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Walking down the aisle of wedding history

Canfield Historical Society displaying local bridal gowns

CANFIELD — The website www.brides.com notes the wedding season runs from late spring through early fall with peak wedding celebrations in June and September.

Taking that into consideration, the Canfield Historical Society will host a wedding dress display at the Bond House, 44 W. Main St., called “June Brides: A Celebration of Bridal History.”

“We have eight wedding dresses in storage,” society curator Laura Zeh said. “Each has its own history, and each comes from a different decade. This will be the first time all eight have been on display.”

She said the dresses have ties to Canfield through former residents, deceased individuals or relatives from the area. The dresses have been preserved carefully, along with the history behind them.

One dress from 1948 features the bridal gown of Rosemary Sirokman when she married Floyd Gnagy. The couple were longtime members of the Canfield Presbyterian Church. Floyd is deceased and Rosemary lived in Canfield until this year when she decided to go out of state to live with her children. The couple had lived in Canfield since 1954.

“Her wedding dress was purchased from the Strouss-Hirshberg store in downtown Youngstown,” society President Suzie McCabe said.

One thing McCabe and Zeh found to be a challenge was putting the gowns on the society’s dress forms.

“The women’s waists were so tiny back then the dresses won’t fit on our forms,” Zeh said. “We are really challenged to display them.”

She said the display will include the historical gowns, along with any other loaned or donated wedding dresses. The society has put the word out for wedding items to feature during the two-day event.

One dress on loan comes from Lana Speece. The gown belonged to Margaret Speece and was from her 1956 marriage ceremony when she wed Dr. Joffre Sauvageau. The wedding was held prior to the avian flu outbreak of 1957-58.

The headpiece that went with the dress has a label that says “designed by Miss Lillian for Vogue New York-Paris.”

The exhibit will include more than just the dresses. Zeh said it will feature wedding and anniversary china from ceramic artists Bill and Donna Gray. Another display will be the Barbie wedding collection from Dave and Sherry Goddard.

The society continues to accept donated items or on-loan pieces for the exhibit. Submissions will be taken up to June 6 and can be made by calling the society at 330-533-3458 or by emailing canfieldhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

The exhibit will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 13 and noon to 5 p.m. June 14 at the Bond House. The event is free and open to the public. Complimentary wedding cake and punch will be available.

Starting at $3.23/week.

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