What's behind a wedding dress?

That's what author and soon-to-be documentarian Donna Guthrie called the Wedding Gown Project, a nonfiction writing contest she sponsored last year that asked women to share the stories behind their wedding dresses.
The Colorado woman, who is one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, had an ulterior motive. Guthrie, 65, thought it might be fun to submit her own short film to the festival she helped create, and she needed inspiration.
"I decided to write and produce a seven-minute film on 'The Wedding Gown: One Day, One Dream, One Dress,' which came about looking at some old pictures of my own wedding in 1973. It started me thinking about the dress itself and how brides are spending so much time and money on a dress you wear for four hours."
As Guthrie talked to friends, she found everyone had her own wedding dress story: where she bought it, how much she paid and how long she looked for it.
From reading the contest's nearly 50 entries, Guthrie said she is learning what questions to ask when filming begins on the documentary next year and solidifying some of her own thinking.
"The contest was important to get some other input besides my own thoughts about weddings," Guthrie said.
She will interview a woman who wore the same dress as her grandmother, mother, sister and daughter; a divorced woman who kept her cheap wedding dresses; a gay couple married 10 years ago; a young woman and feminist who is choosing not to wear a wedding dress and a 5-year-old girl who will talk about the princess culture, which permeates the wedding gown story.
Guthrie will submit the movie, which, if accepted, will be shown in November at the film festival.
As for Guthrie's wedding, which was planned by her parents and held on a farm, she said she looked like a pilgrim and her husband looked like Juan Valdez.
"What was I thinking?" she said with a laugh.
Whether it's the perfect wedding gown at the perfect price, a steal of a deal or a gown handcrafted with love, one thread runs through: When it comes to the wedding dress, there's always a story to be told.