Story and photos by Amber Cetinel / Contributing Writer
Within the Oaklands Mansion Museum Shop in Murfreesboro, visitors enter the eighth Annual Wedding Dresses through the Decades Exhibit unsure of what to expect. They leave with the snapshot memories of a bride’s most unforgettable moments: her wedding day.
“I have to confess that, out of the corner of my ear, when you hit that doorway, I heard a big ‘Wow!’ That made me feel good,” said Mary Beth Nevills, the education director at Oaklands Mansion, to a visitor.
Inside the exhibit, visitors can stand just inches away from the dresses and photos on display and momentarily turn back time to visit the intimate moments of a bride’s wedding day. Many of the dresses are provided on loan by families of the brides or the brides themselves and date from the late 19th century to the 2010s. Some have been tucked within closets for decades until now. All have a story to tell.
“Our mission is education and preservation, and we’re hoping that walking through fashion, that (visitors) are getting a peek into what was going on in our community during that time and the world during that time,” Nevills said.
The exhibit also features vintage bride dolls ranging in age from the mid-1800s to the current decade. Bride dolls, also known as grocery dolls, were once a popular children’s toy commonly found in grocery stores in the 1950s, according to Nevills. As the name suggests, the dolls don wedding dresses, with some even replicating a few dresses on display.
Nevills says the exhibit offers a different array of wedding dresses and memorabilia each year.
“The exhibit changes, the personality changes, because the dresses change, the stories change, the photos change. So, I encourage people to come back and see it every year,” she said.
The 8th Annual Wedding Dresses through the Decades Exhibit will be open until March 3 at Oaklands Mansion in Murfreesboro.
Of the two rooms dedicated to the wedding dress displays, the smaller room features the first glimpse of wedding dresses and bridal dolls on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
Two wedding dresses from the 1900s stand on display on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The dress on the left was recently discovered in a family’s home and is thought to have been worn by a relative, but the bride’s identity remains unknown. The satin gown on the right exemplifies the fashion of the 1910s. Both dresses belong to the Oaklands collection. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
The wedding gown of Bobbeye Woodall Manning, left, stands on display next to her sister’s bridesmaid dress on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Woodall Manning, who married James Ezra Manning in 1953 at the First Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tenn., made her lace and satin wedding gown. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
Details of the chemise worn by Irene Korman Anderson of Henning, Tenn., are shown in the exhibit on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. A chemise is an undergarment intended “to protect clothing from sweat and body oils,” according to the dress’ accompanying description. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
The bridal photo of Pat Owen stands on display next to a bridal doll wearing a replica of her wedding dress on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
A bridal doll stands on display in the exhibit on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. Bridal dolls, also known as grocery dolls, were a popular children’s toy commonly found in grocery stores in the 1950s. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
The intricate details of a wedding dress are shown at the exhibit on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
Two wedding dresses hang on display in the larger room of the exhibit on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. The dress on the left dates back to the 1870s and has a 20-inch waist. The dress on the right is from 1892. Both dresses are now part of the Oaklands collection. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
Two dresses, both worn by brides in the 1950s, stand on display alongside wedding photos on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
In addition to wedding dress styles older and more recent, the exhibit also features wedding garments from different cultures, such as these Laotian outfits, shown on display on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (MTSU Sidelines / Amber Cetinel)
To contact Lifestyles Editor Mamie Lomax, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
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