A Fashionable Wedding: 52 Ancestors 2021 Prompt “Fashion”

Wedding Write-ups from the 1950s: Fashion-Magazine-Worthy Descriptions

Eleanor Birk Sutton: 1929-Present

 

            While researching family members, I occasionally run across newspaper write-ups of their weddings. Most are fairly straight-forward: who, when, where, neatly tied up in a single paragraph. But the period from the 1920s through the 1950s produced far more elaborate articles describing the décor, the music and especially the clothing worn by the bride and her attendants. Some of the descriptions were fashion magazine worthy! The wedding write-up for Bruce’s second cousin Eleanor Birk’s wedding to Harry Sutton is the perfect example of one of these fashion-rich news articles, providing descriptions of the dresses worn by the bride, maid of honor, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom, and the bride’s going-away outfit. So many adjectives! So many fabrics! What a delight!

            To provide a little background, Eleanor was the daughter of William F. Birk and Daisy Smith. She was born August 8, 1929 in Daviess County, Kentucky. Eleanor’s mother, Daisy, was Lorene Smith Jandy’s niece, the daughter of Lorene’s eldest brother, James Frampton Smith.

Eleanor Kirk before her marriage

            Eleanor grew up in Owensboro and attended Owensboro High School, followed by time at Gulf Park College in Gulfport Mississippi, a women’s college, and then some time at the University of Kentucky. She may have met her future husband, Harry Shelby Sutton, at the university. While he was also an Owensboro High grad, he graduated eight years ahead of Eleanor, and then spent three years in the Marines during World War II before attending the University of Kentucky for an engineering degree. By the time he was engaged to Eleanor, he was employed by General Electric in Owensboro as an engineer.

            The Owensboro Messenger newspaper did an excellent job covering the social life of the community. Engagements and weddings received lavish write-ups, and parties and showers honoring brides were also covered. There were several social column items about Eleanor and Harry’s upcoming nuptials before the article that described the main event.

            The descriptions of the dresses follow. The detail makes it easy to imagine how the ladies looked as they came down the aisle:

“The bride…wore an ivory satin wedding gown made with portrait neckline, banded with illusion and seed pearl trim, with fitted basque, long sleeves with points over the hands, and panniered skirt, with long train. Her fingertip veil of illusion was held in place with a half hat with seed trim. She carried a white Bible, topped with a white orchid, and show of stephanotis.”

I have attached a sketch of a 1950s wedding dress that has many of those features—the portrait neck, fitted basque or bodice, the long sleeves coming to a point over the back of the hands, and the full skirt. Eleanor’s skirt would have pouffed out more with the addition of the pannier—a sort of hoop skirt contraption—beneath it. The illustration also features the half-cap with veil, although Eleanor’s veil would have been slightly longer since it was finger-tip length.

“Mrs. Stavis, matron of honor, wore a bronze satin and net dress, the bodice being of satin and skirt of net over taffeta. Her headdress was a bandeau of bronze satin, with mask veil. She carried an arm bouquet of Sunburst roses.”

“The five bridesmaids wore identical dresses to…the matron of honor, and carried arm bouquets of large bronze chrysanthemums.”

Here are two vintage 1950s satin dresses with net skirts that gives an idea of what the bridesmaids dresses may have looked like, but in a bronze color. They must have been striking—bronze would have been a perfect fall shade, especially with the addition of bouquets of lovely fall flowers.  

“The candlelighters…wore aqua faille dresses, in ballerina length, with matching double net capelets.”

“The mother of the bride wore a lilac faille taffeta gown, with bouffant skirt and sweetheart neckline. Her corsage was of violets and tiny rosebuds.”

“The mother of the groom wore a charcoal crepe dress, with black accessories and a white orchid corsage.”

“The grandmother of the bride, Mrs. J. Frampton Smith, wore a black crepe dress, with a beaded lace yoke, matching accessories, and a gardenia corsage.”

“Mrs. Sutton (the bride) for traveling wore a gray two-piece wool suit, with black accessories and a white orchid corsage.”

The poor groom and his attendants received no attention from the reporter; their clothes were apparently unremarkable. This was typical for wedding articles of the era.

My only regret is that we have no photos of what was apparently a very stylish wedding.

Eleanor and Harry Sutton’s marriage lasted an amazing 65 years, until Harry’s death in 2016. The couple were the parents of two sons and had numerous grandchildren.

Sources:

Newspapers.com – Owensboro KY Messenger-Inquirer - 30 Sep 1951 - Page 20, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72365152/eleanor-birk-wedding/?xid=637&_ga=2.44693089.479190359.1625623453-557144419.1581562418