by Liz Brookshire
Program Manager, Pioneer Museum

Dresses in silks, satins, chiffons, lace and tulle will be displayed along with period bouquets as Pioneer Museum presents The Bride Wore White, a special exhibit featuring vintage wedding attire from the 1880s through the 1980s. The exhibit will open to the public at Pioneer Museum on Saturday, February 13 and will be housed in the historic sanctuary of the old First Methodist Church, now the Historical Society Center, until March 18. Fee for the exhibit is the regular museum admission of $5.00 per adult and $3.00 for children. The exhibit will be open during regular museum hours of 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday and on Sunday from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Visitors may enter the exhibit through the museum entrance at 325 West Main Street.

 As a culmination of the exhibit a style show and luncheon will be held on Saturday, March 6 in the Historical Society Center. Tickets are $35.00 and are available at the GCHS office at 312 West San Antonio Street or by phone at 997-2835. All proceeds will benefit Pioneer Museum.

The exhibit includes gowns such as a 1920s flapper gown in a fashionable shorter length, a 1890s gown with leg o’ mutton sleeves, a 1930s satin wedding dress and a wool suit typical of a wartime bride. Many of the gowns have documentation including photographs and information about the brides who wore them.

Shades of white have been the traditional color for bridal attire since the wedding of Queen Victoria in 1840. Unlike most royals, Queen Victoria married for love. Her white lace gown and simple headpiece of orange blossoms captivated the western world and inspired in women a vision of their own perfect dress for one of the most special days of their lives.

On the American frontier, between 1850 and 1860 brides often were married in their best dress and those who could manage a new dress for their wedding wore a dress in the current fashion which could later be modified and worn for other occasions. These dresses were usually of a more serviceable color than white.

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution fabrics became more widely available and wedding gowns were easier to make and copy. In the 1880s dresses became more elaborate and extravagant and were characterized by typical Victorian features with details of lace and tucking. This trend continued through the 1890s and early 1900s. During the years of World War I gowns became simpler and shorter as patriotic brides were more conservative in contribution to the war effort. After the war hemlines rose and women bobbed their hair. Hemlines of wedding dresses rose as well, often revealing the ankles of the bride.

As the Great Depression swept across America brides often borrowed wedding dresses or wore their “best dress” when money was tight. Those who could afford a wedding gown were inspired by the American Modern movement which favored sleek, stylized lines and brides wore elegant bias cut satin gowns bereft of lace.

Soon America entered World War ll and weddings were rushed up as love-struck couples hastily tied the knot before the groom went off to battle. Many war brides were married in their best suit. Even if there was time to make a dress, brides were limited by fabric shortages. During and after the war some brides made their gowns of parachute silk presented in grateful appreciation by a groom whose life it had saved.

 After the war lace became more affordable with the advent of synthetic lace. In the 1950s gowns became more elaborate with yards of lace and tulle. When Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier of Monaco in 1956, ninety-eight yards of tulle were used in her dress alone. Today’s brides have broken away from fashion trends and gowns are now selected to reflect the bride’s personality and individual tastes.