson from Katy & Ollie’s Romantic Autumnal Wedding at Montsalvat 

Updating or Replacing the Headpiece

Once you have established the colour your veil will be and the length you want, you can decide whether to use the original headpiece. If you prefer a different headpiece, it is very easy to remove your veil from the original headpiece and attach it, as well as any new layers to a different headpiece. As before, any seamstress can help you if you are uncomfortable doing this yourself. In fact, you may not want a headpiece at all, and there are plenty of combs, plain or decorated, you can choose to secure your veil in your hair.

Photography: All My Wednesdays from Tarini & Harley’s Bright Summer Wedding at Acacia Ridge 

Blending Tradition With Your Personal Style

Whatever way you choose to secure your family veil in your hair, adapting it for your own wedding is a simple and sweet way to acknowledge your family whether you are continuing a family tradition or beginning a new one of your very own.

Photography: Weddings By Jack from Rosemary & Mark’s Intimate Winery Wedding in Traralgon 

Embracing a family gown or veil is more than just a fashion choice, it’s a heartfelt way to carry your loved ones’ stories into one of the most significant days of your life. Whether you choose to restore, repurpose, or simply showcase these heirloom pieces, you’re creating a beautiful bridge between past and present. A big thank you to Sally from Association of Wedding Gown Specialists for sharing her expertise and inspiration with us, reminding us that honouring tradition can be just as meaningful as starting new ones.

About the Author: Represented in more than 500 cities around the world, the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists offer very special care for wedding gowns, both old and new.  Our award-winning gown care includes your personal inspection, a museum-quality container, and a written international guarantee.  Restorations return yellowed and stained vintage gowns to the true colour.  We also offer cleaning and pressing for your wedding day as well as destination wedding kits for travelling with your gown. Endorsed by Association of Bridal Consultants. We are pleased to announce that couples can now preserve the beauty of the planet along with their wedding gowns. We’ve established a Reforestation Fund™ and will provide support to the Arbor Day Foundation by planting a tree for every gown our dry-cleaning partners preserve. Celebrated in Australia as well as worldwide, Arbor Day Foundation is the largest members nonprofit dedicated to planting trees in neighbourhoods, communities, cities and forests around