Two wedding dresses and a groom’s top hat and coat are on display Feb. 8 in the parlor of the Wyandotte Historical Museum’s Ford-MacNichol House, 2610 Biddle Ave.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – In a nod to Valentine’s Day, the Wyandotte Historical Museum displayed eight vintage wedding dresses from its collection Feb. 7 and 8 at the Ford-MacNichols House, 2610 Biddle Ave.
Gowns from the 1900s to 1970s were on display in the parlor, dining room and an upstairs bedroom, along with a groom’s top hat and formal jacket, while live piano music played in the music room, a warm fire greeted guests in the foyer, and vintage valentine cards were displayed in a showcase.
Museum Director Jesse Rose said the romance aspect of Valentine’s Day inspired the display of vintage wedding dresses.
“A few years back, we started doing the wedding dresses on Valentine’s Day,” he said. “It’s very easy to do something like this in June – people tend to call June the wedding month – but it just was a natural coincidence to have it at the same time as Valentine’s Day.”
Rose said the museum has wedding gowns going back to the 1870s in its collection.
“As you can imagine, most of those are just too vulnerable to the elements, and they’ve become tattered and brittle, so we can’t really put them on display,” he said.
A beaded satin and polyester wedding gown worn by Christine Wasielewski during her Sept. 5, 1949, wedding to Stanley Burson is on display Feb. 8 in the dining room of the Wyandotte Historical Museum’s Ford-MacNichol House, 2610 Biddle Ave.
Rose said they receive many comments about the sizing of the gowns, many of which were designed for petite women.
“Because a lot of these were brides from Wyandotte, we get a lot of their descendants that come in,” he said. “They love it and they will share remembrances.”
Docent Bruce Sininger of Lincoln Park, who was playing the piano in the music room, said he was playing selections from Gershwin, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers.
“Mostly ’30s, ’40s, ’50s music,” he said. “I have been playing since I was 5 years old.”
He said people enjoy timeless love songs like Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s “Isn’t it Romantic” and George and Ira Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
For more information about the Wyandotte Historical Museum and upcoming events, go to wyandotte.net/arts_and_culture/museums.php or visit the Wyandotte Museums Facebook page.
Docent Bruce Sininger plays romantic selections Feb. 8 in the music room of the Wyandotte Historical Museum’s Ford-MacNichol House, 2610 Biddle Ave.
A late 1970s gown (left), a 1967 satin gown with floral lace appliques, and a 1945 satin and rayon beaded gown are on display Feb. 8 in the master bedroom of the Wyandotte Historical Museum’s Ford-MacNichol House, 2610 Biddle Ave.