An intimate community celebration of the Royal Wedding complete with mermaid
Three family generations of wedding dresses
It was very thoughtful of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to coincide their wedding with the Zennor Feast, knowing, as they surely did, that part of the Feast would include an exhibition of wedding dresses worn by the church community!
A real-life mermaid in St Senara, aka Laura Evans
The exhibition even caught the attention of a local mermaid. It was a surprise to walk in to St Senara Church in Zennor and see a mermaid resplendent with a shimmering fish-tail, perched on the ancient Mermaid’s Chair. In truth, she was the St Ives Mermaid, aka Laura Evans, and was there to be filmed for a Dutch documentary maker, but it seemed fitting nevertheless.
The idea for the exhibition came from Mary Clifford and Gilly Farrell who wanted to commemorate the Royal Wedding with a celebration of past weddings in their community. It turned out to be a happy coincidence that the dates fell during the Feast, but it’s particularly poignant that St Senara was known for her independent spirit, not dissimilar to the newest member of the Royal Family.
The dress of Kathleen who married Dennis Saunders in 1955
There are few dresses more beautiful than wedding dresses. Each one unique, holding the story of the person who wore it and the hopes of a blessed life with their chosen partner. The resulting exhibition honoured those who wore the dresses and was thoughtfully put together. It displayed wedding dresses from the 1930s through to the present day and each one with a connection to the parish. There were group displays showing dresses from two or three generations of the same family, all of whom were married in Zennor.
Mary and John Clifford on their wedding day in 1968 and the dress today
Mary’s dress was a wedding coat, made from a 1960s Vogue pattern that has recently featured in the magazine again! Like all the dresses, it was so interesting to see the changing styles and eras and lovely to have the original photos from the day. And to see how small everyone was – they certainly testified to the believe that people were smaller in the past.
The dress and bridesmaids dress of Robina who married Willie Craze in 1944.
Besides the actual dresses, there were bridesmaid dresses, veils, shoes and original photos from the day. Mary even had the telegram her new husband had sent her on display as well as the order of service.
Bessie and Edwin Harwin on their wedding day in 1938 and the dress today
The oldest dress on display belonged to Bessie who married Edwin in 1938.
All the dresses were gracefully exhibited thanks to the patience of the team behind the exhibition and the donations of mannequins from various stores in St Ives. One, for the wedding of Margaret and Colin Heath in 1963, looked like it came from that era as Gilly explains. “She was in several pieces at the back of a cellar in a shop. She was filthy dirty when I took her home – body under one arm, legs under the other and hands in my pockets – so I gave her good scrubbing and she came up lovely.”
Margaret and Colin Heath on their wedding day in 1963 and the dress on the rescued mannequin.
“The mannequin was in several pieces at the back of a cellar in a shop. She was filthy dirty when I took her home – body under one arm, legs under the other and hands in my pockets – so I gave her good scrubbing and she came up lovely,” says Gilly
The exhibition was a great success, helping to raise funds for the Zennor Bells Restoration Appeal and the work of Children’s Hospice South-West.
