Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film
This February Biltmore in Asheville, N.C., will exhibit "Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film." Costumes from more than 40 feature films will grace the rooms of Biltmore House, including the Regency era dress Emma Thompson wore in "Sense and Sensibility," seen here in a photo from the 1995 movie.
[Photo credit: SENSE AND SESNSIBILITY (C)1995 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.]
Wedding stories about Biltmore founder George Vanderbilt and his wife, Edith, and other family members, will also be shared. Biltmore has been a location for weddings and romantic getaways since George and Edith Vanderbilt married in the Victorian era in 1898.
To celebrate this history, the estate will host “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film,” a costume exhibition of wedding dresses and attire from major motion pictures. The exhibition opens in Biltmore House on Feb. 12, 2016, and will run through July 4, 2016. Biltmore will share mementos from Vanderbilt and Cecil family weddings and special occasions in a new exhibit at The Biltmore Legacy in Antler Hill Village.
Costumes in Biltmore House
Displayed throughout Biltmore House, the award-winning costumes span 300 years of wedding fashion from films set in the years 1645 to 1935. The exhibition features 19 classic films, including the iconic Jane Austen romances of “Sense and Sensibility,” “Emma,” and “Pride and Prejudice.”
For each costume display, Biltmore’s renowned floral design team will create elaborate arrangements complementing each film’s era.
Vanderbilt and Cecil Family Memories at Legacy
The exhibition continues in Antler Hill Village with stories of Vanderbilt and Cecil Family weddings, along with the first-ever display of the wedding veil worn by Mary Lee Ryan Cecil and her cousin Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy. Mrs. Cecil is married to William A.V. Cecil, grandson of George Vanderbilt.
To recognize the artistry of costume design, renowned costumiers Cosprop, Ltd., London will recreate the 1920s wedding gown worn by Cornelia Vanderbilt in her marriage to John Cecil in 1924. The gown will be on display.
Admission to “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film” will be included in the general admission ticket price. For more information about Biltmore, visit Biltmore.com/visit.
