Chocolate is our most popular cake," she said, noting that a triple chocolate with dark chocolate icing and ribbons made of chocolate, "is really a show stopper." "People are getting away from the traditional white cake. Lisa Maronian, owner of Sweet Lisa's of Greenwich, said the wedding cake has always been and continues to be a centerpiece but tastes have changed. The wedding cake, the flowers, the food, drink and merriment were integral parts of the celebration.
#Brocade gown series#
The wedding celebrations in the late 1700's and early 1800's might go on for several days, be it at a farmhouse or at a series of formal gatherings. Fashion was also determined by the social status of the family." They could wear the dress again because people dressed so much more formally then. "They might be colored dresses or checked. "Before that women were married in their best dress," she said. Endslow said it was not until the Victorian era and also when photographing weddings became popular that brides started to wear white. While the olive color might surprise some, Ms. "That dress has its own special history - the groom's grandfather rode the same night as Paul Revere to warn the British were coming," Ms. The gown from the 1790's is an olive-colored silk brocade dress, with thistle and forget-me-nots in the fabric. Her mother's gown was a silk chiffon with a beaded waist and its veil, which swept to the floor, included a lace panel which was a family heirloom dating back to the 1850's. "It was as if they had to take a piece of their family with them," she said.Įlizabeth Sesselberg, who is not a member of the church but said, "You can't help but find out when something is going on in Southport," heard of the request and lent her mother's wedding gown and a gown from an ancestor dating back to about 1790. Kaczenski said that when they found a gown, they almost always also came across accessories the bride took with her down the aisle - something from a mother, a grandmother, an aunt. Still others represented a style "when Fergie and Di were all the rage," said Ms.
#Brocade gown free#
They and other volunteers found gowns worn by two and three generations of a family, wedding clothes from families who were among the first to settle in Fairfield and more modern gowns from the free spirit 60's. Shirley Paustian, who as the archeologist for the Fairfield Historical Society is usually tracking other kinds of artifacts, and Karen Kaczenski were invited into people's closets, basements and attics. Instead, the society lent a brocaded corset with metal stays, white silk wedding boots worn by a bride in the 1850's, wedding invitations from the late 1800's and lace handkerchiefs, a popular accessory, as well as other items.Ĭhurch members and historical society volunteers started asking for old wedding gowns from anyone they happened to bump into. While the Fairfield Historical Society has an extensive collection of gowns from some of the founding families of the town, Ellen Endslow, the curator, said they were simply too fragile to be moved. Everett and her volunteers was to find the gowns of bygone eras. Ticket prices for the events, range from $10 to $20, with the proceeds benefiting the church and the historical society. a Mother of the Bride and Groom Fashion Show. 3 at 2 P.M., there will be a show, Bridal Gowns Through the Ages, and on Feb. The exhibition will feature a wedding exhibit curated by the historical society as well as displays from bridal designers including Patricia Moran of Razook's in Greenwich, from florists, caterers and other suppliers to today's weddings. We also wanted to reflect the trends of today." 3 and 4 at the Southport Congregational Church, 524 Pequot Avenue, Southport.Ĭolleen Everett, a chairwoman of the event said, "We wanted to show what women wore and what the traditions were when people married here 200 years ago. They will be featured in "The Connecticut Wedding: 200 Years of Tradition and Style," from 10 A.M. The gowns come from families in Fairfield County and other parts of Connecticut, found by volunteer sleuths from the Southport Congregational Church and the Fairfield Historical Society. They were family treasures - wedding gowns, dating back as far as 1790, many of which had aged remarkably well, the only hint of time passing being the golden color of a gown that once was white. THEY were tucked away in attics, in boxes under beds, or hung in the far corner of closets.