Good NewsHistorical romance: Bride wore gown made from groom’s lifesaving parachute
Kate Middleton's Sarah Burton dress was lovely, but when it comes to back story, a unique wedding gown in the Smithsonian has a romantic tale that's hard to beat.
From the Smithsonian's description:
"This wedding dress was made from a nylon parachute that saved the groom's life during World War II."
In August of 1944, Major Claude Hensinger, a B-29 pilot, bailed out of his aircraft over Yowata Japan after an engine caught fire.
The major landed on rocky ground, suffering only minor injuries. He slept outdoors that night, using the parachute as a blanket, before being found the next morning.
Hensigner kept the parachute and brought it back to the United States with him when he returned from war. In 1947, he proposed to his girlfriend, Ruth, suggesting that she create a wedding gown out of his lifesaving parachute.
Ruth hired a local seamstress to make the bodice and veil; she made the skirt, using the voluminous fabric to reference the dresses in Gone with the Wind.
In the skirt's construction, she pulled the parachute strings to gather the skirt and form poufs, creating a shorter front and cascading train in the back.
On July 19, 1947, the happy couple exchanged vows in Neffs, Pennsylvania.
The romantic — and now preserved — gown has since been worn by the couple's daughter and daughter-in-law.
