The wedding dress is the most important clothing in a wedding occasion. It is also probably the most expensive dress during the wedding ceremony. It has different styles, and can be made in different materials depending on the culture, religion and preference of the bride. However, a bride from the U.S. had her wedding dress made from a really unique material: it was made from a Luftwaffe pilot’s emergency parachute!
Edwin Morgan was one of the millions of American soldiers who battled with the Nazis during the Second World War. When the war was over and victory was declared, the soldiers decided to bring home a few souvenirs. Edwin decided to bring home a Luftwaffe pilot’s emergency parachute as one of the souvenirs.
The name and company of the German soldier who owned the parachute was retained by the tailor and was tucked inside the wedding dress!
Photo Credit: YouTube / Columbus Museum
When Edwin returned to the U.S., he decided it was time to start living again. He planned on setting up his own family. When he met Betty, the girl who lived next door, he fell for her . He proposed to Betty and asked her to marry him. Fortunately, Betty said, “yes”.
At that time, food and supplies were just limited. They were being rationed, and with Edwin’s proposal of marriage, Betty doubted if she could afford to buy a wedding dress. Betty’s then future mother-in-law suggested that she use the parachute that Edwin took home as material for her wedding dress. At first, Betty was a bit hesitant, but she took it to a trained tailor anyway.
The tailor worked wonders and transformed the Nazi parachute into a unique, beautiful gown. If you think that was a bonus, you’d probably more amazed that the tailor only asked Betty $18 to create the beautiful dress!
Watch the story of the unique wedding dress here:
The History of the White Wedding Dress
The origin of the white wedding dress came from the royals. It started spreading slowly in the early 1900s and became a representation of the “bourgeois-churchly moral”. The white wedding dress represented the virginity of the bride which was equated with purity.