Wedding and Baptism Display

I have been rather consumed with the preparation for a Wedding and Baptism Display as part of the celebrations of the bicentenary of our local church parish.  As I’ve mentioned previously, it is the oldest parish west of the Blue Mountains in Australia.

The whole thing came about as a result of a brainstorming session for ideas of events and muggins me suggested maybe some photos of people at their weddings or baptisms at the church and maybe a couple of christening and wedding gowns followed by Devonshire tea on a Saturday afternoon.

Of course, if you come up with the idea and it is accepted, you really do have to follow it through.  I put a call out for photos in October at the church fete and on facebook and had quite a few come in, but quite a lot of offers of dresses.  That was all very well, but how could I display them?  I had my antique dress form but that was all.  I would also need to find some standing panels to display the photos.

It was suggested that I contact the ladies from the Historical Society, so off I went, cap in hand.  I was hoping to maybe get a couple of mannequins, but when I asked, the reply was “How many would you like, we have heaps, and often actually make them to suit the smaller sizes”.  Oh my!  The ladies just also happened to be members of the Lapidary Club and had access to their display cases.  The other item I needed was screens to display the photos and the Arts Council let us use theirs.  

Now things were cooking.  This could actually turn out rather well and hopefully impress the people who come along to see it.  The next thing to do was to extend the event from just Saturday afternoon to all weekend.  This was not something to set up for just a few hours.  It did mean more volunteers and cooks, but that was easily managed.

So what was all the fuss about?  Let’s take a wander.  I had in my mind’s eye what the display would look like, but in the end it way exceeded my expectations.  To my delight, everything ran without a hitch.

All items on display are linked to weddings and baptisms held at Holy Trinity Kelso.

Sadly, I didn’t get a photo of the whole thing as you entered the hall.  More on that later.

The centre display was of the christening gowns.  This was so very well done and the way they did it was something that I would never have thought of.

We had two that were well over 100 years old.  Such beautiful details.

This one is more modern, being from the late 1990s, but has beautiful heirloom stitching.  It was made by the grandmother from the train of the mother’s wedding dress and the names of the four grandchildren (from two families) that wore it have been embroidered on a tuck on the petticoat.  A true family treasure.

As you entered, to your left there were the boards of photos.  All up we had about 120 photos, representing about 60 weddings and 20 baptisms.  For many years baptisms weren’t a big photo opportunity.

We had one family who are still active in the church, that had their first wedding there in 1828, at the parsonage, even before the church building was erected.  We were able to showcase their marriages over many generation using the old church records in lieu of photos for those early weddings.

We had the original 1826 Marriage Register on display.

A Family Bible dating from 1870.

As well as various mementos from weddings over the years.  Who remembers having a doll decoration on the front of  your wedding car?

Lucky charms and pew decorations.

Vintage cards.

Bouquets.

Now to the wedding gowns.

The centrepiece of this section was the earlier gowns.  The one to the right here is the oldest, dating from 1938, which was worn by the wife of one of our mayors.  Her father was also a mayor and her daughter-in-law has also gone on to be mayor in more recent times.

Betty’s dress was worn in 1941.  You can tell from the photos  it was early war years by the amount of fabric in the dresses.  The gown had the skirt modified by removing the train so that it could be worn again as an evening dress.

Joan’s gorgeous wedding gown is from 1956.  It is just stunning and was made by her aunt.  Joan’s daughter wore the same dress at her wedding in 1991.

Mary Jane was married in 1949.  Her gown with its beautiful panel on the bodice is held by the museum.

Now onto the more modern ones.

These dresses date from 1963.  The one on the right is the wedding dress with the bridesmaid’s dress on the left.  

We have a few from the early 1970s, which saw a slim, yet elegant line being the popular style.  The lovely lace was the feature on this one.

This bride from 1973 had a slightly different look with a train, chunkier lace and lots of pintucks.  The purple dress was worn by her grandmother to the wedding.

Now for a very delicate floaty gown from 1972.

Another wedding from 1973.  The bride made both of these gowns.  They are in wool crepe, as the bride grew up of a fine merino sheep property.  If you zoom in, you will see the delicate overall stitching in the fabric design on the bridal gown.  It is such a simple, elegant dress.  The bride from the 1972 wedding was the matron of honour at this wedding.

Next, we jump to 1979.  Sylvia saw a photo of a wedding gown in a magazine and then her friend’s mother made the outfit, sending fabric to Sydney to be sunray pleated for the skirt and bodice frill.  Absolutely gorgeous.  She also provided us with her going away outfit, something that doesn’t feature in modern weddings.

Now to the 1980s and a sweet little flower girl dress with the wedding dress from 1983.

And next, me.  I was married in 1986 and my dress design was chosen to suit the antique cameo brooch I wore.  Having my bridesmaid’s dress was a very big surprise.  You see, Joan (the 1956 gown) is the mother of my bridesmaid and when I went to collect her dress, she produced this dress as well.  To say I was surprised is an understatement.  I was thrilled to be able to display it alongside my dress.  My Mum made both dresses.

Finally, we have Jenny’s dress from 2000.  It was another elegant gown and made by the bride.  If you zoom in, you may see the beautiful hand embroidery on the bodice, train and ring cushion.  A talented lady.

So, all in all, it was a thoroughly successful weekend.  I am delighted in how it went off and I think everyone who visited enjoyed themselves having a look around and partaking in scones with jam and cream.

I always have to give a great shout out to the ladies from the Historical Society, as without their contribution of props and expertise it would not have been a fraction of the event that it turned out to be.

Now for the “Behind the Scenes”.

In the lead up there was plenty of matching gowns to mannequins down at the museum workroom.

Fiddle fiddling of photos on my floor to work out layouts.

We only had Friday to set up the display and worked from 8.30am to 7.30pm.  A big day.  

We then had to have it all pulled down on Sunday night, so the hall could be used on Monday morning.  It was all out in just two hours.

I said everything ran smoothly, which it did, except for two minor inconveniences.  Mick got gastro on Thursday night.  I had to drag him out of his sick bed to deliver the photo boards that were in his trailer.  I slept on the couch for two nights, as I COULD NOT GET SICK!  All was well on Friday and Saturday…….and then I got sick on Saturday night and couldn’t go along on Sunday, which was really disappointing.  Not to worry, everyone knew what they were doing, after Saturday, and all ran smoothly.  We are both well and truly better now.

It is really satisfying to have been involved in organising this event.  Something very different for me, but there was a real team effort from so many.  Now to try and sort out all the things at home I have been neglecting lately.  Oh, joy.