The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-08

| Until this season bride-elects never
] appeared at any social gathering of i'm
portance after their wedding cards
were issued. That rule is now a dead
letter,a nd up TO the day before her
wedding,a young woman is seen every
where. OF course, this is the natural
result Of the recent and reasonable re-
volt against putting together an eiab-
crate trosseau. Smart girls in New
York society, for instance, who are
marrying this spring, have provided
! themselves with suitable wardrobes for
the season and nothing more, and this,
with the getting of the wedding dress,
has left them time and strength for all
the passing gaieties of the moment.
Another new and interesting point in
the present busy hymenial season is
the very early sending out of invita-
lions. Cards are posted just d month
before the day of the wedding. and d
rule, somehow, has arisen ordaining
that directly on receipt of the invita- :
ton, the wedding present must be sent,
or within four days after receiving the
invitation. By this means the bride is
not troubled with the struggling in of
gifts up to the very day of the cere-
mony, and heavy demand on her vo-
cabulary of thanks, all in the week pre-
ceding her n arriage, and maybe the
-vek after.
There is also another deep-laid de-
sign in sending out invitations so early.
A bride who posts her cards four weeks
before the great day fully expects her
friends to call upon her promptly, and,
by skilful conversation, acquire a pref
ty clear notion of what she really wants
in the way of gift Relatives and in
frF1s1 ta sri.
solicit her wishes on that point, or you
can take aside her mother, who knows
the young ladys wishes, and will con-
siderately give helpful tips in regard to
silver bric-a-brac, pictures, jewelry,
etc.
Engagement Pitchers.
To her really close friends. a girl, of
course, writes notes announcing her en-
gagement and expecting in return not
only congratulations, but an engage
ment souvenir.
By men, the occasion can be marked
with flowers, but by women the me-
mento now takes the form OF pitcher
In glass, gold, silver. pewter and all the
varieties of porcelain, these pitchers
are given, nearly all of them small and
engraved or painted with some appro-
pirate sentiment expressing good wish
es. The little jug is always sent full of
flowers or bonbons, and the giving of
one of these, when the engagement is
announced, by no means absolves the
gtver from the duty and expense of d
wedding present.
Only recently have we adopted the
English custom of displaying the we'd
ding gifts, and this is done just two
days before the marriage, in the library
and luncheon is given or refreshments
served to those hidden to view the
jewels and silver, etc. Every body who
has contributed a gift, of course, is
asked, and the invitations consist only
of the young lady's visiting card, on
which is written, below her name, the
words, AT home" then in the left
hand lower corner. ITO view the we'd
ding gifts, from four to six" Every
one is supposed to bring his or her card
along and turn it in to the servant
at the door, as voucher of ones iden-
tity.
For this sDringa new type of an
nouncement card has been issued very
successfully. II consists OF a small
bristol board square, bearing the maid
en- name and address OF the lady, tied
by bit of white ribbon to a larger
card, on which is engraved her married
name, coupled with that of her hus-
band, and then, below, their address
and day at home.
invitation Etiquette.
To many persons are negligent in ac-
knowledging the receipt of a wedding
invitation, or are puzzled to know just
how such an invitation should be treat
ed accepted or regretted. One fixed
rule to keep in mind is the Importance
of acknowledging this courtesy and do
ing so promptly. If asked to the church,
only answer by the accepted formula,
in the third person, saying: Mr.. and