Something Old, Something New-150 Years of Wedding Fashions & Traditions at Hearthside House

Springtime brings flowers, weddings and family traditions, and that is the focus of Hearthside Museum’s exhibit as the 2025 season opens with the return of Something Old, Something New: 150 Years of Wedding Fashions & Traditions. Opening date is on Sunday, March 23 between 1-4 pm, with the last opening at 3:00 pm. Additional openings are scheduled on Sunday, March 30, Saturday, April 5, Sunday, April 13, and closing on Saturday, April 26th. Prior to the closing, there will be a separate event taking place on April 26 in the morning. A double wedding recommitment ceremony will occur at the nearby Saylesville Friends Meetinghouse at 374 Great Road, one of the oldest continuously operating meetinghouses in RI since 1704. It will be conducted in true Quaker fashion with the bride and groom officiating at their ceremony and all guests signing the wedding certificate at the conclusion of the service. Refreshments will follow. A separate registration is required in advance. Fifty dresses are on display spanning 150 years, covering each decade from the 1850s to 2000. Discover how the fashions have changed and can be identified with each era, as well as how receptions, photography, and honeymoon destinations all follow similar trends. Beautifully decorated rooms of spring flowers throughout two floors of this historic house museum provide the perfect backdrop to showcase the stunning fashions. Also on exhibit are antique wedding certificates, photographs, where traditions came from, superstitions, and more. Included on display are dresses worn by the family members of different generations, such as mother/daughter, as well as different dresses worn by members of the same family, such as grandmother, mother, and daughter. In some cases, there are the back stories on who wore the dress. One of the dresses shown was worn by a member of the Kennedy family in the 1960s, along with her gown worn to the inaugural ball for president-elect John F. Kennedy and the invitation that went along with it. Traditional wedding music plays in the background as visitors are welcomed to take the self-guided tour through the museum to see these stunning examples of wedding fashions. While some traditions have withstood the test of time, others have disappeared into history. Docents dressed in period attire will be available throughout the museum to inform visitors as they learn about the evolution of weddings that this exhibit presents. General admission is $15 adults and $8 for youth ages 10-17. Admission times are staggered between 1-3 p.m. with closing at 4 pm. Purchase tickets in advance through www.hearthsidehouse.org and reserve time slot or at the door. Built in 1810, Hearthside is an award-winning house museum that is managed by the Friends of Hearthside, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization which serves as its stewards to preserve, protect, promote and interpret the heritage of this historic landmark as well as that of the other town-owned historic sites of the Great Road Heritage Campus at Chase Farm Park. Hearthside is located at 677 Great Road, Lincoln. ###

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2948696-0

Read More

View Less