The Wedding Veil Unveiled

Really liked the first film in the Wedding Veil trilogy and there was a lot going for 'The Wedding Veil Unveiled'. Seeing Italy on screen is reason enough to see any film and while Hallmark vary when it comes to their films set abroad they always deliver on the beautiful scenery front, and some of the most beautiful scenery comes from Italy. Like Lacey Chabert in the first, Autumn Reeser is one of the best and most consistent regular Hallmark actresses and most of her filmography is worthwhile.

'The Wedding Veil Unveiled' is as every bit as well worth watching level as 'The Wedding Veil' and a good start to the 2022 Loveuary (new for Hallmark that year) output. Personally didn't think that story-wise it was as good as its predecessor, though the male lead character is much more likeable, but it succeeds a lot more than it doesn't and the best of the many good things are very good. Hallmark has always varied when it comes to its sequels, and 'The Wedding Veil Unveiled' is one of the better faring ones.

Not everything works. It would have actually benefitted from not having as much going on. There is a lot of content, and it did feel like there was too much and some of it didn't have much time to be fleshed out. The Italian student subplot sounded very relatable but felt like padding and is too indifferently written.

Pacing can be on the rushed side, especially when things get more eventful later. The ending is a touch too on the neat side.

Reeser however is very bubbly and charming, while Paolo Benardini is very likeable and matches her in the easy going charm factor. It was a great move having real Italians making up most of the cast and all do very well in their roles, loved the energy and how much the film embraced the Italian culture without stereotyping or generalising. Had no problem with the accents and way of speaking, Italian is a beautiful language and the film is set in Italy, it makes sense to have Italian spoken and a lot of it. Chabert and Alison Sweeney appeal in smaller roles. Reeser and Benardini have very sweet and genuine chemistry together, though the romance perhaps could have had more screen time.

Furthermore, the characters do not bore or irritate on the whole, while also not being as stereotypical as Hallmark characters tend to be. The production values are attractive, with Venice (one of the most beautiful cities) in particularly being absolutely sublime. It's directed with assured confidence with no signs of fatigue or disinterest. The music is not unforgettable but it at least fits and is pleasant on the ear. The script has light hearted playful wit and doesn't get too sappy or too sentimental. Any conflict, which is not a lot, is unforced and has tension, which is not always the case with Hallmark, and it goes at a natural flow. Really liked the upbeatness of the storytelling, as well as its endless bags of light-heartedness, cute charm and warm heart.

Summing up, didn't blow me away but very nice film. 7/10.

7.8 stars.

I think the reason it's better for me is because I like Autumn Reeser the most out of the three female leads of Wedding Veil. The Italian cityscape and countryside was very welcoming. I don't know how much was filmed in Italy, but let's just go with it, because it appears authentic. This film's magic is in the setting, the charm and energy of the people, and the interactions between the leads. Reeser is single and teaching art history to a bunch of Italian college students who are difficult to please. Her secondary mission is to trace the origin of the Veil. She meets a wonderful Italian man and they fall in love.

I must note there are too many coincidences with him and his family. How many times can you run into the same guy in a city that size, only to find out his family is directly linked to this mysterious artifact (the veil) that grants that you will find true love? However, this story is leaning toward the veil being magical because it's the veil itself that grants true love to those who come in contact with it. So the people don't find true love, the veil creates true love. Hard to explain. Basically, in other words, the veil is like love potion #9. If you drink the potion, you fall in love with that person, so it is with the veil, if you touch it or have it in your possession, you fall in love with someone in close proximity. The veil must be present in that location for love to happen there. At least that's what I've witnessed so far. This may change as I view additional installments of this series.

The family is wonderful, they are classic Italians. They have a multi-generational family business, they share all activities, including lunch every day. They chat, laugh, and argue a lot - vintage Italian. She joins him and his family for lunch and they spend a lot of time together, and the family loves her right away.

Good feeling with this one. I like it better than the first.

Actually more than what my title says. Romance. A Quest. A Travelog. History.

I noted a while back that Lacey Chabert had done a string of Hallmark movies that were stories set in interesting places. Travelogs. I find it interesting that Chabert was the architect of this series, yet Reeser gets to do the travel story.

While the story itself had no great highs or lows, surprises or tension (other than the romantic), with all those things above going on it still is enough to be worth watching.

The provenance of the veil has no great historical import, but it is a nice story. The travel scenery is pretty good in this movie.

Autumn Reeser and Paolo Bernardini have decent chemistry. With so many things going on I'm surprised the movie managed enough screen time to pull of the romantic chemistry.

Not a terrible move, but really slow. I like Autumn Reeser and was cute as usual. The male lead was likable. The scenery was beautiful. The movie was just terribly boring.

In part two of the trilogy, The Wedding Veil Unveiled, Autumn Reeser is going to Italy to teach an Art History class for a month or two. She is taking the veil with her to confirm that it is the same veil in the portrait, and if so, to learn the history behind it. For one thing, how did it get to San Francisco? First of all, if I were Lacey Chabert or Alison Sweeney I would be royally p.o.ed that Autumn Reeser got to go to Italy for her part of the trilogy, and I didn't. The beautifully photographed scenes in that country were one of the best parts of this one. While Autumn and her love interest are investigating the story behind the veil worn in the portrait by the fictional artist Amici we vicariously explore some beautiful destinations including Venice, Verona, Burano, and Padua. No Rome, and I didn't miss it at all.

It seemed like their were more side-stories in this one than is usual. The story behind the Veil was intriguing and well thought out. They brought in some hurdles for Autumn to overcome in teaching her Art History class which were engaging. It was good that they had the capable and poised Autumn screw up a little bit. Her buttoned up personality needed to be loosened up. Her love interest, Paolo, had his own problems. He was part of a family that has been in the lace business for generations. We get to know his large loving family, which was nice. But he wants to expand the business, and his father is too cautious and conservative. One of the stories, about the young Italian student who couldn't afford the tuition came out of left field and was basically a time-filler since it was completely untethered to anything else going on in the stories. Since we didn't have baking shenanigans, ice skating or snowball fights? With the extraneous details given about the boy's situation, it seemed like they were going hook it in somewhere, but in the end, they just didn't get it done.

Although the male lead was handsome and likable, the romance was just so-so, and more than a little routine. But I liked the meet cute and the meet cute part II. And when the final scene showed them getting married I admit I had an "Awwhh" moment. Maybe there was just too much other stuff going on.

I just want to add that Autumn's wardrobe in this was beautiful and well chosen and she looked great. I questioned a lot of the choices for (or by?) Lacey Chabert in part I, but the only thing that was a little questionable in this one was her choice of shoes to go sightseeing in. She looked very uncomfortable. Part 3 featuring the cynical unromantic Alison Sweeney character was well set up and I'm looking forward to it.