The Many Weddings of Lucy & Desi

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the ultimate Dynamic Duo. Married in real life, they perfectly complemented each other. Not only were they paired in the classic and groundbreaking TV show I Love Lucy, they also shared the screen in two movies (they met on the set of Too Many Girls in 1940 but don't share the screen much). And in both of those films, The Long, Long Trailer (1953) and Forever, Darling (1956), their characters were married.

Searching for wedding pictures of Lucy and Desi on the internet is not an easy task as every on-screen wedding can be, and usually is, labeled as their REAL wedding. The couple actually eloped on November 30th, 1940, just six months after they met. In 1949 they renewed their vows, which we have photos of.

For the Catholic Church service, Lucy wore a blue satin dress with a full skirt and portrait neckline, which she paired with a chic white flowered hat, ruffled gloves, and strappy peep-toed heels. Desi looked sharp in a white suit.

In season 1 of I Love Lucy, Lucy and Desi had their first on-screen wedding. In "The Marriage License," which aired on April 7, 1952, Lucy finds a misspelling on her marriage license and believes her marriage to Ricky (Arnaz) isn't legal. Lucy makes Ricky recreate his proposal and the two get married at their hotel (which incidentally was the Byram River Beagle Club in Greenwich, Connecticut where Lucy and Desi had been married in 1940). You can watch the full episode here.

 

Lucy wore a full skirted dress with spaghetti straps, a lovely tulle veil attatched to a floral headpiece, multi-strand pearl choker, and satin peep-toe heels with an ankle strap.

For The Long, Long Trailer (1953) Lucy wore an exquisite lace gown designed by Helen Rose. It had a strapless bodice with a lace overlay featuring a high stand-up collar and long sleeves. A lace apron-like skirt fell over a full skirt. A flowered headpiece worn on the back of the head held the long tulle veil.

In Forever, Darling (1956) Lucy wore a similar dress with a more elaborate veil, this one designed by  Eloise Jenssen. The headpiece has lace and flowers that frame the face closely and the dress has a dramatic pleated skirt.

The sketch by Jenssen shows a different veil. To see more photos check out my more in-depth post.

Lastly, here are some wedding anniversary photos that could be mistaken for wedding photos.

This post is for the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon hosted by Once Upon a Screen and Classic Movie Hub. Be sure to check out all of the other Dynamic Duos!

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Cinema Wedding Gowns: Wuthering Heights (1939)

Last month I watched Wuthering Heights (1939) for the first time (it was a tragic gothic romance kind of day) and was delighted to find that there was a wedding gown involved. Merle Oberon, who plays Cathy in the film, is getting married to Edgar Linton, played by David Niven. It's a doomed marriage as she really loves the penniless Heathcliff, played by the brooding Laurence Olivier. If it's one thing I've learned from the movies, it's to never marry for money if you love someone else. It usually ends in death.

 

Source

Cathy's wedding dress has a full gathered skirt made of heavy satin. The short sleeve bodice has a soft v-neckline with a short attached shawl of lace, creating butterfly sleeves. A large bow adorns the front of the neckline.

A tulle veil is attached to a circlet of baby's breath. Short gloves and a small cross necklace complete the look.

In the promo shot on the right, Oberon is holding Calla lilies instead of the small bouquet shown in the film.

 

Cinema Wedding Gowns: Her Twelve Men (1954)

Today's wedding gown is one of those brief fantasy sequence gowns. It is worn near the very beginning of Her Twelve Men (1954) starring Greer Garson (I reviewed it in August).

 

In the promotional photo below the gown looks white, but in the film, which is color, it is actually pale pink which is totally befitting for a dream sequence!

 

As you can see, the dress, designed by Helen Rose, has a full tulle skirt and a high-collared lace bodice (over a sweetheart neckline) with long sleeves and peplum at the waist. The veil is also of tulle and appears falls gracefully to the floor. It is attached to a close-fitting cap on the back half of the head with some standing ruffles.

 

The bouquet is comprised of small flowers surrounded in lace with ribbons cascading halfway down the front of the dress. It is an absolutely gorgeous dress and one can only hope that Garson's character got to wear a gown just as beautiful after the end of the film.

Cinema Wedding Gowns: Until They Sail (1957)

Today's cinema wedding gown comes from a short scene in Until They Sail (1957) starring Jean Simmons and Paul Newman, with Piper Laurie as the bride. Her marriage will not be a happy one - being World War II there's basically no men left in her hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand so she marries the one guy that IS there. And while the union is a disaster - deadly in fact - the gown is a beautiful one.

