The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1880-09-22
Partisan Marriages..

Our lady readers will perhaps be interested
TO know how grand marriage is arranged at
Paris. The preliminaries are generally ar
ranged between the two families with the helm
OF the notaries; less often the marriage is
more romantic and springs purely from love,
in which case the traditional steps of court
ship and marriage are much modified Snp-
posing, however, that marriage has been
recognized as advisable between two families.
the first thing to do is to arrange an interview
between the young folks. For this purpose
some neutral ground is generally chosen-a
reception al friends house concert, a ball.
aud the theaters. The opera is preferred by
the world of fashion the Opera Comique is
popular with the bourgeoise and the provin-
Gals. The young man sits in the orchestra,
and the young girl, dressed in her best, is
placed IN front of box. Between the acts
the young man pays visit to the box and is
presented. The next day he pays . visit to
the father and makes formal demand OF the
Young lady's hand. If he is accepted he be-
gins to pay court to the young girl. Every
day, at tins stage of the proceedings, the
young man is admitted to the house of his
future wife as if he were one of the family.
He is called by his Christian name. The day
after the accordailles, or his acceptation nv
the family, he presents his future wife with a
ring, always the same, one pearl, or two pearls
mounted with diamonds. You may see these
rings by the score in the jewelers. shops.
Every day, too, he sends bouquet of flowers.
Nowadays these bouquets are splendid, and
cost small fortune, for it is the custom to en-
velop them with lace, which is sometimes re-
placed by watered ribbon, on which the name
OF the girl is embroidered. In aristocratic
families the first person to whom the marriage
is announced is the Pope, who sends his bene-
dlction by telegraph on the day of the cere
mony at the church. The mother. accom-
panied by her daughter. visits her friends in
order to inform them of the happy news. In
Madame de Savigne's days a young girls
wedding trousseau only contained three dresses.
In the year of grace 1850 a wedding trousseau
In high life is a very grand affair, and CON-
prlses twelve dresses, all made up, with stock
lngs, shoes, sunshades, ard hats to match
The trousseau, together with the linen. is
worth from twenty to fifty Thousand francs.
In the trousseau of the Princess Isabella de
Gray. the wife of the Arch6uke Frederick of
Austria, all the linen is counted by the gross.
There are twelve dozens of everything. The
wedding presents, the "corbeiIe," are no
longer sent in basket covered with bows and
ruches of ribbon. The modern /" corbeille'' is
piece Of furniture chiffonier, workable.
or whatnot. A few presents only are placed
in it, and the rest are sent A purse full of
gold is always hidden in one Of the drawers:
1t is the share of the poor, the charity purse.
1t is no longer the custom for the bridegroom
to present the traditional cashmere shawl.
That has gone out Of fashion. The corbeille
of high life now contains two lace dresses not
made up, two or three satin dresses and two
fancy dresses, maBtles, and sorties de bal.
Fans of all degrees of splendor, scent bottles,
a necessaire, and caTd-case are indispensa
BILE. "BibeIots," too, are represented in the
corbeille" by groups in SAKE, Louis Nv,
chatelaines, fans painted by Vatican, or any
agreeable and precious knick-knack which
the fancy of the bridegroom can suggest and
the curiosity shops furnish On everything
the young lady's crest, motto, and monogram
figure, and on her Church Service her armorial
bearings, with all their quarterings, will be
displayed an graHd cOmpies- In the matter of
jewelry We may add that the pearls are
esteemed higher than diamonds. A necklace
of pearls Of I've rows is worth five hundred
Thousand francs, or one hundred thousand
dollars II Is no longer the custom to exhibit
on the day of the signing of the contract the
presents given 70 the bride by her friends and
relatives In England they publish the lists
Of the presents and their donors in the Court
Journal and the local newspapers. Here the
bride thanks each Of those who have thought