So This Is Why Brides Really Wear Veils On Their Wedding Day…

It's actually SUCH a creepy tradition...

We always thought that brides wore veils because they were oh so pretty and that it was just supposed to be bad luck for a husband-to-be to see his girl before their big moment. But actually, the tradition of the wedding veil is a whole lot creepier than that.

We follow these wedding traditions without really questioning where they come from, but we never think to ask things like why exactly do brides wear white, or why do all of our bridesmaids have to wear the same hideous dress?

So now, there’s new buzz online debunking the myths, and the latest tradition being tackled is indeed the veil.

The veil first became a thing at weddings in Roman times, when a red sheet, called a flammeum, would cover the bride from top to toe. But the aim wasn’t to conceal her loveliness from her adoring guests until she was ready to reveal her big day look. Nope, the idea was to make the bride look like she was on fire.

As in on fire.

Yep, the flaming bride was intended to scare off any evil spirits who were planning to turn up without RSVP’ing, thus ruining the big day for everyone. Maybe just a bouncer would have sufficed? Over the years, the tradition developed and the veil became a way of hiding the bride from both otherworldly spirits and her husband-to-be, who, as we now know, isn’t supposed to see her before he removes her veil at the alter. This part is supposed to represent the *ownership* of the good woman changing hands from her father to her husband, which is all a bit depressing, on reflection.

At least we know now, though, they’re not just for twirling merrily around in, then…