I was honoured to be part of the VESILLYA Ukrainian Wedding exhibit which opened June 19, 2026 at the Ukrainian American Archive & Museum (UAAM), Hamtramck, MI.
I married Eugene over 50
years ago at ImmaculateConception Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hamtramck, so this was a fitting tribute.
Actually, a mannequin wearing my wedding gown represents Ukrainian-inspired designs being incorporated on white wedding dresses from the 1960’s onwards. My wedding dress was a collaboration with my seamstress-extraordinaire mother and myself.
I found a lacy floral charted pattern in Dover Needlework Series of Charted Folk Designs from along the Danube, collected by Maria Foris. The solid row of embroidery charted between the floral top and bottom was gross. I photocopied the charted pattern twice, cut out the offending heavy row on one set, and re-taped the two lacy halves together. Then I sliced in the middle of the mirror-imaged florals and fitted the diamond-like motif in between. Once all taped, this was my repeat all around the lower skirt of my dress.
The bodice was embroidered
with a center motif using the lower charted floral and a garland of
cross-stitched flowers around the neck. Two bands of interlocking flowers were
embroidered for the puff sleeves.
In order to embroider counted cross stitch on a satin fabric, I basted on wide waste canvas all around the the skirt. Once I embroidered the flowers, I had “fun” pulling the waste canvas very carefully because I didn’t want to dampen the canvas to avoid disturbing the fabric’s satin finish.
Before starting to embroider
the dress, I would spread a white bed sheet on the floor around the living room
coffee table where I would sit and stitch while sitting on the carpet. I do not
have photos of this stage, but it was a very long process in between my college
studies in 1973-74. There was a deadline: time for my mother to sew it all
together for my wedding on August 10, 1974.
I am grateful to my six bridesmaids who embroidered motifs and the sleeve openings of their own dresses. As many of the girls lived long distance, this was a practical solution. I sent them fabric, the charted design, waste canvas and threads. They in turn embroidered and sewed their dresses for a coordinated look. It was beautiful!
The UAAM social media post
wrote: “A traditional Ukrainian wedding is far more than a single day or a
private family celebration. It is a sequence of customs, symbols, songs,
blessings, garments, and shared gestures that mark a profound passage in life:
the joining of two people, two families, and often two communities. Through these
rituals, generations have expressed ideas of love, continuity, faith,
hospitality, and belonging.”
“This exhibition offers an
overview of Ukrainian wedding traditions and invites us to look closely at the
many layers of meaning within them. We begin with the ceremonial world of the
Hutsul region, where traditional attire is especially vivid and distinctive.
Hutsul clothing is known for its rich color, dense ornamentation, layered
textiles, embroidery, woven belts, outer garments, and carefully chosen
accessories. These garments were never simply decorative; they identified
place, family, status, craftsmanship, and participation in ritual life.”
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| A Hutsul bride in full regalia |
UAAM continues: “At the same
time, Vesillya is not only about the past. The exhibition also traces how
wedding customs continue to live, adapt, and take new forms in contemporary
Ukraine and in Ukrainian communities outside Ukraine. In the diaspora,
including here in the United States, these traditions have often served as a
way to remember origins, teach younger generations, and sustain cultural
identity even far from ancestral villages and towns
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| Bridesmaids in a contemporary Kyivan-style adaptation of a regional costume |
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| My 1970‘s Ukrainian-style blue embroidery on a white gown |
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| A modern contemporary dress by Helena Mila, Lviv, from 2025 |
There were wedding essentials
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| Rushnyky (ritual cloths) and icons for blessing |
Our wedding invitations were
in form of a printed rushnyk which my husband designed.
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| Front of invitations |
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| Open to show English text |
There were two korovai wedding breads on display. The complex one was
made by pani Drohomyretska, an ethnic Hutsul who continued to bake fancy
traditional breads in Detroit. It was mind-boggling to see the miniature birds
on top of each dough wheat stalk of Martha Korol’s wedding korovai! My
mother-in-law baked our korovai which was simpler in style with dried stalks of
wheat surrounding dough love birds and periwinkle. She baked 350 loved birds
which we handed out to our wedding guests as Thank You favours. Here is a link to my friend
Lisa’s Korovai
website where
you can learn about the complexity of the bread baking and decor.
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| Two styles of korovai (wedding bread) |
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| Collage of wedding photos |
This collage of wedding photos spanning a century showed how brides in the early 1900s chose to marry in traditional white dress. As time went on, more elements of Ukrainian culture and traditions were adapted. Now there is an array of gorgeous stylized dressed with colorful embroidery.
Themed information cards on wedding rituals and traditions in between many photos enhanced the exhibit.
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| Olga Liskivskyi and I in front of my dress |
Sincere gratitude to executive director Olga Liskivskyi and exhibit coordinator Marta Sobko for the wonderful and meaningful installation.
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| Olga Liskivskyi at the opening |
Thank you to all who contributed and those who attended the Vesillya opening. The exhibit is on all summer. Don’t miss it!
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| Eugene and I in front of my wedding dress |
