- When Jane wed her hubby in 1995 she borrowed her Grandma Nessie’s veil – the 27th woman to wear it on their special day
- Nessie bought the veil in 1928, was a luxury expense so in order to justify it Nessie decided to share it around
- The veil is now part of an exhibit at the National Library of Australia
Here Jane Merchant, 58, Orange, NSW tells her own story in her own words.
Adjusting the curls in my hair, my mother, Rosemary beamed as she affixed the gorgeous long lace veil to my locks. It was March 1995 and I was preparing to marry the love of my life, Mark, then 28.
I had my something new – my dress. My something borrowed and very old was the most precious – my grandmother Agnes’ veil that she’d worn 66 years earlier.
Before me, the delicate family heirloom had been worn by 26 women in our family, including my grandma Agnes, who was known as Nessie.
‘You look gorgeous,’ my mum, then 59, said, gently fanning out the 3.5 metre lace veil, embellished with flowers, behind me.
‘Just like you did when you married Dad,’ I replied.
‘Nessie would have thought so too,’ Mum beamed proudly.
Grandma Nessie had passed in 1975, when I was eight, to cancer. But today it felt like she was there with me in spirit.
As a little girl, I loved visiting her and Grandpa Norman’s property, called Thistlebank Farm, on the Murray River.
Hanging proudly on the living room wall was their wedding photo. I always thought Nessie looked so pretty.
When we’d go to stay, Grandma Nessie would get up early and stoke the old combustion stove as she busied herself preparing lunch for the family.
‘What else do you think we need for lunch, Jane?’ she’d ask.
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‘The veil, purchased in Melbourne in 1928, was a luxury expense. So in order to justify it, Nessie had an idea.’
Her kindness and patience shone through in everything she did.
When she passed, aged 71, I was so sad.
As a teenager, I learned more about the bridal veil’s significance from Mum, who’d also worn it in 1963 when she married my dad, Robert.
The veil, purchased in Melbourne in 1928, was a luxury expense. So in order to justify it, Nessie had an idea.
After Nessie married in 1929, instead of the beautiful veil gathering dust in an attic, she’d lend it to others, on condition it was returned with a photo of the happy couple on their wedding day.
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The eldest of 11, Nessie and her sisters and sisters-in-law wore the veil, then her daughters, daughters-in-law and eventually her grandchildren. She also lent it to close family friends.
When Nessie passed, my aunt Jenny – Mum’s sister – took care of the veil, storing it safely in the top of her wardrobe.
In 1989 I watched as my cousin Meredith tied the knot, proudly wearing Nessie’s veil.
‘One day it’ll be your turn,’ Mum had said.
Mark and I married at the Uniting Church in Orange, NSW, exchanging vows in front of 100 of our family and friends.
Posing for photos at the local gardens afterwards, Nessie’s lace veil looked perfect with my off-the-shoulder wedding gown.
I felt honoured to be the 27th bride to wear it. It felt so special to carry on our family legacy.
After the nuptials, I made sure to send Jenny my photo and return the veil safely.
‘Nessie would have loved to see you as a bride,’ Jenny replied.
I had no clue when I’d put on the veil that day that I’d be the last to wear it!
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‘I had no clue when I’d put on the veil that day that I’d be the last to wear it!’
When my brother’s wife-to-be, Natalie, asked about borrowing it for her wedding eight years later in 2003, her seamstress advised it was far too fragile to be worn.
Then 75 years old, the veil had some small rips in the lace and, if it was worn again, there was a risk of it disintegrating completely.
Instead, it returned to the top of Jenny’s cupboard.
This meant my daughters Jessica, then six, and Emily, four, wouldn’t be able to carry on the tradition either.
But I made sure my girls knew about the veil’s special history.
‘The photos serve as a capsule of how bridal fashions have changed over the 20th century’
In 2005 the collection of 27 photos and the veil itself were donated to the National Library of Australia, where Jenny volunteered.
Recently, the collection was chosen as part of a new display in a space dedicated to family history research at the library.
The photos serve as a capsule of how bridal fashions have changed over the 20th century.
In January this year, I travelled to Canberra with Mark, 58, to see the veil and photos in the library. Jessica, now 29, and Emily, 27, both visited the exhibit too.
‘It’s so amazing, Mum,’ Emily beamed.
‘Seeing our family history like that was so special,’ Jessica added.
Seeing each of the smiling brides, my face among them, was so incredible.
I know Nessie would be equally as thrilled, knowing how a piece of lace has connected so many women on their happiest days.
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