A model twirls in a vintage wedding dress as she walks up the aisle of NSUMC on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Saturday afternoon, New Street United Methodist Church held its second bi-annual ladies tea, after having to reschedule it one year late, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic still going strong last year.

The tea’s program, “Wedding Gowns Through the Ages,” was directed by NSUMC member Jen Wabnitz. According to Wabnitz, she suggested the program, patterned after similar ones her own mother had organized at churches she had attended over the years. Wabnitz herself grew up participating as a model in many of these programs, which then prepared her for a stint as a wedding dress model in one of her first jobs.

According to Wabnitz, 13 women volunteered to model the dresses in New Street’s program.

“It was fun! It was really fun getting them to do it,” Wabnitz said. “You know, you can put on a little fashion show without it costing anything!”

“So many women have their wedding dresses tucked away in their closets, and they have little stories behind them,” Wabnitz said.

One of the many men from NSUMC serving at the ladies tea presents a tray of salads to an attendee on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

While many of the dresses had fascinating histories, Wabnitz noted that one dress in particular made her smile, as it was modeled by the bride who originally wore it for her own wedding, Shepherdstown resident Amy Campbell.

“Amy’s quite a girl! And her two daughters were in the audience, watching,” Wabnitz said of her friend. “She said it was just so nice to get it out and wear it.”

New Street’s particular program featured 25 gowns from 1911 to 2017, all but four of which were modeled coming down the aisle of the church’s sanctuary. The history of each gown was described by church member and emcee Dick Clarke, during a 30-minute program preceding the tea in the church’s dining room.

“The gowns are just gorgeous! They are gowns that were loaned to us by members of New Street [United Methodist Church], and through our community,” ladies tea program coordinator Carol Goldthorpe said. “And our models are also members of New Street [United Methodist Church] and our community.”

During the tea portion of the event, Goldthorpe raffled off a number of door prizes for attendees. She also kept the wedding theme alive, with questions presented to the attendees regarding the number of years they themselves had been married.

Attendees look at an antique wedding dress on display at the front of NSUMC's sanctuary on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

As with the first ladies tea the church held, back in 2019, the tea was served by a team of 12 men from the church. The tea itself was catered by the women of NSUMC, led by Nancy Cleaver and Margaret Rose Smith.

“It was just a great way to bring the community together. It was not a fundraiser,” Goldthorpe said, mentioning plans for the program and tea began taking shape last October. “It was just a community event to bring women together — especially after COVID, it was nice to be together again.”

The church’s next ladies tea will be held in 2024, according to Goldthorpe.

A three-tiered stand was used to serve desserts at each table of the ladies tea on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

A model walks up NSUMC's aisle in a vintage wedding dress on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

From left, Maya Dixon-Gross and Faith Foglesong pose in a couple of the vintage wedding dresses they modeled at NSUMC on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston