Mom's Wedding Dress

On Good Friday we traveled to Columbus, Ohio to see my grandmother's wedding dress on display. Perhaps inspired by my aunt donating her mother's wedding dress to a museum, or my mother's desire to clean house following the sale of their Florida condo (thus combining two households' worth of furniture into one), my mom decided to donate her wedding gown, and other items, to Kuser Mansion in Hamilton, NJ.

For us, Kuser is synonymous with long chats with Santa Claus. Kuser Mansion was built in 1892 as the the summer home of Fred Kuser, whose early 20th century interests included Fox Film Company (he showed movies in his dining room, a tradition that has continued), the Mercer Motor Car, and Lenox china.

Unlike my grandmother's dress which sat in storage for years, mom only had a couple of months to wait until her dress was on display. June is synonymous with brides (even though my mom was married in December), so Kuser decided to have a display of wedding gowns on Saturday and Sunday afternoons this month.

There were many gowns on display. The docents there that day had donated their gowns and those of their children (I'm not ready to part with mine just yet). Both ladies told us about their wedding days and their gowns. Alice Kuser's wedding gown was also on display (Kuser Mansion, Alice Kuser). 

In addition to wedding dresses, they also have other wedding related items on display including invitations, a bridesmaid and flower girl dress, and other ephemeral. 

Mom also showed us some of the items they have recently donated. The beds in this room used to be my grandparents' beds (complete with bedding) before becoming the guest beds in my parents' house. It is really funny to think of something I was allowed to sleep in a museum where I am not allowed to even touch it. Side note: the room has recently been painted and re-wallpapered. It looks stunning!

They also donated some glassware and the chair behind my mom's wedding dress. A beautiful chair, but not sturdy enough to sit on.

The exhibit runs through the end of June. Kuser Mansion is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11-3. Tours are free. If you miss it, the good news is it sounds like Kuser will repeat this exhibit again next June.