Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-03-22
NUMBER u.

riage in high life above alluded to, We
learn, from letter wrrittea 10y one OF
the guests, that no ceremony was
omitted of bridecakes, points, gartcrs,
or gloves" The more refined, and,
we may add, judicious taste of the
present day. has very properly limited
the observance of ancient customs 10
the bridecakes. favors, and gloves,
and thus the fair bride is no longer
Exposed to the rude and uncorteous
handling of such as were dcsirous Of
securing wedding trophies afterwards
to be worn in the hats of the winners.
Wedding favors were, it is well
known, pinned in the dress of the
bride {; aud the hapless Catharine of
Braganza is described as wearing "a
gown of rose color, trimmed with
knots of blue ribbon !" these knots
the Countess of Suffolk, her first lady
of the bedchamber, at the conclusion
of the ceremony, detached from her
Majcsty's dress, and distributed as
wedding favors among the company,
giving the first to the Duke Of York,
aud the others, as far as they would
60, to the officers of the state, ladies'.
aud persons Of quality, not leaving
the queen one. "All the ribbons"
says Sir Richard Fanshawe, "on the
queens dress wern cut to pieces, aud
every one present had fragment"
We may imagine the scramble and
competition that took place on such
occasions.
The bride favors, or true loveknots,
ancient symbols of love, faith, and
frienship. pointing out the indsso!u-
ble tie Of affection aud duty, did not,
as might be supposed, take their
name of true love knots from the words
I" true and "love," but from the
Danish verb, Trulofa fiidcm do; Il
plight my faith or troth. These knots
were formerly distributed in great
abundance were worn in the hats by
gentlemen, aud consisted of variously
colored ribbous, which were chosen by
the bride and her maids, sometimes
after long and serious discussion. We
read of one which ended in favurs of
gold, silver, carnation, and white
ribbons ~ aud OF another, in which
the colors were at last fixed as follows;
" For the favors, blue, red. peach col-
or, and orange tawny. For the young
ladies, flame color (signifying plentyl
peach color, grass green, and milk
white for the garters. perfect yell
low, signiiying honor and joy"
- Like streamers in the painted sky,
Al every breath the fayors ny -
Besides these wedding knots, "rings"
were formerly given away at the fes-
tive season, la Woods "Atl;enes
Oxonienses," Brand tells US that there
is an account Of the famous ph.cso.
pher Kelly, of Queen Eiisabcth's days,
who was openly profuse. beyond the
modest limits of a philosopher, for
that he did give away in golden wire
rings at the marriage of one of his
house servants, TO the amount of four
thousand pounds )" custom which
the provider of the wedding entertain
ment Of the present day has little
cause TO regret having fallen into
disuse.
"Gloves, rings, bracelets, and such
small ware" as Strut calls them.
were wont to be frequently exchanged
between the betrothed lover and his
mistress and the latter, in present
iQg u bracelet of her own hair, was
considered TO bcstow a most especial
mark of favor. 1t was also fashion
for each of those betrothed, to wear a
rose or other flower as an external or
conspicuous mark of their mutual en-
gagement but the conceit of choos-
ing such short lived emblems of their
piighted troth, cannot be thought a
very happy or propitious mode OF
symbo!lzng the eternal bond u
love" For
II Is written on the rose, #.F
In It's gi0ryis fsll array.
Read whist fhesA leaves ~!sclose-- .-s.G
Passing away