GOWNS OF THE 20TH CENTURY
KINGS COUNTY MUSEUM CELEBRATES ROYAL WEDDING WITH VINTAGE DRESS DISPLAY
We just thought, ‘Why not take some of these wedding dresses out and have a lovely display of those because it’s popular this time of year?’ It just was very lucky for us that everything was aligned and it coincided in a year where there was a royal wedding. Bria Stokesbury, Kings County Museum curator
There’s rich history here in Kings County with members of the Royal Family. Maynard Stevens, Kings Historical Society president
The Kings County Museum celebrated the royal wedding with a special display. Wedding Belles Bridal Shop is a display of vintage 20th-century wedding dresses from the Kings Historical Society’s permanent collection. It runs until the end of August at the Kings County Museum in Kentville.
Curator Bria Stokesbury said planning for the dress exhibit began about two years ago, well before the May 19 wedding date of Prince Harry to American actress Meghan Markle was known, making the display nothing short of serendipitous.
Kings Historical Society president Maynard Stevens came up with the idea of also holding an event for the public to congratulate the royal couple the day before the wedding. Town crier Lloyd Smith was to help the society announce its best wishes to the couple, and a card of congratulations was available for members of the public to sign.
Stevens said that when Queen Elizabeth II surpassed Queen Victoria as the longestreigning British monarch, the museum also hosted a celebration called A Toast to Her Majesty.
A lot of people were interested and attended, so he thought it would be a good idea to host a similar celebration of the royal wedding. People around the world are interested in the nuptials, whether they’re British subjects or not, he added.
Sometimes, Stevens hears people say that Canada shouldn’t be associated with the monarchy anymore, but he disagrees.
He calls it a rich part of Canada’s history, especially in Kentville, with the town being named after Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent. Prince Edward was the father of Queen Victoria and is the great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of Prince Harry.
“There’s rich history here in Kings County with members of the Royal Family,” Stevens said.
TEXTILE COMMITTEE
Kings Historical Society textile committee members Helen Seymour of Highbury, Ruth Butler of Wolfville and refreshment committee member Doris Illsley of Kentville were busy volunteering at the museum in April, preparing the wedding garments for display.
Butler believes the reason why so many people look forward to royal weddings and remember them so fondly is that they’re kind of like a real-life fairytale. She was looking forward to watching the wedding, especially to see what the bride and everyone else is wearing.
Butler thinks it’s wonderful timing to have the dress exhibit coinciding with the royal wedding, although Stokesbury had no idea this would be the case when planning for the exhibit began. She thinks it was written in the stars.
When it comes to the dresses being featured, she said they’re beautiful and varied, with different fabrics and styles. When she looks at a dress dating from the 1930s, for example, she can almost envision the era.
Stokesbury said that, in recent years, there has been quite an influx into the collection of beautiful wedding dresses from the 20th century. The museum’s textile committee has been working to preserve historic garments for years and it’s been a while since the museum has hosted a textile exhibit. She said there’s always a lot of excitement surrounding royal nuptials and calls the exhibit a natural tie-in.
“We just thought, ‘Why not take some of these wedding dresses out and have a lovely display of those because it’s popular this time of year?’” Stokesbury said. “It just was very lucky for us that everything was aligned and it coincided in a year where there was a royal wedding.”
ON DISPLAY
The exhibit features approximately 10 dresses. Some are rather fragile and will be inside display cases. Conservator and historical society vice-president Kelly Bourassa will provide information on gown care and conservation for people looking to preserve wedding dresses.
There will also be a display of traditional accessories, such as bouquets, garters and veils, and explanations of the history and symbolism behind them. Historical society members will be providing wedding photos for a display illustrating how styles changed during the 20th century, and perhaps to see if others can guess who is depicted in the images.
Stokesbury said the pomp and circumstance of royal nuptials isn’t seen every day. Royal weddings are highly steeped in tradition and watching one can be like taking a step back in time, fairytale events that bring the whole world together.
DID YOU KNOW?
The tradition of wearing a white wedding gown began in 1840 with the royal wedding of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-coburg and Gotha. Her choice of a white dress was considered unusual at a time when it was common for brides to wear coloured dresses.