ASHEVILLE, N.C., Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Guests entering Biltmore House during the first half of 2016 may get the impression they’ve walked onto a movie set with a wedding at the center of its story. Dramatic draping and silk roses over the front door of Biltmore House and a 6-foot tall wedding cake in the Entry Hall will all but make that first impression true.
Starting Feb. 12, Biltmore will present “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film,” an exhibition showcasing award-winning wedding gowns and costumes throughout Biltmore House. The iconic Jane Austen romances of “Sense and Sensibility,” “Emma,” and “Pride and Prejudice” are included. Exhibition runs through July 4.
The costumes come to Biltmore from Cosprop Ltd., an award-winning London-based company founded by designer John Bright.
Elaborate flower arrangements will accompany the costumes, with simplistic and over-the-top styles coordinating with each wedding and Prom Dresses.
Vanderbilt family wedding celebrations
The exhibition continues in the estate’s Biltmore Legacy building with a focus on Vanderbilt Family wedding fashion. Stories will be shared about George and Edith Vanderbilt’s courtship, their wedding plans and their Biltmore homecoming after a four-month honeymoon.
The exhibition will include a closer look at Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding to John Cecil in 1924. Although Cornelia’s original wedding gown and veil worn by her mother Edith are not in Biltmore’s collection, John Bright of Cosprop Ltd. recreated both from photographs and notes.
Another highlight of the exhibition is the wedding veil worn by Mary Lee Ryan in her marriage to William A.V. Cecil, grandson of George Vanderbilt and Biltmore’s current owner. This family heirloom was also worn by Mrs. Cecil’s cousin Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy when she married future President John F. Kennedy.
Admission to “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film” is included in the estate’s general admission ticket price.
“Fashionable Romance” Events and special stay packages
In conjunction with the exhibition, several special dining and stay packages are planned at Inn on Biltmore Estate and the property’s new Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate.
Information on all of the events is available at www.biltmore.com or by calling 877-BILTMORE.
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