The wedding ceremony’s aim remains to form a lifelong union, but one of its centerpieces — the bride’s gown — has been transformed to accommodate various styles over the years.

Many of those styles will be on display in “Wedding Dresses through the Decades,” an exhibit from Sunday, Jan. 11, through Sunday, March 8, at Oaklands Historic House Museum, located at 900 N. Maney Ave. in Murfreesboro.

The MTSU Department of Human Sciences is a partner in the fourth annual event, contributing dress forms and sign holders for more than 50 gowns representing styles from 1860 through 2014.

This year’s exhibit includes dresses from the department’s Textiles, Merchandising and Design Historic Costume Collection.

Dr. Teresa King, a professor of textiles, merchandising and design, helped Oaklands’ educational director Mary Beth Nevills select and the provided gowns from the collection.

King’s own wedding dress, as well as the military uniform worn by her groom, were part of a window display at McWherter Learning Resources Center last year.

The 2014 wedding dresses display at Oaklands won the Award of Excellence in the temporary exhibition category from the Tennessee Association of Museums conference in Greenville.

The exhibit will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Special appointments also are available.

Admission is $8 per person, and group rates are available upon request.

Special Friday evening displays are slated for 4 to 8 p.m. Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and 20, and March 6.

Sponsors of “Wedding Dresses through the Decades” include Bell Jewelers, Encore Bridal & Formal Wear, Julia’s HomeStyle Bakery, Rion Flowers and Gifts, The Write Impression and Street Tuxedo.

For more information, contact Deborah Belcher, chair of the MTSU Department of Human Sciences, at 615-898-2302 or deborah.belcher@mtsu.edu, or Mary Beth Nevills, educational director for Oaklands, at 615-893-0022 or mb@oaklandsmuseum.org.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

The military tuxedo worn by retired U.S. Air Force Col. Michael King, right, and the gown worn by his bride, Teresa King, an MTSU fashion merchandising professor, are shown on either side of their wedding portrait in this file photo from a 2014 university display. (MTSU file photo by News and Media Relations)

The wedding gown worn by Chloe Calhoun, an MTSU admissions coordinator, is shown in this file photo from Murfreesboro’s Oaklands Historic House Museum as part of the 2014 “Wedding Dresses Through the Ages” exhibit. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)