“Honoring the Traditions: A Short History of American Wedding Customs” will be discussed at a special meeting at the Milford Historical Society on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. at the MHS headquarters, located at 34 High St.
This program is in addition to the summer exhibit, “A Century of Bridal Gowns,” with tours every Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. until Oct. 1. On display are more than 20 wedding gowns worn by Milford brides from as early as the late 1800s. The usual weekend tours include a presentation of wedding photos sent in by the public and uploaded into a digital picture frame that will run continuously every weekend.
The speaker at the special meeting will be Sally Lorensen Conant, the executive director of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, a not-for-profit association of cleaners in eight countries who specialize in caring for wedding gowns. She is a member of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Objects as well as the Textile Society of America, and has been featured in wedding books and magazines.
Queen Victoria’s choice of a white wedding gown for her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 set the style for wearing white that continues to this day. Victoria chose white specifically to highlight the work of the English lacemakers who, while they were predominantly farmers, did cottage-work at home in the winters to earn extra money.
Conant will discuss how weddings in early America were designed to display the family’s standing in the community and their adherence to inherited societal rules.
Wedding gowns were not worn once and put away, but were worn for all future special occasions. Dresses were informally handed down through the generations, and sometimes they were even mentioned in wills.
There is a suggested donation of $15 for the program. Conant is offering her services for free, so 100 percent of the donations will go toward the ongoing work of the MHS.
The program will be in the Bryan-Downs House, which is accessible to all by a ramp. Street-side parking is suggested so that those who need to be near the house can use the small MHS parking lot.
To find out more, visit milfordhistoricalsociety.org or call 203-874-2664.