You can almost feel it – the spring air is laced with the scent of freshly bloomed buds, the first hint of warm summer days glint off your skin, and giddy expressions fill the faces of people on downtown sidewalks as they finally emerge from their winter hiding places – yes, this is what Bambi in all his deer wisdom knew, the season of “twitterpation” is here. While some are just falling in love with the gorgeous Okanagan spring weather, for others this love is far more literal as many chose to say their “I do’s” in the coming months. It’s no surprise that the next four months are dually dubbed “The Wedding Season”.

This wedding season many brides will have the chance to gaze at coveted bridal gowns, read up on marital customs, and try on some veils, not in the wedding boutiques, as you might expect but in the Okanagan Heritage Museum. That’s right the Museum. This year weddings are the hot topic in heritage. ‘Weddings have a special place in people’s hearts and our new exhibit explores the styles and traditions that cover 100 years of bridal fashions.  This is a unique opportunity to showcase our own exquisite collections and partner with several wedding experts in our community.’  Says Patti Kilback, Associate Director of Exhibitions and Public Programming. The Okanagan Heritage Museum is currently running the wedding exhibit Something Borrowed, Something Blue, until September 8^th, 2012, featuring a number of gorgeous gowns from different decades, a hands on dressing room, and numerous other artifacts.  This is an exhibit that truly puts the tradition back into weddings.

Kelowna Museums Society has also partnered with Shoreline Theatre to produce Mary’s Wedding a professional theatre production that supports both the wedding aspect of the exhibit as well as highlighting Canadian military history as the play takes place during WWI. The show, written by award winning Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte, opens June 20^th and has played to audiences both nationally and internationally with great renown. It will also be bringing homegrown actors (Jackie Faulkner and Mack Gordon) back to the area, after working individually in numerous professional productions across Western Canada.

Museums and Heritage Societies aren’t the only ones to be making the connection between heritage and weddings. Local gown boutique, Bliss Bridal, notes many of their dresses feature a vintage aspect – whether it be a velvet waistband with rhinestone encrusted detail, a lace dress with a slinky 1930’s silhouette, or the very fashionable “short” wedding dresses which herald back to the ‘40’s and 50’s. Vintage with a modern twist is a hot commodity in the bridal biz. Wedding planners Stage Right Etc., are also up on the trend offering brides “Shabby Chic” and “Vintage” options that include everything from China place settings, to heritage inspired venues. Danielle Logan of Stage Right Etc. says they have… ‘been overwhelmed with requests of vintage inspired weddings. We couldn’t be happier about this as we truly feel its where our creativity really lets loose. It’s these kinds of weddings that keep us up at night thinking of new ways to use the same old things. Vintage really has taken off in a huge way in the wedding industry in the past year.’

So whether history is informing modern trends, or modern brides are bringing attention back to tradition, either way this Wedding Season is proving something old really can be something new.