Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-03-25

has u plan 10 vary the story.
1t tells it in straw. in wood. and in tin.
In crystal and silver. and blessings Of kin
I'LL fifty ripe summers are harvested in,
Then gold must picture its glory.
An Indiana correspondent, who as we
infer from her question, has been making
some good man happy for fifteen years,
wishes to know about crystal or glass
weddings, and how to celebrate them.
"Shall we issue special invitations" !"
she asks, or general one to all who
may wish to be present? /? What is the
prescribed character of the refreshment
dinner, supper, cake and wine, or
what? DO fifteen married years entitle
us to a crystal wedding? In short, won't
you tell us all about these bridal festivi-
ties, theirsequences, characteristics, etc. ?"
With pleasure, Mrs. "Clara" In the
first place, to the best of our knowledge
and belief, after diligent investigation,
we will state that, as far as fashion has
at present established it, the order Of
succession is as follows:
When the third anniversary Of the
marriage-day is celebrated, it is called
the Straw wedding; the fifth is Wooden
the tenth, Tin; the fifteenth, Crystal
the twenty-ffth, Silver the fftieth, Col.
den. Each of these are observed accor.
ding to the taste, inclination and social
condition of the welded pair. They may
keep it in the daytime or evening, OF
both-may have breakfast, luncheon
dinner, supper, or simple " handing
around" of cake, lemonade, wine, or ices
just as they please. They may partake
in blissful duo, or they may summon on
ly relatives on both sides, or relative:
and intimate friends or they may make
an affair of it, and invite all creation
and his wife.
As for the form of invitation, here
again liberty prevails. Some even go SC
far as to advise simply putting notice
in the local newspaper:
"Mr. and Mrs. So-and so-on such OIL
such day. Tin wedding brother wed
ing as the case may be-. Friends of the
family affectionately invited to attend :
In this case. care should be taken les
the announcement get accidentally slip
ped in among the deaths, and thus sug
gest familiar clauses touching upor
"Christian fortitude," patient enduranc'
to the last" etc., etc. The usual mode
however, is to send envelope and enclo
sure adorned with blended monograms
Just like regular wedding invitations, ex
cept that dates are given to indicate tn
number of years that have passed sine
I" her sweet will /" made the happ,
pair one. The distinctive title of tn
anniversary is placed between, thus:
Mr.. AND MRS. JOHN KONJUGAL
1860. TIN WEDDING. 1876
This plan has its obvious drawback
but it is fashionable, and, alas f! that j
quite enough to sanction it.
Now for the point, and here the obvi
Gus drawback comes in. Great as is tn
freedom as to special modes of observ
ance, refreshment, form of invitation o
as to whether an anniversary shall b
observed at all, custom is inexorable o
one point; it requires that every CUES
relative or not, friend or not, lax or 10,
ing, rich or poor, saint or sinner, sha
bring an appropriate gift on the occ'
sion. 1t may be never SO trifipg or il
expensive, but gift it must be, and {
straw, wood, tin, glass, silver, or golt
according to the bearings ofpresent dai
and that of the grand double entry
the family record. Those few words b
tween the dates on the resuscitated WEI
ding card virtually announce of VIII;
sort the Offering must be, and that is VIII
they strike one as being in bad taste.
And yet how often simple, homes
minded folk might be distracted by tho'
same figures if their invitations contain
ed no further explanation
Mr.. and Mrs. KonjugaFs Con,plimentset
1S55-1S70.
Imagine the CONSERVATION of many
prospective guest at not knowing whetl
er fifteen years meant wood or tin I
glass, and the utter wretchedness on di
, covering at the festal hour that he or 81
had invested in precisely the wrong m
terial!
However, time will do away with 4