WWII Veteran's Wife Designed Her Wedding Dress From The Parachute That Saved His Life

Feb 13, 2019 by apost team

Planning a wedding can be exceptionally stressful. In a couple’s quest to make sure their big day is as special as possible, they must examine every angle of the day down to the most microscopic detail. Ranging from menu items to the venue to what music will be played at that moment, planning a wedding is a huge undertaking.

One of the most important parts of any wedding is the bride’s dress. While the groom can get away with a standard tuxedo, everyone’s eyes will be on the design of the bride’s dress.

The average bride spends about $1500 on a wedding dress plus $270 for accessories, an expensive outfit for something that is only worn once. Because wedding attire is so expensive, some brides choose to design their own clothing. The story of one bride from the 1940s shows just how amazing a bride can look with a personally designed wedding dress.

In 1947, Major Claude Hensinger was on top of the world. The young Army officer had survived a deployment to the Pacific Theater of World War II and was about to marry Ruth, his childhood sweetheart. When the two became engaged, Claude had one request for his soon-to-be bride: make a wedding dress from his former parachute. The parachute itself was very dear to Claude.

After a bombing run on a Japanese city in 1944, Claude’s B-29 bomber was shot down over China. Wounded and struggling to evade the hordes of Japanese troops that occupied the nation, Claude used the parachute both as a blanket and a bandage for his many wounds.

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Ruth said yes to Claude’s proposal without a moment’s hesitation, but, looking at the blood-stained, mud-soaked piece of nylon, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to fashion a proper wedding dress from the material.

One day, while visiting a local wedding boutique, Ruth found her inspiration.

The young bride-to-be designed a dress based off of Scarlett O’Hara’s dress from the 1939 classic film Gone With the Wind.

Ruth was even able to craft a veil and bodice from the former parachute. On the couple’s big day, Claude was left speechless by Ruth’s radiant beauty.

As time flew by, two future generations of brides would also use Ruth’s dress on their wedding day. The dress is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History and is a testament to the great love shared between Claude and Ruth.

What do you think of Ruth’s parachute wedding dress? Do you know anyone who designed their own wedding dress? Let us know in the comments and pass this along to your friends and family to see what they think!