Isn’t it romantic? “Bridal Elegance: The Art and History of Wedding Fashion” is on display at the Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond now through March 31, 2026.
The surprisingly expansive museum is a gem to begin with, housing one of the only two authentic Egyptian mummies in Indiana (the other’s also in Richmond on the Earlham College campus). A celebration of regional Indiana history and fashion, the exhibit includes 60 or so wedding gowns from the 1800s through present day staged across the museum like a scavenger hunt.
Fun fact: In the first half of the 19th century, American brides often chose dresses based on practicality and budget, making black, brown, and blue the timeliest stand-out shades. White gowns didn’t come into favor until after Queen Victoria’s 1840 wedding to Prince Albert.
I was particularly impressed with the quality and the sizes (some of these women were tiny with the littlest waists I’ve ever seen). The exhibit includes a gown worn by the first LGBTQ couple to get married in Wayne County in 2014, a post-WWII gown made from actual parachute material, and Sandy Eisenberg’s dress from the Indiana State Museum—in 1974, she and husband Dennis Sasso became the first rabbinical couple to marry in Jewish history.
Signage next to each dress details the name of the wearer and any additional scoop on the wedding in which it was worn if available (Wayne County natives are sure to recognize some of the names mentioned). All of the garments have been donated by local families or sourced from the museum’s extensive archives, each beautifully preserved and presented.
For more information, go to wchmuseum.org.
