1950
(First left) – In the 1950s, wedding dresses tended to cover the bride from top to toe. It was extremely rare to see a bride in a strapless gown. The dresses tended to be quite plain with few accessories added, but the styles were very flouncy and tight at the waist. Toward the middle and end of the 1950s, it became the style to make gowns from heavier fabrics, with longer and more luxurious trains. Famous brides like Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy wore dresses that took months to create and were made with hundreds of yards of lace and other luxurious fabrics.
This special dress was worn by Mary Ann Brown on her wedding day in 1952. Mary Ann worked in Nashville at National Life Insurance Company to save up for her dream wedding gown. She bought her luxurious satin wedding dress with a train, at Cain Sloan in Nashville for $50.
1960
(Second left) – This dress was worn by Lebanon resident, Ann McElroy. Ann wore the gown when she married Don on August 14, 1965 at Aklen Hall on the Belmont University campus. A friend that Ann met while going to Belmont gave her the gown to wear on her wedding day. As far as Ann knows the dress was purchased at a dress shop in Lebanon. The empire line style wedding gown is typical of the silhouette line. It marked important changes in dresses in fashion history terms. It’s a beautiful Regency style gown that has parallel lines of faux tucks to the Empire bodice and broadly detailing the A-line hem. Feminine lines of wandering floral lace outline the tucked panels and trail the front of the gown. The back skirt has tight gathers into the waist seam and a lovely self-bow completes the look.
1970
(Third left) – This cute little frock practically screams 1970. The A-line mini was a staple of any sophisticated woman’s wardrobe in the 1960’s and 70’s. Some even took the look a step further by choosing the style for a wedding dress. That’s what my motherin- law, Barbara Andrews of Lebanon, did when she married in July 1970. She purchased it at The Prissy Hen Dress Shop, one of Lebanon’s hottest little dress shops at the time. This pale cream lace A-line cocktail mini has a fitted bodice and slightly flared skirt along with flared sleeves.
1980
(Right) – With shoulder pads being a popular clothing trend of the era, the style of accenting the shoulders and arms was not lost on the bridal fashion of the day. Puffy sleeves, which famously can be seen on Princess Diana’s wedding dress, were another popular trend. The sleeves tended to be voluminous and exaggerated on the shoulder and bicep area and then tapered in to fit around the forearms. www.eHow.com
“October 12, 1985 was the date of my fairy tale wedding. After months of planning and decision making, I walked down the aisle in the dress of my dreams, created by myself and my precious mother who hand-sewed the entire gown herself. What you see is a combination of at least 5 different gowns and patterns, mixed with lots of love and skill.” — Sally Queener
