STEPPING INTO THE WEDDINGS OF PAST

When Lyon County Museum Executive Director Jennifer Andries puts together an exhibit for others to enjoy, chances are it will be well organized and an interesting part of the county's history.
The Wedding Collection Exhibit opened June 1 on the second floor of the museum. The collection features bride and groom attire and other items from weddings either held in the county or from county residents that were married elsewhere.
While the majority of the wedding dresses are traditional white in color, there are several other colored wedding dresses in the exhibit.
"We have over 40 dresses in the collection," said Andries. "They have been donated to our collection throughout the years and we decided to put them on display. We've had a lot of positive feedback on the exhibit."
The oldest dress on exhibit came from an 1883 wedding in Ohio that was donated by a Russell woman.
Included in the collection are wedding dresses from a Ghent mother, and later, her two daughters from ceremonies held at St. Eloi Church in Ghent. Florence DeRuyck married Rami Bossuyt on Sept. 3, 1935. Her navy blue wedding dress in hung next to her daughters' dresses. Adeline Bossuyt married Larry Van Moer on Dec. 2, 1961, and Caroline Bossuyt married Jerry Van Keulen on Sept. 14, 1913.
There is also one wedding dress that was donated by Minneota native Elizabeth Debbaut, who married John Shrunk on June 14, 1965 at St. Edward's Church in Minneota.