Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-06-19
THE WEDDING RECEPTION.

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White House never presented a
more brilliant spectacle than tonight
on the occasion of the first official
reception given by President Cleve-
land and Mrs. Cleveland. The dec
orations were on the same grand
scale as at the Presidents wedding,
with the exception that there were
more tropical plants and ferns, and
less flowers. The walls of the East
Room were hidden by plants, and
garlands of smilax and evergreens
were festooned from the chandeliers
and cornices. The mantels were
banked with rare exotics, and the
window recesses filled with palms.
The decorations of the other parlors
we're of similar description. The
scene when the reception was at its
height, with the rich toilets of the
ladies, the splendor of the costumes
worn by some of the diplomats and
the bright uniform of the officers.
was most brilliant.
Mrs. Cleveland was attired in her
wedding dress, an ivory satin; the
waist, however, was slightly changed,
being pointed back and front, and
without sleeves. She wore white
silk gauntlet mits. Her only orna
ments were the diamond necklace,
the wedding gift of the President
and a magnificent bouquet of white
roses worn at the corsage. Mrs
Cleveland's hair was dressed in Gre
clan coils, and the charming sim
plicity of her whole attire only serv
ed to show to greater advantage the
dignity of her carriage and the
graceful poise of her figure. She
had a smile for every one and a
| word for many, and her winsome
manners captivated all.
The diplomatic corps were the
first to be presented, led by the
Dean, Mr.. Preston, Minister of Hay
ii, and Mrs. Preston. All the lega
tions were represented by their min
listers or attaches. The ministers o.
Ecuador and Bolivia came on from
New York expressly to pay their re
spects to the new mistress of the
White House. The Brazilian Prince
leopold and the officers of the Bra
lillian frigate BaIosso accompanied
the members of the Brazilian Lega
ton, and were treated with marked
consideration. Judge Porter, First
Assistant Secretary of State and
Chief Clerk Brown presented the
gentlemen and ladies' Of the corps
A general reception of all the other
invited guests then followed, without
any particular order of precedence.
So great was the curiosity to see
the young bride that the private
secretaries of senators, department
clerks, and all the real estate brok
ers in town, who claim they sold the
President his new country home
squeezed in among the invited
guests.
The ladies turned out en- masse
aud every gentleman who made his
way into the house had with him al
least two, and some were noticed
with as many as half a dozen. The
first thing they wanted to see was
| Mrs. Cleveland, and consequently
the hallway and doorways where q
glimpse of the young mistress OF the
White House could be had were
crowded. She looked very hand
some the first time the public had a
chance to look at her, and they gaz
ed with all their eyes, and wished
for more; indeed, some improvised
an extra sight by using opera glass
es. All the evening the crowd ling
cred about the doorway in front Of
where she stood, and were happy te
look. Mrs. Cleveland is slim in fig
ure and tall. She weighs about 12C
pounds, and is taller than the Presi
dent. He knows this and fears the
comparison, and always stands about
two feet or more from her, SO that
the crowd will not discover the diff
ference in height. He was particu
larly careful about this point tonight
and evidently Mrs. Cleveland had
posted him on it.
Many people were greatly disap.
pointed because wedding cake was
not given out to the guests, and the
doorkeepers had to tell hundreds oil
people who asked where they could
get the cake, that there was none
The reception was one of the largest
ever given at the White House
there being not less than two thous
and guests present.
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