How I saved and made my $1000 silk tulle alencon lace chapel length veil

$1000.

That was the price of the alencon lace veil I tried on at Kleinsfeld a few months ago. My two luxury dresses don’t even cost that much. I was quoted prices starting $500 for a finger tip alencon lace veil at M&J Trimming. But I really wanted this veil, especially since I never bought that Monique Lhuillier. Why the high price tag?

Alencon lace trim is about $25-$55/yard. If it is double-sided, I would still need 3-5 yards. Silk tulle, which I admire for its even, non-poofy finish, was $120/yard. Depending on the width, I would need probably 1-2 yards. I was determined to make my own awesome veil for much less. I scoured the internet and got tips from my bridal blogger buddies and set off on my mission.

Find 1: I got my silk tulle from a lovely eBay seller who was closing her bridal shop. I got over a yard/120” wide for less than $50. I am able to make an elbow length and a chapel length veil from the tulle.

Find 2: The Thirty Something Bride referred me to this great site. They have great trims, but not exactly the one I was looking for.
So I hit the pavement. I was at my 8th fabric store searching for the trim. The salesman didn’t have what I wanted but took pity on me for some reason. I think he thought I was just a poor student (FIT was nearby). He said “Do you have a pen and paper?” I handed him the aforementioned items and he wrote down a name and address nearby. He said they might have what I wanted.

I walked into a random office filled with fabrics. I told them who referred me and they let me look around. I found this beautiful lace trim (which I have carefully cleaned up). It wasn’t the length I was looking for. But $20 was tough to beat and I was thinking of shortening my veil anyway. It turns out this guy was a wholesaler who doesn’t normally sell to the public. He just has random stuff left over from jobs. I went over to Lace Star that day to find a coordinating lace to round things out. I found some remnants for below retail and am still deciding whether to keep them.

I went back the next day and bought breakfast for the guy in the first fabric shop, the wholesaler, and the Lace Star guy. Sometimes you gotta know someone to get a great deal. Look online, go to flea markets/estate sales, and ask around.
I’m extremely lucky to have found my wholesaler. It’s possible – do your research and ask around too – the connection with great prices could be waiting for you!

Veil tutorial part 1 here and part 2 here!