Summer is in full swing, and so is wedding season here at The Henry Ford!

But during your visit to Greenfield Village, you may see a wedding set-up that is quite different compared to the celebrations we see today.

The Edison Homestead, in the Porches and Parlors section of the village, is decorated for a historic wedding based on a Ladies’ Home Journal magazine article from 1912. Sourced from our collections in the Benson Ford Research Center, the periodical – which cost just 15 cents – gave valuable advice on appropriate table settings, flower arrangements and favors to have the perfect weddings in the 1900s, as any good domestic woman should.

The display at the Edison Homestead features guest favors and beautiful flower arrangements on display, along with photographs of a wedding party from 1912. It also prominently features the color green, which was thought to represent new life and hope for the future. A good tip, even for couples today!

Suggested decorations for the ceremony portion of the wedding also included baskets of flowers connected by ribbons, lining the aisle, and a cascade of flowers positioned on the prayer book.

This beautiful wedding display is actually the first in a series of special decorations for the Edison Homestead – in the coming year, it will display a number of seasonal themes as “a home for all holidays” in Greenfield Village. The house, which is also circa 1912, will be decorated to this same period for various holidays – starting July 1, the home will be decorated for the era’s Fourth of July celebrations, so be sure to make a trip to the Edison Homestead to see these beautiful wedding decorations before the end of this month!

What are some other timeless wedding traditions or decorations you enjoy seeing at today’s celebrations?