DIY: How to Make a Birdcage Veil

It's June and a classically popular month for weddings.  I recently made a DIY birdcage veil for a bride.  She wanted the veil to coordinate with the necklace she purchased from BCBG.  I took cues from the pearls used on the strands and the crystal-studded leaves.

You need:
- short length (about 1/2 yard) of netting.   For this diamond pattern, it is usually called Russian or French netting and can be found in most bridal supply stores or online at places like Etsy.com.
- a pair of metal combs (short ones).
- taffeta, organza or satin (if you have a swatch of it from your dress, that works)
- beads, rhinestones, pearls (your choice)

For the DIY Wedding veil, you need to gather the ends of the netting and take a needle and thread attach it to the top of the comb.  It doesn't have to be precise, just wrap the thread around and around the loops of the netting and the teeth of the comb and secure it by knotting it off.

Now that you have the basic birdcage veil, you can just start embellishing.  I stitched leaf motifs onto silk taffeta to match the bride's dress. Then, I embroidered tiny crystals on them to look like her necklace.

 However, you can create whatever shape you want from your swatch of fabric.  You can make flowers (see some templates here) or abstract shapes.  You can then stitch beads, rhinestones or pearls in the middle to give it some bling:

Once your leaves, flowers or abstract pieces are done, you just need to attach them to the top edge of the comb by either glueing or stitching to the top ridge of your comb. Make sure to cover the gathered part of the netting. Voila! You own DIY birdcage veil. Style for the aisle!