The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-09-05
BRIDES MAIDS.
Some Old Notions Conserving Wedding
Attendants.

Attendants.
Importance was formerly attached ia
the colors which the bride wore on hel
wedding day. Thus, in an old book
entitled the Fifteen Comforts of Mar
riage," bride and her bridesmaids are
represented conversing together re-
speeding the colors to be used for the
decoration of the bridal dress. 1t was
finally decided, after various colors had
been rejected, ''to mingle gold tissue
with grass green this being consid-
cred symbolical of youthful jollity.
Again, that the Office of bridesmaid
was in time@past not altogether sine
qua non may be gathered from the fact
that during the period of the wedding
festivities, which often extended over a
week, the bridesmaids were expected to
be in attendance and to do whatever
they could to promote their success.
Then there was the custom of fling
ing the stocking" at which the brides
maids took a prominent lead; a cere-
mony to which no small Importance
was attached. 1t has been made the
subject of frequent allusion by our old
writers, and one rhyme, describing a
wedding, tells us:
"But still the stockens are to throw;
Some throw too high and some too low,
There's none cOuld hit tho mark
Nilsson further informs us that if the
bridegroom's stocking thrown by one
of the bridesmaids, fell upon his head,
it is regarded as an omen that she her
self would soon be married; and SINH
lar prOgnOStic was taken from the fall
ing of the brides stocking, thrown by
one of the groomsmen. 1t was the
bridesmaids duty, too, to present the
bride with the "benediction posset, -
SO called from the words uttered over
it: a practice thus noticed by Herrick,
in his "Hesperides"
"What short sweet prayers shall be said,
And how the poSset shall be made
With cream of lilies, not of kline,
And maidens blush for spiced wine"
Sucking thus alludes to this custom:
an came the bridesmaids with the posset
The bridegroom eat in spight'
Once more the bridesmaid DIS were sup
posed to look after the brides pecuniary
interests. Thus, at the church porch,
when the bridegroom produced the ring
and other articles relating to his mar
riage, the chief bridesmaid took charge
of the ''dow purse" which was public
ly given to the bride as an installment
of her pin-money. Horace Walpole,
writing to Miss Berry,in the year 1891,
speaks of the dow-purse as a thing OF
the past and writes as follows:
"Our wedding is over very properly,
thOTIUh with LITTLE parnn,Onv md moth
ing of ancient fashion but two brides
maids. The endowing purse | believe,
has been left off since broad pieces were
called in and melted down"
1t has been pointed out, however
that survival of this usage is preserved
in Cumberland. The bridegroom pro
vides himself with gold and crown
pieces, and when the service reaches the
point, with all my worldly goods |
thee endow' he takes the money,
hands the clergyman his fee, and pours
the rest into Il handkerchief which the
bridesmaid holds for the bride.
In Scotland the bridesmaid is popu-
larly known as the 'best maid, ~ and
one of her principal duties was to con-
vey the brides presents on the wedding
to her future home. The first article
generally taken into the house was a
vessel of salt, a portion of which was
sprinkled over the floor, as q protection
against the "evil eye" She also at
tended the bride when she called on
her friends, and gave a personal invita-
ton to her wedding.-T. r. IHiStIeton
3yer, an CaSSeWS FAMILY Magazine.