The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-19
THE PROPER WAY TO GET MARRIED.

Rice and slippers, slippers and rice!
Quaint old symbols of nll that's nice
In u world made up of sugar and spice;

Quaint old symbols OF al that's nice
In a world made up of sugar and spice;
With a honeymoon always shining.
A world where the birds keep house by twos
And the. ring dove calls. and the stock dove COOS,
And maids are many and men may choose,
And never shall love go pining."
If there were no weddings there would be
no "art of entertaining 1t is the key
note, the initial letter, the open sesame of
the great business of society.
Therefore, certain general and very, per-
haps. unnecessary hints az to the conduct
of weddings in oil countries may not be out
of place here.
In London a wedding in high life, or
as the French call it "hilif'' is a very
sweeping affair. If we were to read
alone the descriptions in the court
Journal of one wedding trosseau furnished
to a royal princess, or to Lady Gertrude
Somebody, we should say with Fielding
that "Dress is the principal accomplish
ment of men and women,'' and as for the
wedding cake which is built at Gunter's, it
is o sight to see, almost as big as Mount
Blanc.
The Importance of Counter is as
sqred by the "Epicure's Almanac
published in 1916, and for many years
this firm supplied the royal family.
When George III. was king the royal
dukes stopped to eat his pines in gratitude
for the sweet repasts furnished them in
childhood. but now the 'Buzzards, of 1877
Oxford street, also are specialists for we'd
ding cakes.
Leigh Hunt, writing one of his pretty
little essays, described one Trumbull
Walker as the "artist who confined himself
to that denomination" meaning wedding
cake. His mantle fell on the Buzzards.
This enormous cake and the equally
enormous bouquet are the chief distinctive
marks inhwhich a London wedding differs
from ours.
To beylegal. unless by special license of
the archbishop. of York, weddings in Eng
land must be celebrated before twelve
o'clock. The reason given for this law ia
that before 1920 gentlemen were supposed
to be drunk after that hour and not re-
sponsible for their own promise and express
sion made at the altar.
In France a singular difference of dress
on the part of the,groom exists. He wears
always a dress coat and q white cravat, as do
all his ushers and immediate friends. 1t
looks very trans to English and American
eyes.
The wedding breakfast in England is Of
ten n Shutdown affair with speeches.
1t is not followed in our country often;
perhaps it is we'll to omit the speeches.
And now, how does a wedding begin? As
for the ~premonitory symptoms, they are in
the airtfor several weeks. 1t is whispered
about amongst the bridesmaids, it gets into
the papers. 1t would be easy to write a
volume, and it would be a useful volume if
it brought conviction to the hearts of the
offenders, on the wrong done to young
ladies by newspapers who assume without
authority to publish the news of an engage
ment.
Many a match has been broken off by
such a premature surmise on the part of
some not we'll informed person, and the
happiness of n or more persons injured
for life.
Young people like to approach this
most important event of their lives in a
great mutual confidence and secresy, con-
6equently society newspapers should be
very careful how they either report an en-
gagenn6nt or declare that it is ''otf." Some
times rumors preiudicial to the gentleman
are circulated without sufficient reason,
and of COURSE, much ill feeling is engen-
dered.
The first intimation of an engagement
should come from the BRIDES mother, and
the young bride fixes the day of her we'd
ding herself.
Then the father and mother or guar
dams of the young lady issue cards,
naming the day and cur of the we'd
ding.
Brides often give the attendant maidens
their dresses, or if they do not do this, they
suggest what they shall wear.
The groom gives the bridesmaids lock-
cts, bracelets or rings and presents each of
his ushers with scarf pins or studs, some
thing by which he shall remember the day.
The fashion of groomsmen has passed
away, and the happy man is only attended
by "a best nan" one friend at the altar
who holds his hat and otherwise sustains
him.
The bridesmaids still hold their own, al
though n pretty fashion has been intro
duced of a Lady of Honor" who precedes
the bridal procession into the church.
Six ushers generally precede the party
into the church, after having seated the
guests. These are generally followed by
six bridesmaids, who walk two and two.
No one wears a veil but the bride herself,
who enters on her fathers arm.
The bridal dress is of white with long
train: the veil of tulle or real lace, must be
fastened with orange blossoms.
But all this may be varied if the bride
chooses, and Il travelling dress and bonnet
substituted. Young widows who marry n
second time must not wear white or wells.
The fact that the bride ia in white satin
n often with low neck and short sleeves,
the groom in full morning costume, ia
much criticised in France.
The invitations to the wedding are very |
simple and explicit:
ME-. AND MRS. CHAPMAN
-a-,.at A. " j