Just Watch Out For the Peahens

May 6, 2009 in Dresses,Wedding Dresses with 4 Comments

Feathers show up everywhere in the world of weddings, in bridal headpieces and even in wedding cakes, but I’ve found that full feather wedding gowns are rare beasts indeed… at least in real life. In the heads, sketchbooks, and workshops of gown designers, however, feather wedding gowns come into their own.

peacock_wedding_gown

Take this creation, for example. Recently presented at a wedding expo held in Nanjing, China, this brilliant wedding gown (valued at $1.5 million) was sewn by eight skilled craftsmen over a two month period using 2,009 peacock tail feathers and 60 Hetian jades. Do I like it? Why, yes, I do, though I am curious to know how they procure the feathers. Pluck them from live birds? Harvest them from dead ones? Maybe it’s best that I don’t know?

One other thought comes to mind: I’d caution any bride-to-be considering this wedding gown to watch out for lady peacocks, who may just go out of their minds at the sight of the grandest male bird they have ever seen in their lives.

About Christa Terry: Christa Terry is a writer and wedding and lifestyle expert whose book iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net is a one-stop planning resource for modern, free-thinking brides and grooms. With one husband, one toddler, and more on the way – kids, not husbands – Christa somehow manages to stay on top of the tricks and trends that make getting married and living life stylish and fun.

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4 Responses to “Just Watch Out For the Peahens”

  1. Sarah G. May 6, 2009 at 9:42 am #

    Peacocks do molt their tail feathers. My local zoo has a large flock and collects the molted feathers to sell in the gift shop.

  2. La BellaDonna May 13, 2009 at 5:55 pm #

    What Sarah said! Peacock tail feathers are a gift from Nature – and peacocks – to the rest of the world. All that beauty, free for picking up from the ground! Or at a modest price from your local zoo’s gift shop. ;)

    That said, I think the gown is breathtakingly beautiful. I’ve seen many designers, using opulent ingredients, make extraordinarly ugly, impractical creations. I don’t know about practical, but I do know that this gown is lovely.

  3. Never teh Bride May 17, 2009 at 12:44 pm #

    Thanks for the info, ladies. Good to know that peacocks give their tail feathers willingly!

  4. Leslie May 3, 2010 at 5:04 am #

    WHY WAS THIS NOT AROUND WHEN I GOT MARRIED??? My maiden name means peacock, so I made peacock feather boutonnieres and each bouquet had peacock feathers in it. I. AM. ENVIOUS.