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Something Old, Something New: Jessie Wilson

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    Wedding Portrait of Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre

    Date: November 25, 1913

    Medium: Portrait photograph

    The white silk satin used to make Jessie’s bridal gown was woven at the Pelgram and Meyer silk mill in Paterson, New Jersey in keeping with the general sentiment of the Wilson administration to support American industry and a nod to their former home state where President Wilson served as governor. The skirt of the gown was narrow at the ankle but had slashes cut in the back, which were hidden by the court train, in order to make it easier for Jessie to walk down the aisle.

    Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum

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    Wilson-Sayre Wedding Party

    Date: December 6, 1913

    Creator: Edmonston

    Medium: Photograph

    The Wilson-Sayre wedding party pose for wedding photographs upstairs in the residence after the ceremony. The bridesmaids wore dresses of charmeuse, a smooth fabric with a satin weave, draped in chiffon from the shoulders over the bodice in varying shades of rose. The gowns were trimmed in silver lace which also adorned the caps with pointed edges turned up like crowns.

    Library of Congress

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    Wedding Portrait of Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre and Francis Bowes Sayre

    Date: November 25, 1913

    Medium: Portrait photograph

    Jessie and Francis Sayre pose for their official wedding portrait. Her white satin wedding gown featured a v-neckline embroidered with orange blossom patterns, orange blossoms draped in the folds around her waist, and expensive real point lace embellishments.

    Library of Congress

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    East Room Decorated for the Wilson-Sayre Wedding

    Date: Circa November 25, 1913

    Creator: Harris & Ewing

    Medium: Photograph

    The ceremony took place at an altar in the historic East Room under the “thousands of lights…mellowed by sparkle of the cut glass ornamentations of the chandeliers.” Palms, maidenhair ferns, and annunciation lilies set the room abloom and complemented Jessie’s bouquet.

    Library of Congress

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    Jessie Woodrow Wilson and Francis Bowes Sayre's Wedding Cake

    Date: Circa November 25, 1913

    Creator: Bain News Service

    Medium: Photograph

    The Wilson-Sayre wedding cake, decorated in the popular Art Nouveau style of the day–flowing, rhythmic lines, floral motifs, and a return to nature–was served in the private Family Dining Room to only twenty of the couple's closest friends and family as the dinner party continued in the State Dining Room for the remaining guests.

    Library of Congress

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    Jessie Wilson on her Wedding Day

    Date: November 25, 1913

    Medium: Newspaper

    Jessie’s veil was made of white tulle and attached to a cap of point lace that matched her gown. The detailed veil fell from the orange blossoms on the crown of her head almost to the end of the dress’s train.

    New York Times Archive

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About this Gallery

Jessie Woodrow Wilson, middle daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, married Francis Bowes Sayre, an attorney, on November 25, 1913.