A select few once-in-a-lifetime dresses will get a new day in the sun when Coleambally’s bridal fashion show hits town.
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Forming part of the town’s 50th birthday celebrations, the parade showcases dresses from 1968 to 2018.
Event organiser Sharon Breed has been busy collecting over 50 dresses for the big weekend.
“I’m really interested to see the differences between the decades. You really see style change over time. There are some really beautiful dresses,” she said.
“I think gowns have become a lot simpler in recent years. You see a lot of people stray away from the bigger dresses and opt for sleeker, simpler gowns.”
She said the 1970’s saw the advent of the simple dress.
Conversely, the following decade was marked by its shoulder pads, tulle and big hair.
The community response was so great Ms Breed only has three years left to fill.
“We’re only missing dresses from 1990, 1994 and 1971, so if anyone has a dress from that year feel free to get in contact.”
The parade also brings a fresh event to the birthday celebrations.
“We were just sitting around and I just thought it would be a good idea to showcase all those beautiful wedding dresses,” she said.
“We had a great response.”
The parade is also a chance to celebrate the town’s history. The gowns are accompanied by a booklet, showing who wore them, as well as when and where they got married.
“There were quite a lot of people who got married around our churches. It’s a bit of history for our area as well,” she said.
“I’ve even had people who still have the dolls, or their bouquets and veils from their wedding. It’s amazing. We’re going to display those too so we can show what they looked like at the time,” she said.
The parade become generational too. Some of the dresses will be modeled by the daughter or granddaughters of the original bride.
“I think everyone is excited to see what those dresses look like again,” she said.
“I can’t wait to see the looks on the faces of the ladies who haven’t seen those dresses in years.”
Coleambally will be celebrating its 50th birthday with events throughout town from June 8 – 11. The wedding dress parade will take place at 7:30pm on Friday, June 8 at the Coleambally Community Club. The evening also plays host to the official Coleambally Community Conversations book launch and the cutting of the birthday cake.
Billy cart races, vintage wedding dresses, tours of surrounding farms – as well as the famous parade and fireworks display – are just some of what’s on offer over the course of the weekend.
Coleambally will be celebrating its 50th birthday with events throughout town from June 8 – 11. For more information visit www.facebook.com/coleamballys50th/
