church porch flowers by Highgate Florists
Previous events at St Denys'
In September 2022 we held an exhibition based on wedding dresses dating from 1840 to 2022
There is a YouTube link to a video of the event on the What's On page of the church website (link below). plus, a CD available to buy.
Throughout history royal wedding dresses, along with ‘high society’ weddings, have impressed with their luxury and beauty. Then came along the gown which changed everything. In 1840, Queen Victoria wore a white dress for her wedding and set a new wedding tradition. Illustrations of the wedding were widely published, and to be fashion forward, many brides opted for white in accordance with the Queen's choice.
At that time, white was the colour of wealth and not purity. The colour blue was connected to purity, piety, faithfulness, and the Virgin Mary; that’s why many brides married in blue gowns. The choice of Victoria was a surprise, which later turned into a trend. Since then, a white gown for weddings as well as a veil has remained a popular choice.
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From the 1900s and roaring 20s, to the austerity of the great depression and the war years (we had a 1947 dress with the lining made out of parachute silk), the decadence of the early 1980s (we all remember Lady Diana and that train), the minimalist style of the early 2000s right up to a dress that a bride wore to her wedding the week before the event!
We had lots of photographs and flower displays. Each dress and era had story cards/explanations. We had a dress in the style of the 1840s period showing how all the internal structure gives the dress its shape. The earliest actual wedding gown we had is from circa 1881. As you walked past the collection of over 40 loaned gowns from local people, you saw how albeit traditionally white, the gowns change and keep up with the current fashion of the day.
The photographs here were taken by Samantha Newson. A professional wedding photographer.
To see more photos taken by Lynn our head of flowers click on the button -
For our exhibition at St Denys’, as you entered the church, there was a story board with a brief history of the clothing brides wore along with some pictures. The exhibits concentrated on post Victorian wedding gowns and what we associate with today as a traditional wedding dress.