Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-05-25
THE BRIDE AND GROOM SIT
DURING CEREMONY.
Saturday l. the Favorite Day For the
Ceremony--The Presents Given
Are Always Numerous
and Costly.

T Getting married is a very trouble
+ some affair in France Officialism is
rampant in every department. of life.
/ Even the peasants have endless papers
10 produce before they can satisfy M.
le Marie One of a mayors most i'm
/ portant duties is 10 act as registrar.
he important knot is tied-twice over
in the case of the faithfuI-with i'm
mense care. First. there IS the civil
ceremony mt the town hall. then the
religious one in the parish church
Sometimes the two events come off on
the same day, but it is more usual for
two or three days to elapse before the
/ benediction is pronounced over the
! bridal pair to the accompaniment or
some intricate mass sung by profess
sional Fabulous sums are occasional
~ given to singers from the Grand
opera house on such occasions by
wealthy people.
One curious thing is to see the bride
and bridegroom comfortably seated
during the greater part of the service
IN large arm chairs placed in the CEN
ter close to the altar rails Brides
maids play n very different part to
what they do at an English or Ameri-
can wedding. In the first place, even
the chief bridesmaid does nothing TO
help the bride in her struggles with
veil and gloves. Then they are never
dressed alike. Each one carries a
quaint little bag matching her gown.
in which she collects the offerings for
the poor Indeed, it IS much more
usual for a girl to say. "So-and-so has
asked me to collect for her" than to
announce an invitation to become de-
moiselle d'honneur (bridesmaid).
Saturday seems the favorite day for
weddings The ceremony takes place
as a rule about / O'clock. The closed
carriages used by the bourgeois class
are large and so much glazed that the
occupants and their toilets are dis
tinctly visible One frequently sees
strings Of these vehicles in the Champs
Elysees, making their way toward the
Bots de Boulogne, where they will pa
rade about until the hour of dinner
In summer time, especially. the vari-
Gus restaurants in the Bots are greatly
restored TO. Persons in society seldom
do this; they usually return to the
house of the brides parents. where
reception is held and light refresh
ments offered during the rest of the
afternoon. in any case Il wedding is
an expensive affair, but ii has compen-
sation in the way of beautiful pres
ents. In France il is the custom for
the bride to bestow gifts upon her in
innate girl friends. these souvenirs
taking the form of jewelry or elegant
trifies for the toilet table.
ApropoS OF mayors, here is little
incident which was amusing One day
on entering friends fiat a lady was
much struck BY tho lugubrious aspect
of the cook who admitted her aud re-
marked upol. ii to her friend.
ooh don you know: She is trying
TO get married"
Is that ~uch tragic affair?' she
asked
Well. ven see. there is a hitch. The
woman's name is DeIphine T.: AZ
least. that is what she is always called.
bnt on tho register in her village she
is entered n Marie Louise 2. like
all the other girls"
How Id tile world is that? What i
strange idea
lit is The mayors doing When
birth had to Dc recorded, whatever the
parents might desire he always put
Jean for boy and Marie Louise for
a girl Perhaps ne was conservative
ana disapproyed of fancifu digres-
sion"