Two-piece olive-green satin wedding gown with brown brocade, worn by Emma Johnson on her wedding day on October 17, 1888. Missouri History Museum.

Ten years ago, if you asked me for my opinion on the most popular month for a wedding, I would have answered May or June. Today, the spring and early summer months still bear witness to many a bride walking down the aisle. However, brides who don’t want to chance a 90-degree wedding day in the summer or wait two years for their dream venue to be available have begun to plan their weddings in the fall.

The autumn season offers cooler temperatures and a gorgeous harvest of rich red, orange, and bronze hues as a backdrop for a wedding. Excluding one August wedding in Cape Cod (where heat wasn’t a factor), most of the weddings I’ve attended in recent years have occurred between September and November.

So, as weddings abound, I started thinking about the wedding gowns in our collections here at the Museum. I chose to show one from a fall wedding, when Emma Johnson married Elias Forbes on October 17, 1888. The dress—a two-piece olive green silk satin gown with brown brocade—was a family heirloom and exemplifies the richness of the season.

If you want to see more of our the Museum's collection of wedding gowns, visit our online exhibit.

—Keri O'Brien, Editor