Orange Blossoms and Illusion: Wedding Costumes from 1885 - 1960 From the Lakewood Heritage Center’s Permanent Collection The Lakewood Heritage Center is pleased to announce Orange Blossoms and Illusion: Wedding Costumes from 1885 - 1960 on display now through August 8, 2009 in the Radius Gallery, 810 S. Yarrow Street, Lakewood. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is Free. Orange Blossoms and Illusion gives you a glimpse of the past that features over 30 wedding costumes and accessories from the Lakewood Heritage Center’s permanent collection showcasing brides, grooms and their finery from the latter 19th century to the 1960s. “It is interesting to look back on several decades of brides and note how fashions have changed along the way.” Stated Guest Curator Julie Trumpler. “The gowns in this exhibition represent a cross section of American taste typical of small communities across the country, and illustrate details of the fashion of each era, in everything from silhouette and fabrics to veils and flowers.” Wedding clothes from many local residents who were married in the surrounding community will be highlighted, accompanied by accessories, photos and illustrations of fashionable wedding costumes of the past. Of particular interest are several dresses worn by local brides whose photographs are included in the exhibition. Wedding gowns have been cherished and saved for generations, carefully handed down and sometimes even worn again by a later bride. Because every woman wishes to shine on her wedding day, the choice of her gown is an important one. She will select the finest and most fashionable dress she can afford, one that is often a snapshot of the most popular fashion of the day. Her wedding photographs, popular since the earliest known photograph of an English bride in 1854, will leave a permanent record of how she looked for later descendants. Lakewood Heritage Center programs are made possible in part through funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) – Metro Denver’s unique commitment to its nonprofit art, scientific and cultural institutions.