V&A Wedding Dress Exhbition

I've been meaning to go to the V&A's wedding dress exhibition since before it started and last weekend I finally got to go.
Me and a friend from university, Emilia, seized our Sunday and wandered around the exhibition for a good long while before going off to explore the rest of the V&A in search of the ever elusive members room (which we did finally find!). The exhibition is only on for another two weeks so if you haven't been to see it yet, get in there.

It's an impressive collection of dresses, my favourites where the 18th century, Regency and late Victorian ones. It was intriguing to see all the symbolism in the embroidery and the flowers and adorable to see the thought that some men put into their wedding attire. I was tickled pink by a waistcoat that had been widened over the course of its life as its wearer grew rounder and continued to wear it.

Upstairs we encountered Dita Von Teese's wedding dress, designed by Vivienne Westwood and some less pleasing creations by other modern designers. Give me the old, old stuff any day!
There was one dress from - I think - the 1970s that almost had a robe a la Francaise style back. There were no side seams and all these gathers were pulled up to the back neckline and hidden under a large bow. One great thing about going to the exhibition with Emilia was that I was with someone who got just as excited as me when I discovered this about the dress. There were also some shoes from the 60s/70s that were very like 17th century latchet shoes.

After the wedding dresses we looked through the Jewelery room whilst in search of the members room, I've never been in there before and was sufficiently flabbergasted by all the sparkly things. It really is stunning.
When we didn't find it in there we just wandered, I was amazed by the cast galleries (those collums!!) and THEN we found the members room. Tucked away at the end of the glass gallery behind mirrored doors. We sat in there for a while talking over brownies and millionaires shortbread whilst enveloped by the smell of lilies.
It was a really great day out and I bought a couple of books as well. One that was for/from the Wedding Dress exhibition, a sweet poem that incorporates wedding flower names and flower symbolism into its verses, complete with illustrations. And a book on satirical illustrations from the 18th century through to 1927.
I'm constantly surprised by the V&A and so happy that's its practically on my door step.