We restore quite a few wedding gowns, which is always exciting. But we don’t often get to restore the veils. The truth is, many vintage veils cannot be restored. The tulle from veils from the 40’s and 50’s is so fragile that it completely disintegrates when immersed in water or any chemicals.
Tulle from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s holds up much better. We recently had the opportunity to restore this vintage veil for a M. Browne’s upcoming August wedding. The veil was made by the bride’s grandmother and worn by her aunt in the 1970’s and then a cousin in about 1980. So it truly is a family heirloom.
The upper portion of the veil was in excellent condition, but the lower portion had numerous brown spots. Upon close inspection we discovered that the lace on the upper portion was hand stitched but glued on the lower portion. We believe the oxidation of the glue may have caused the spotting.
Because the bride is wearing ivory, we decided to treat the brown spots separately instead of the entire veil together. This kept the veil from going too white with our whitening chemicals. We are thrilled with the final results. This bride’s “something old” will be a treasured vintage veil.
