A full-length 19th-century dress displayed on a mannequin. The dress features a plaid pattern, a high white ruffled collar, a fitted bodice with front buttons, long full sleeves gathered at the cuffs, a narrow brown leather belt at the waist, and a floor-length pleated skirt. The garment is photographed against a gray fabric backdrop on a wooden floor.

Pheobe Marsan’s wedding dress, circa 1864. Photo credit: Robert Dominy.

“Tying the Knot: Bridal Fashion Unveiled” features seven pieces of historic clothing worn by brides married in Mendocino County. Three of these clothing items are not the “traditional” bridal white, as the color has not always been the preferred choice for brides in western cultures.

Women frequently wore their nicest dress to walk down the aisle, no matter the color, as white clothing was difficult to clean. Women often re-wore their clothing (including wedding dresses) more than the average person does today, so clothing had to be practical and easy to clean.

Queen Victoria of England is credited with popularizing white wedding dresses. She married Price Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on February 10, 1840, wearing a cream silk-satin gown. She wore her dress again in 1842 while standing for a portrait. Victoria is also widely credited with cementing the Victorian standard of wearing black during mourning, although the tradition can be traced to the Roman Empire. After Albert died in 1861, Victoria wore black for the next 40 years until she passed.

It took decades after Victoria’s wedding for white dresses to be widely adopted by non-royal women. As the color grew in popularity and access, white gowns came to symbolize purity and innocence.

In the twentieth century, photography firmly established white as the popular choice for western brides. Photos of Grace Kelly’s white lace and silk gown were seen around the world after her 1956 wedding to Price Rainier of Monaco.

In 1981, 750 million people, either in-person or on their televisions, watched Lady Diana Spencer wed Prince Charles of England. Diana wore an ivory silk taffeta gown, with a 25-foot-long train. A back-up dress was also made, in case photos were leaked of the main dress before the big day. The spare was made of ivory silk taffeta, but had pearls sewn into the bodice and did not boast the large puffy sleeves. Diana’s dress is now one of the most well-known wedding dresses in history (it has its own Wikipedia page!).

“Tying the Knot: Bridal Fashion Unveiled” is on view at the Kelley House Museum until August 31, 2026. Come view the 7 historic pieces of clothing while they’re on display!

The Kelley House Museum is open Thursday-Monday, 11am-3pm. Visit our event calendar for a walking tour schedule.