Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-07-24
COST OF MARRIAGE.
A modern Wedding is Quite an
Expensive Affair.
OUR CHURCH NUPTIALS ARE HIGH
Brides May Economlze In Many Ways
Some Recent Weddings In Washing
ton-The Groom's Part.
What does it cost to get married?

What does it cost to get married?
The above is a practical and burn
ing question in many households just
at present. Apropos of the epidemic of
weddings that arc always certain to
occur somewhere within the leafy
month of juno the financial side of
the most momentous epoch in the life
of the ordinary man and woman is
not without an important bearing. AS
those who dance must pay the fiddler.
so those who stand in the position of
pa1 ent or guardian to brides and BRIDE
grooms.eleet must be ready to foot
their bills. if the principals do not do
it themselves. A wedding, take it any
way you will, is likely to be about the
most expensive ceremonial with which
the average life is attended, unless it
be a funeral. Indeed,a good many
people whose everyday career is most
commonplace and accompanied by the
least possible flourish throw expense
and care to the winds when the ques-
tion of matrimony looms up and in
dulge in the only great extravaganza of
their lifetime.
There are great many. ways of get
ting married. 1t need no necessarily
cost any more trouble or expense than
the trip to the City Hall for a license
and the visit to the officiating clergy
man. A license only costs dollar,
which is cheap, considering it may
represent life contract. while it will
cost twice as much for your dog to
wear tag for ,each year of his exist
enee, says the Washington Star. The
clergyman's fee depends entirely on
the value you put upon his services.
He has no schedule of prices. Five
dollars is said to be the average.
A great many clergymen would, how
ever, dissent from this as being several
dollars too high. But this feature of
the ceremony is really almost as con-
fidential as the original inquiry which
led up to the marriage. People do
not ordinarily describe the circum-
stances of their proposing or accepting.
Neither do they tell the amount of
their wedding fee. But be that great
or small. there are certain other well
defined expenses incurred which are
apparent to all, and which anybody
and everybody can find out themselves
if they take the trouble. Custom has
ordained which parts of the burden
each of the high contracting principals
or their parents shall bear.
The average fashionable wedding
takes place in church. Outside of the
reverend gentleman included in the
ceremonial there is the organist to be
paid, sometimes the choristers also, and
always the sexton to remember. The
chancel is usually decorated with
plants and palms, which is another ex-
pense, though not heavy one, consid-
ering the effect attained by he,presence
of the living green. Evening we'd
dings have grown bit unpopul ar
lately: SO the reception following the
average wedding is breakfast. The
guests invited to this event are sup
posed to include only the most intimate
friends and the kinfolk of the con-
tracing families.
The BRIDES parents make the ar
rangements for the wedding at the
church, pay for the decorations of the
church just as they do for their house
and the invitations go out in their
name, and are paid for by them. This
is sometimes not a small item, as hun
dreds are sent to out t-oftown friends
The wedding reception is another i'm
portant part of their expenditures. The
bridesmaids gowns are also presented
! to them by the bride, and occasionally
elegant souvenirs in the way of jew
elry. With all these details attended
to the duty of the bride or her repre-
sentatives in financial way is about
ended. The groom presents his ushers
, with such extras as gloves, neckties
and boutonieres, and scarfpins if he
would be extremely fashionable, pays
, the bill for the carriages to transport
all the bridal party to the church and
) home again, sends bouquets to the
bride, her attendants and his future
mother-in-law and ordinarily pays the
clergyman. To put it all down il
, plain figures, such wedding as de
r scribed, carried ON without any specia
5 elaboration in these details, canno
= cost much less than thousand dollars
r which is very modest ana conserVa
tive estimate. Added to this, or in
cluded in it, is the fee to the minister,
t whether that be in the nature of ;
e check from the BRIDES parents or he
future husband.
An itemized account would reat
t something like this:
g Brides gown, 5000; two bridesmaids
e gowns, $3.50; souvenirs for attendants
$25; decorating church and house. $50
breakfast (150 guests. 5000; wine
l. 800; church expenses, $35; awnings
% $780, stationery, $40 unforeseen ex
J. tras, $50. Total. 5000.
It The most expensive item in tn
= groom's part of the wedding day dis
bursements is the cost of the bride