Can you share a surprising fact about the modern wedding dress?
The white wedding dress is a relatively recent phenomenon. In 18th-century Britain, silks and muslins woven with costly gold and silver threads were far more desirable. White only became the color of choice in the following century.

What about the history behind one of the more unique dresses.
Monica Maurice wore a beautiful red dress for her marriage to Dr Arthur Newton Jackson in 1938. Although red is a traditional color for wedding garments in many
non-Western cultures, it is an extremely unusual choice in Britain. Monica Maurice
was an incredibly successful business woman. In 1938, she became the first, and
until 1978, only woman member of the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers.
Red was her favorite color.

How do you make sure the clothes don’t get damaged?
Each dress is mounted on a mannequin that is either custom-made or adapted to the dress’s shape by a specialist textile conservator who understands the materials, cut and construction of the garment and its stress points.The mannequin supports the dress during travel when it is being transported, and during the exhibition.

What do you think accounts for the enduring fascination with wedding dresses?
They are a symbol of romantic love and the fairy-tale beauty of the bride.

The Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashion exhibition is on through October 31.