This dress was designed by the skilled hands of Berthe Deschênes Bellemare (1922-2002) for her sister, Ghyslaine, who was planning to marry Dr. Fernand Lemire. The latter was, in particular, the doctor assigned to the work site by Dufresne-McNamara during construction of the Laviolette Bridge of Trois-Rivières.

Berthe and Ghyslaine selected the fabric themselves at a fabric store located on rue Saint-Jean in Quebec City.

Berthe had her own wedding dress to her name, which she wore a few months earlier when she united her destiny with Jean-Guy Bellemare.

This dress, which was made in less than three weeks, was first worn as planned by Ghyslaine Deschênes in 1953. Then, two of Ghyslaine’s daughters would wear it in turn without needing to have any alterations made to it: Dominique Lemire, who got married in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 30, 1992, and Marie-Claude Lemire, who got married in Fernie, British Columbia on August 2, 1998.

Private collector
Musée Pierre-Boucher Collection
2020 30 C