On December 30, 1852, Lucy Ware Webb married Rutherford Richard Hayes at her family’s home in Cincinnati, Ohio. You may not know this, but Lucy had several suitors before she finally settled down with Rutherford. Lucy had a strong moral character and came from a religious background which made her seem like the perfect match for Rutherford according to his mother.
In 1851 Rutherford wrote in his diary, “I guess I am a great deal in love with L(ucy)…Her low sweet voice…her soft rich eyes.” He also referred to her as a “genuine woman.” Together the couple had eight children and as you can tell from the photo above, the pair both wore dark clothing on their wedding day.
Bess Truman Had a Good Sense of Style
On June 28, 1919 Elizabeth Virginia “Bess” Wallace married Harry Truman who eventually would become president of the United States. As a young child Bess would’ve been best described as a tomboy by those who knew her. However, as she grew into a young woman, she became more feminine and enjoyed fashion-particularly hats. A friend of Bess said, “Bess always had more stylish hats than the rest of us did, or she wore them with more style.”
Harry and Bess met prior to him leaving for World War I and proposed in 1911, and unfortunately, she said no. He decided that he wanted to be able to provide a comfortable living for her before proposing again. At their wedding, Bess wore a beautiful brimmed hat.
Lou Henry Hoover’s Unconventional Wedding Gown
Lou Henry was an extremely smart and interesting woman. In her free time, she enjoyed camping with her father, and collecting rocks and minerals. She was also a proficient taxidermist. She met future President Herbert Hoover at Stanford University where she graduated with a B.A. in Geology. An interesting fact about Lou is that she was fluent in Chinese and was the only First Lady who was able to speak the language.
In February of 1899 Lou and Herbert tied the knot at her parents’ home in Monterey, California. Just like the groom, she chose to become a Quaker, but interestingly enough, they were married by a Roman Catholic priest. Instead of wearing white or a lighter color, Lou chose to wear a dark-colored gown.
Nancy Reagan Tried to Hide Her Baby Bump
Nancy Davis was a well-known actress in the 1940s and 1950s. Prior to meeting Ronald Reagan, she dated a man named Clark Gable. Nancy met Ronald in 1949 which was when he was the president of the Screen Actors Guild. Ronald was not someone who was big on marriage to begin with, but especially not after his divorce from Jane Wyman.
However, after three years of dating, Ronald and Nancy married in 1952. To avoid running into any issues with the press, their wedding was very last minute, and the only people who attended were the best man and matron of honor. The ceremony took place at the Little Brown Church located in Los Angeles. Nancy was also pregnant at their wedding so she wore a very simple, no-frills dress in an effort to conceal her bump.
Laura Bush Chose a Simple Tan Dress for Her Special Day
George Bush and Laura Lane Welch met at a backyard barbecue in July and got engaged just three months later. The two met on November 5, 1977, at her childhood church in Midland, Texas. The new couple took pictures with the future president’s parents, Geroge H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush.
Laura’s mother wore a fancy, traditional gown but she chose to wear a very simple tan dress she bought off the rack to her wedding. Bush was the Governor of Texas from 1995-2000 and became the President of the United States the following year.