IF YOU GOWhat: "Decades of Decadence: Weddings Through the Ages."When: Through July 22.Where: McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, 522 W. Madison Ave., Athens, Tenn.Admission: $5 adults, $3 seniors and students (free for active-duty military personnel and their families through Sept. 6 as part of Blue Star Museums summer program).Phone: 423-745-0329.Website: www.livingheritagemuseum.com
A new exhibit at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum is putting an emphasis on the bridal requisites of "something old, something new."
"Decades of Decadence: Weddings Through the Ages" features wedding gowns from the mid-1800s through the modern era.
Organizers say there are ribbons, pearls and lace aplenty.
"Each wedding dress is not only an individual bride's dream gown but also an expression of the period in which it was worn," said curator Lisa Chastain. "For example, many early dresses were brightly colored, as wearing white did not become the fashion until the late 1880s after Queen Victoria of England wore all white at her nuptials."
Exhibit highlights include the delicately scripted wedding invitation of Katherine "Kate" Keith. Keith, a member of a prominent McMinn County family, wed Cecil Vaughan Jr. in 1888. Museum visitors will also see wedding dresses in colors of brown and dark green, as well as ivory and white.