Global Wedding Traditions
Although wedding traditions vary around the world, many of them focus on clothing and textiles. Kent State University Museum’s current exhibit, As the World Weds: Global Wedding Traditions, draws from its rich holdings of wedding dresses and associated materials, as well as treasured pieces on loan from personal collections.
The exhibition looks beyond the prevalence of wearing a white bridal gown—which has its origins in Europe in the 19th century—and highlights the rich and deeply symbolic clothing and textiles linked to wedding ceremonies around the world. From bright red robes for the Chinese bride and groom to handwoven kente cloth for the happy couple in Ghana, colorful, handcrafted textiles represent wealth and material well-being.
“Wedding dresses are one of the things most frequently offered to the Kent State University Museum,” says Sara Hume, PhD, professor and museum curator. “People treasure them and keep them for the rest of their lives. I felt it very important to showcase some of the amazing wedding dresses we have, but also to challenge the assumptions people have about wedding traditions. Traditions have actually changed significantly over time and differ across cultures, which this exhibition aims to show.”
Though the bride’s dress is often one of the central components of the ceremonies, there are many other participants in the festivities who have their own distinctive dress, including grooms, flower girls, mothers of the bride, members of the wedding party and invited guests.
After the wedding, many couples carefully store away the garments and other mementos from the celebration. The valuable memories linked to the festivities imbue these pieces with sentimental value and encourage their preservation and even donation to museums.
As the World Weds is on view Sept. 15, 2022, through Aug. 27, 2023, at the Kent State University Museum’s Broadbent Gallery. The exhibition is made possible with the generous support of Mr. Robert A. and Dr. Susan H. Conrad, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary; Regina and Gregg Eisenberg in honor of their 20th anniversary; and with additional funding from Leslie Royce Resnik and the Ohio Arts Council.
Learn more about the exhibit at the Kent State University Museum website.
Explore different sections of the exhibit.
The embroidered wedding huipil and coordinated trousers are typical of the designs from Santiago Atitlán in Guatemala. Huipils are commonly worn by women while men wear similarly striped trousers. Traditionally it is the groom’s responsibility to pay for the wedding including the bride’s outfit. Along with her traditional huipil the bride might wear a long white veil. They believe the longer the veil, the happier the marriage. (Guatemalan, Mayan, 20th century) Gift of DeVoe M. Ramsey
For their wedding just after the end of World War II, Zern and Elvia Terril had a tailor in Canton make them matching wool suits in glen plaid. (American, 1946) Gift of Linda Martell, in memory of my parents Zern and Elvia Terril
In Ghana, for special occasions, including weddings, men and women have their clothes custom made by tailors or dressmakers. At left, a man’s three-piece wedding ensemble, worn again for special occasions with or without the outer garment. At right, a woman’s skirt and top (kaba and slit), carefully crafted by a dressmaker for a perfect fit. Both outfits are of handwoven cloth with brocading. (Ghanaian, 2003) Loan from a Ghanaian couple