The bodice has a button up front and collar with a sweetheart lining and short cuffed sleeves. It is covered with a floral applique. The veil is gathered tulle attached to a floral trimmed headband. Small pearl earrings add the perfect finishing touch. Unfortunately the costume designer is not listed on either TCM or IMDb.

Promotional photos for the film show Sandra Dee wearing a gorgeous lace dress that looks very much like a wedding gown but we do not see her character get married. I thought I'd include them as it's such a lovely gown.

 

Cinema Wedding Gowns: My Cousin Rachel (1953)

 

Last month My Cousin Rachel starring Rachel Weisz premiered in theaters. While I'm normally against remakes, when it's based on a book rather than a remake of an original movie script - especially a period piece - I'm fine with it. In such cases the films can be vastly different, especially when one was made during the days of the Hays Code and no CGI. I have not seen Weisz's version yet, but I thought it would be fun to take a look at Olivia de Havilland's version of Rachel for this month's first Cinema Wedding Gown (Weisz does not wear a wedding gown in the remake).

 

 

The wedding scene occurs in a delirious dream of Richard Burton's while he is extremely ill. The enigmatic Rachel (de Havilland) cares for him during this time and when he gets better he insists that they are married and she insists it was a dream. Either way, de Havilland is absolutely gorgeous in her wedding gown, which can be seen in the promotional photos below. Displayed prominently is a family necklace, which is one of the reasons Rachel is not trusted. Is the family fortune all she wants (she's the widow of Burton's brother)?

 

Here is how the dress is seen in the film. As you can see we can't see much.

 

Below is an image that shows (almost) the full-length dress as well as the sketch by costumer Dorothy Jeakins.

 

The gown is made of heavy cream satin, off the shoulders, and with flared three quarter length sleeves. There is lace appliqued on the front of the bodice, which has panels and is pointed in the front where it is attached to a full gathered skirt that just touches the floor. A floor length piece of exquisite lace is pinned to the back of her head. The sketch shows a different veil perched on the crown of the head with a piece over the face. You will notice the necklace is also different.

 

The necklace photographed for an auction.

Olivia wearing the necklace. This photo also shows the lace of the veil really well as well as the gloves. Notice the matching pearl drop earrings.

 

The necklace in the new film is very UNimpressive.

Cinema Wedding Gowns: How To Marry a Millionaire (1953)

Today's wedding dress is probably on of the better known ones in cinema. It is the lace dress worn by Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

Crafted of embroidered ecru lace in a floral pattern with iridescent sequins and a heavy satin lining, this exquisite mermaid style, off the shoulder gown was designed by Travilla.

The dress is fitted to just below the hip where a semi-circle piece is added to make it floor length and giving the dress movement. Three-quarter length sleeves and lace trim along the top complete the gown.

Rather than a veil, the dress is paired with a hat crafted of white sinamay and with piping swirled on the crown and hanging down the back. A small pearl necklace and bracelet are the perfect accessories.

 

The dress was later modified with the sleeves and ruffle across the front removed and straps added. It sold at Debbie Reynold's auction in 2011 for $8000, which was the start price. On another site it said that the modified dress was worn in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) but, while the design is nearly identical, the lace is different.

Cinema Wedding Gowns: Honeymoon (1947)

 

Honeymoon (1947), starring Franchot Tone, Shirley Temple, and Guy Madison, is a movie about a soldier on leave and his girl who have planned to meet in Mexico City to marry and spend their two day honeymoon there. As usual, nothing happens the way it's supposed to, with the groom's flight being cancelled and neither having a way to contact the other. That's were Franchot Tone comes in, as the American Consul who tries to get them married before Madison's leave is over, or rather, as the poor guy Temple keeps coming to with her problems and creating problems for him in return.

 

 

The couple never is actually seen on their honeymoon, as the film ends with them finally getting married in the back yard of Tone's fiancé's house. The entire gown is never shown either. The only "full" glimpse is what is featured on the posters for the film. I did however find this photo that someone uploaded on Pinterest, saying it was their grandmother wearing the "Shirley Temple dress from Honeymoon." My guess is the dress was either sold in stores or perhaps even released as a pattern.

 

 

As you can see, the dress is crafted entirely of lace, with a sweetheart neckline, fitted bodice, long tapered sleeves that are gathered at the shoulder, and a full gathered skirt with peplum. The promotional photos below show the dress on Temple.

 

 

The fingertip length veil is scalloped tulle with appliqued flowers and leaves attached to a head piece covered in small flowers. The bouquet is comprised of small flowers and roses with ribbons hanging from it.

 

A good look at the sleeves.

 

Here are some screenshots from the actual movie:

As you can see, Franchot Tone is very happy that they are finally married.