LOVE OVER TIME PASADENA MUSEUM OF HISTORY SHOWCASES WEDDING GOWNS FROM 1850 TO 1950 BY REBECCA KUZINS marriage may be expected to endure until “death do us part,” but a wedding dress has a far shorter shelf life. Most brides wear their gowns only once — on their wedding day —and a few years later their gowns, like their other clothes, have fallen out of fashion. An exhibit now on display at the Pasadena Museum of History illustrates the changing fads and fashions of wedding gowns. “I Do! I Do! Pasadena Ties the Knot,” featuring 42 gowns worn between 1850 and 1950. This exhibit, on view through July 14, is the first of two shows; the second exhibit, featuring gowns from 1950 to the present day, will be presented from Aug. 2 through Oct. 2. The museum has combed its 3,000-piece costume and textile collection to select the wedding gowns. Four curators, including two volunteers, spent two years researching and photographing the 70 gowns in the collection before choosing the dresses. In addition to the gowns, the exhibit chronicles the evolution of Pasadena wedding ceremonies with vintage wedding photographs, news clippings and gifts presented to brewer
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PHOTO: AARON GIL
Wedding dress and headpiece with veil, 1935. Satin, net and faux orange blossoms. Worn by Wilma Maguire.
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