The Sentimental Reason Why WWII Brides Made their Dresses out of Parachutes
One bride modeled her parachute dress after the 1939 film Gone with the Wind
For the modern bride, choosing a wedding dress is one of the most special and meaningful aspects of the wedding process.
Wedding gown shopping has evolved into an extravagant experience complete with champagne and a gaggle of adoring family and girlfriends oohing and aahing over the bride as she says, “Yes, to the dress.”
However, if you were a bride in the 1940s, your bridal experience probably looked and felt very different. With a war raging in Europe, everyone was doing their part to conserve precious resources, including fabric.
Not only that, many brides had to deal with the genuine concern of whether their grooms would make it to the big day as they were in combat or engaging in dangerous missions.
Brides get creative with their wedding dress fabric.
Some brides were lucky enough to have their mother or grandmother’s wedding gowns as their “something borrowed.” Otherwise, brides had to be resourceful and creative in creating their dream gowns.
One unexpected source of fabric came from parachutes. Because parachute makers were held to extremely high…
