The Dress For This National Park Wedding Has An Unbelievable Story
Molly and Brock were married on the shores of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. It was a pleasant but drizzly day in October, beautifully photographed by Marianne Wiest Photography. The fall colors were vibrant and the park was quiet. The dress for this national park wedding has an unbelievable story! The bride wore her grandmother's wedding dress. Yes, shes not the first bride that has worn her grandmother’s wedding dress, but what is truly special is that her grandmother made it out of her husband-to-be's parachute from WWII.
In post-war America, silk was rare and expensive, so Molly's Grandmother used her fiance's silk parachute to fashion a dress. So one could say that, in a way, this dress has seen combat! See more of the dress in all its glory in the full gallery (along with a photo of her grandmother wearing it at her wedding!)
A WEDDING DRESS MADE OUT OF A PARACHUTE
From the bride: My dress was actually my maternal grandmother's wedding dress that she had made out of my grandfather's parachute from World War II. He was in a member of the 8th Air Force in the European Theater. My grandparents were married in 1946. I didn't change a lot about the dress. I basically had the shoulder pads taken out and added a ribbon around the waist. It did start thundering and raining during the ceremony but I think that's supposed to be good luck, right? The nice thing about wearing a parachute for a dress is that it dried quickly!
VINTAGE POSTCARDS IN PLACE OF A TRADITIONAL GUESTBOOK
From the vendors: After a thunder filled ceremony, the sun came out for some beautiful photos by the lake. The newlyweds then rode in one of Glacier’s iconic Red Jammer Buses back to the reception at the historic Belton Chalet in West Glacier, with a quick stop at the Middle Fork of the Flathead River for photos. The reception had National Park coloring books for the kids, libations for the adults, and vintage postcards as a guest book.
LOVE IS PART OF OUR HISTORY, GENERATION TO GENERATION
From the bride: All of the traditional advice everyone gives you is true (i.e. make sure to eat!). The best piece of advice I got was from my mom who told me not to get hung up on planning the small stuff and to just think of it as a big party where everyone is going to eat and drink and have a good time. Friends and family danced the night away to The Mike Murray Band, a local staple. Molly and Brock’s wedding was a beautiful example of how love is a part of our history, passed down through the generations and continued on in our own love story.
Read on to learn more about the bride's wonderful grandfather who was the original owner of the parachute as well as to see how much this wedding cost. Please note that costs change as the years go by, and prices are subject to change. This is just one couple’s breakdown to give you a rough estimate on how much a wedding like this may cost you.
Glacier National Park Permit $100
Reception Hall $1,250
Food 4,754
Bar 1878
Outdoor Heaters 175
Additional Hotel Rooms 749
Save the Dates $440
Flowers 1600
Photographer $3,400
Band 2500
Dress/Accessories $220
Hair/Make up $300
Bus Rental $441
PA Rental 50
Cupcakes 500
Invitations $150
Gifts 150
Total $18,657
Here is some more information about my grandpa's service from my Aunt:
Was a member of the 8th Air Force (established 22 February 1944). 8 AF was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force in the European Theater of World War II, engaging in operations primarily in the Northern Europe AOR; carrying out strategic bombing of enemy targets in France, the Low countries, and Germany; and engaging in air-to-air fighter combat against enemy aircraft until the German capitulation in May 1945. It was the largest of the deployed combat Army Air Forces in numbers of personnel, aircraft, and equipment.
This link gives a list of some of the assignments for the 8th Air Force: https://www.8thafhs.org . As you can see, they did some very dangerous assignments. Their groups had some of the highest casualty rates of any units in the war. NONE of the men who returned would ever talk to their families about what they had done or seen!
- Wedding Photographers: Marianne Wiest Photography
- Cakes & Catering: Pig & Olive
- Event Planning & Design: Bridal Styling by Angie D
- Event Planning & Design: CS Bridal Styling
- Jewelry: Zadok Jewelers
- Lighting & Entertainment: Mike Murray Band
- Photographers: Mum's Flowers
- Venues & Officiants: Belton Chalet