The Buffalo History Museum is celebrating the history of brides in Western New York. Sunday, March 3 the Museum hosts "Something Old, Something New. The event also features 50 wedding photos spanning the 50's, 60's and 70's of local brides.
Fifty unidentified brides were discovered by a retired West Seneca photographer.
"And it was totally serendipity, Ettore-Winter Studios had taken all these bride photos, and Ettore Porreca, who is now is his 90's, met up with our executive director and asked if we could help find the people in the photos," said Connie Caldwell, director of communications and community management at the History Museum.
WBFO News reached 92-year-old Ettore Porreca at his West Seneca home to ask him about his bridal photos.
"Tegler's, which was one of the finest bridal shops in the area, suggested to us if we photograph any of the girls, who bought the gowns at their store, they would put it up in their store...so we did," said Porreca.
"And then they were on display at Tegler's, so that these beautiful oversize posters of these women between the 50's and late 60's...and none of them, of course, were marked and then the challenge was how do we do this," said Caldwell.
And when you begin to review these black and white photos they deliver a sense of nostalgia from the 50's and 60's.
"Tegler's closed up in the middle 70's, and they called us and asked us if we wanted our photographs back and we did," said Porreca. "I had not identified them."
So the only clue was Tegler's, the former Delaware Avenue bridal shop, where each bride had purchased her gown then headed to Ettore-Winter Photography Studio's for their wedding portrait.
"We ended up over the years having quite a number," said Porreca.
But as word reached the public, with the help of a Tonawanda news article, calls began pouring into the Historical Museum about the identity of many of those former brides.
"We got calls from Texas, Vegas, Florida, who had looked online and said that's me, and then other brides identified their girlfriends, to tell me if they were deceased or who they were," said Caldwell. "To me it was a very warm and fuzzy experience."
Porreca is pleased to learn so many women were identified.
"Some of those brides are now in their 60's, 70's & 80's. We took a lot of time with them," said Porreca. "We put on demonstrations of bridal photographs all over the country and up in Canada also for other photographic groups."
Porreca says it feels good to see the work he and his partner Ralph Winter both created, once an important part of the local newspaper society pages.
"On a weekend both the News, on Saturday, and the Courier, on Sunday, would reproduce quite a number and give us credit," said Porreca.
Ettore-Winter retired and sold their photography studio in 1983. But thanks to the History Museum, their wedding photograph legacy is being reprised.
The History Museum also conducted a wedding dress contest, "Say Yes to the Dress," as part of its local brides celebration. Western New Yorkers have donated bridal gowns to the collection from the past 50 years. They submitted a photo and a story about the dress and the winning dress will be put on display as part of the History Museum's permanent dress collection. It will be part of this Sunday's "Something Old, Something New" exhibit.
Caldwell noted that made for some very touching stories -- one that even brought tears to her eyes.
"One of the entries sent this story in and at the top of it it was quoted 'Maryann I want you to have my wedding dress. When the times comes, you'll know what to do with it', and when the woman heard, Maryann, about the contest, she said now I know what to do with it," said Caldwell.
Cadwell says she was extremely surprised by the response they received from all aspects of preparing this bridal exhibit.