Morning journal and courier., 1881-04-22
Price Four Cents.

Ing q space TOT the couple who are to be I married. The bride is taken by the hand by | the groom, who receives her from her father 1 as she mounts the first step.
 The service then proceeds, the organ playing very softly until the prayer, when the music stops, and all join in the familiar words Then the blessing is given, the clergyman | eongratulates the bride, and the young peo- pie turn to leave the church, followed by all ! the bridesmaids and ushers in reverse order Maids are in waiting in the vestibule to cloak l the bride and her attendants as they come 1 out from this peageant into the cold and dan erous air. This is great exposure, and often i leads to trouble; our churches all need larger ! vestibules. The bride and groom return to | the house of the former, followed as quickly l as possible by the bridesmaids, and stand to | receive their friends under a floral bell or a floral arch, or some other pretty device The 1 bridesmaids are arranged on either side, and I the ushers (whose place is no sinecure) bring l up the guests in order to present to the hap ' py pair. The brides mother, vacating the place of hostess for the nonce stands at the l other end of the room to talk to her friends,
 and to also receive their congratulations Of 1 course her own family are allowed to kiss the ! bride first.
 1 The bride remains at her post an hour and 1 a half, then leaves the room to ascend and | dress for her bridal tour. She come down 1 in the quiet dress fitted for travelling in this country (where the bright blue velvets and shiny silks which are used in England for l bgidal trips are not allowed, probably owing to the fact that our railway trains are more I public and less clean than those of the Brit
 ish lsle). and bids her friends goodby Get ting into the carriage followed by the groom ] the young pair are driven off under shower of rice and slippers which are thrown after them for luck.
 l The wedding presents which in the houses | of rich and popular brides are wondrous fine ! and costly, are frequently shown In New I York one of Tiffanys men comes up to ar l sange them on a large table or series of tables and the silver and gold and diamond orna- ments, the sets of silver. the Iaecs, the china. and the gilt ornaments for a parlor, the Dres- den toilet table sets, the fans, and the clocks and lamps, are freely criticised. plain- looking, watchful man in dark suit stand near the diamonds; this is a detective in plain clothes who is attending to the safety of these valuables, for thieves break through and steal, sometimes even clad in purple and fine linen. Some families object to the display of the presents, and the brides intimate friends alone are allowed the pleasure of beholuing them.
 me bride writes note, over her own hand always to thank the sender of each gift In the days of betrothal the young lover must task papa" of course, for his daugh-
 ter's hand, as soon as the young lady has al- lowed him to believe that she will say ''yes'' l fdncee (we have no synonyme fer this word in English) a diamond solitaire engagement ring, paying for it anywhere from $2O0 to $1 ,OOO This seems to be indispensable, al- though it is to be regretted that the expen- siveness of modern betrothals and weddings is keeping many young men from wedding the girls whom they love.
 Some very opulent grooms are adopting the English fashion of giving three gypsy rings instead of the diamond solitaire, which F are hoops of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires These form beautiful ornament for the third finger of pretty hand.
 The wedding ring is still the old, strong, pure circlet of virgin gold with the posy within, and the initials of bride and groom, the date, and anything else which the parties choose.
 The manner of announcing engagements
 seems to be frequently this: The groom steps into his club and tells an intimate friend; the lady writes to her intimate friends, and her mamma has the day before informed all the grandparents, the aunts, and cousins. It then flies on the wings of the wind; it is caught up by Jenkins; 1t appears in the news papers. The young couple give it final en- | dorsement by walking arm in arm in Fifth avenue.
 Weddings in the evening are in the same order as the morning wedding, with the sin gle difference that in the morning the gentle men are dressed in frock coats and gray trou- sers, while in the evening they are, ofcourse, in dress suit of solemn black, with white necktie, and, in fact, full evening dress The bride makes no difference in her dress; be it
 morning or evening, she is in full dress, with Iaoe, dieraopds, ard flowers,
 For wedding at home, which is so much
 preferred by some people, the most conven- tent place for the clergyman to stand is ar
 ranged by the lady of the house, and cushions
 are laid down for the bride and groom to kneel upon. The clergyman stands facing the company, while the pair to be married stand with their backs to the guests. After the ceremony the clergyman retires, and the bridal pair take his place. The favorite fashion for spring weddings Is to dress the bridesmaids in short waisted mus lin frocks, long gloves and poke bonnets.
 For widow or an elderly person bonnet
 at her wedding is de rtgeeur, and veil out ot
 the question Many elderly brides wear dark
 velvet or silk costumes and bonnets to church
 are married, so to speak, ln travelling cos
 tume Such brides dispense with bridesmaids.
 There is a sumptuary law against appear
 ing at a wedding in mourning. If the brides mother is widow she should lay aside her cap and veil on that occasion. In England the very uncompromislng color bright red IS considered wedding mourning, that is, the brides mother or sisters, if in deepest mourn- ing will wear the color of & Jacqueminot rose to the wedding and still be supposed to be paying the true respect to the departed A bride should never be married in black or put on black travelling costume. The ceremonial of church weddings at the
 Catholic and Episcopal communions is to be
 commended, as it compels both parties to
 take public VOW and promise which cannot be lightly broken For this reason many Of the clergy of other denominations are using
 the beautiful ritual of the English Episcopal Church Every pair, however, can, of course, choose for themselves their own church, and
 the etiquette must vary little to suit the oc-
 casion. Long exordiums from the clergyman
 are no longer in fashion. The couple are
 married as quickly as possible to avoid agi-
 tation on the part of the bride, to whom
 church wedding is a sevire ordeal. Nor Is 1t
 good plan to have hymn sung duing the
 service, although some people of great good
 taste have done it, for it keeps the bride
 standing, "the exposure of neighboring eyes,
 too long for her peace and comfort; at mo
 ment, too, when, with heart fraught with
 feeling, and a reception before her, she has
 need of all her strength, nerve, and compo-
 sure It should be added that if the bride IS
 an orphan; and wishes the support of her
 brothers and sisters, it is perfectly proper
 tn at several marriedcouples should precede
 her into the church, and should stand about
 her in the space near the altar. A mother
 who is widow can accompany her daughter
 to the altar, and wive her away.