On March 3, 1939, Victor Fleming directed the “Wedding Reception of Scarlett and Charles Hamilton.” Scarlett, in her mother’s wedding gown and veil, and her new husband, in his troop’s uniform, receive congratulations from the guests attending their wedding reception.
Those guests no doubt understood the reason why Scarlett’s wedding gown looked too large and too long for her. Her wish to marry Charles before he departed for war left insufficient time to tailor Ellen O’Hara’s wedding gown to fit Scarlett.
That’s exactly what costume designer Walter Plunkett thought as he planned the design of the gown for this scene. So instead of constructing the costume to fit Vivien Leigh, Plunkett made the gown to fit the taller figure of Barbara O’Neil who played Mrs. O’Hara.
Plunkett, who prided himself on the authenticity of his costumes, also incorporated into the gown’s design large sleeves that were fashionable in 1844, the year that Ellen married Gerald O’Hara.
Blog Bio: Pauline Bartel is the author of The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book (2nd edition), which will be published in spring 2014, and an expert on the film and its history. Visit the website (www.paulinebartel.com/resources/books/books-available) for further information. Follow her on Twitter @PaulineBartel