LEWISBURG -- "Will You Marry Me," an examination of courtship and marriage customs during the 19th century, will be the focus of an exhibit that opens at the Slifer House Museum on Saturday and will continue through Nov. 1.

To open the exhibit, a lecture concerning the exhibit and highlighting some of the customs and superstitions surrounding marriage will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The gallery space of the museum will be transformed into a country wedding chapel, complete with pews, stained glass and an altar. Lewisburg resident Jim Clark has loaned stained-glass windows and an altar for the setting.

Courtesy of Country Cupboard, floral designer Michael Brody has provided silk floral arrangements for the enhancement of the room settings. Giant Foods will produce facsimiles of wedding cakes, and Lewisburg Bridal Shop has loaned the museum a Victorian-style wedding dress.

The house will be appointed throughout with vignettes -- the table of opened wedding gifts, the wedding cakes on the dining room table, packing of trunks with the bride's trousseau and so on.

A number of marriage certificates and wedding photographs will enhance the gallery space. Wedding outfits (circa 1785-1930) from the museum's permanent collection will enhance the museum's rooms as well. The exhibit is based upon preliminary research conducted by Sue McGoun, of Winfield.

The exhibit has been installed by museum intern Jessica Owens, of Middleburg. A senior at Susquehanna University, Owens served an internship at the museum in spring 2008 and has returned as an intern this semester. She will graduate a few days after the opening of the exhibit.

She has been reviewing items from the permanent collection for inclusion in the exhibit as well as seeking items for possible loan. Owens has been researching customs and facts about weddings held during the Victorian period. She will present her findings at the lecture.

Admission to the museum is $6 for adults, $5 for senior citizen, $3 for children, 10 to 16 years old, and free for those who are members of Slifer House. The lecture will be included with admission on Saturday. For further information, call the museum at (570) 524-2245.