Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-28
High.Priced Brides.

High.PT1ced Brides.
ga New York fashionable wedding is
avery expensive thing" said a prom
;nent New York caterer of Fifteenth
street to a journalier.
.Of course said the reporter. "the
brides clothes cost a great deal, and
nerhaps the groom has to pay the min
Ister a large sum, but do the other ex-
nenses amount to much?"
1.-THE BRIDES outfit is something I
don't know anything about. If a we'd
ding is coming off, the brides father or
mother or uncle OF somebody comes to
me and says: 4 am going to have a
wedding and I want you to furnish for
it.' All right | say, how many
cuestsp We'll, about 800 to the recep-
hon.' Then set to work to calculate
what kind of q table they want"
..How much per guest" interrupted
the reporter, .'does it take for o very
nice wedding collation."
..Well 1 can set a very pretty table
for $50 per head. That will include
ices, bouillon, cake, wine, %jellies, bon
bons, several kinds Of salads, sandwiches,
flowers, china, walters and ALL"
"What else besides the above menu
would people wantp"
20! many things. Champagne,
oysters, a spiced fish which costs twenty
dollars-more if he is a nice fellow; cold
meats, etc. These are all expensive
things, and of course we have to charge
for them"
"Do you include the wedding cake in
the $50 estimator
sNot generally. You see it costs us
about twenty cents for each box full.
The box costs a few cents, the white
satin ribbon that ties it about eight
cents, and the cake about ten cents.
Each box costs the person who orders it
about thirty-fve cents, which, just multi
piled by 800 cents, comes to $1O5. You
can always tell a swell wedding by the
cake that's served to you"
elbow do you go about serving q we'd
ding collation."
II send my head man to inspect the
dining-room and kitchen. Then the
dishes and silver are sent, the kitchen
being given entirely into the hands of
my men. They set the table, mix the
salads, turn out the ices, etc., and just
before the guests come l go Owe and see
if everything is going smoothly. Some
caterers take everything left over away
with them. 1t is a bad thing to do. The
family like the remains of the feast so
much and it is really of no use to the
caterer, except for the walters"
As the reporter left the caterers he
encountered johnson. johnson is a
young and rather good. looking man.
He takes charge of the carriages and
the admittance of the guests at every
fashionable affair. He is to be seen
standing under the awning of the man
sion at which the ball or wedding is
occurring, and calls the numbers Of the
carriages, helps the ladies out, keeps
rogues away, and knows everybody.
'.Why," said a young lady to a jour-
nRiler, ssthere is never the least danger
Of any one but those who desire getting
into q house as long as johnson is
around. You can trust him entirely.
And every one is sur to get their own
carriage too. He is worth his 800 or
5000 a night, and, beside, he often has
men to assist him."
s'Flowers," said a florist to the re-
porter, "cost money. But there are
several ways of decorating a house. l
can make pretty decorations for $75 or
800, and can make decorations for
$500. From 800 to 5000 is the general
layout, however. That will include
the church also. You see we place the
palms, ferns and growing plants about
the chancel, but we take them all back
again. But a wedding bell, a horn of
plenty, and baskets of flowers, cost the
money"
"What are the other expenses Of we'd
dings besides the flowers and the
support" he asked.
''There are the carriages at two
dollars to five dollars apiece. The brides
family order about four besides their
own; and there are the awnings at
the house and church, at fifteen dollars
apiece, and.about twenty-five dollars to
the sexton and ten dollars for the use Of
the church, and then there are the
Invitations big bill in themselves.
People send cards to hundreds they do
not invite. Take, for instance, Mrs.
Vanderbilt's ball. She invited 1,20O
people. For invitations, directing and
delivery, it cost'her over 5000. Now.
let lis figure up. For the breakfast
sl.50 a head for 800 people, $3.50:
flowers. 5000; wedding cake, $105:
awning, $50; johnson, $1oo; carriages.
$40; clothes, $500; in all, $1,195. ]
think I'll just get married and go with.
out the wedding."-M 7. Morning
Journal.
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