Today’s white wedding dress, a symbol of innocence, purity, and new beginnings, became a firmly established Western tradition by the late 19th century. Using rich and splendid materials as well as the incorporation of archaic fashion elements, wedding dresses not only conform to contemporary fashion, but distinguish themselves as a ritual garment set quite apart from everyday dress.

This installation consists of seven wedding dresses, dating from the 1860s to the 1970s and all recently donated to the Fine Arts Museums, that represent the interpretation of the wedding dress over the course of a century.