The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-01
MISS HELEN RIPLEY BENEDICT
 WEEDS THOMAS HASTINGS.
Daughter of the Millionaire Banker Married at Greenwich Yesterday Af- ternoon.

Daughter or the Mllllolfdlie IoaHhel Married at Greenwich Yesterday Af- ternoon.
 Greenwich, April 3O.-An event of such magnificencc and lavishness as to
 render 1t capable of characterization as
 probably the most dazzling of it's kind
 that has ever been witnessed m New
 England brought this old town to complete standstill this afternoon when
 Miss Helen Ripley the favorite daugn- ter of Elias c. Benedict, the millionaire
 banker, was joined In marriage with Thomas Hastings of New York. When the invitations were sent out naming Monday, April 30, as the we'd ding day, two other prospective spring brides, Miss Edith Morton, daughter of the former vice president and Miss Margaret Stockton Beasley of New York, both friends of Miss Benedict. created some consternation by naming
 the same day, and the three announce
 ments were issued almost sinu!tane-
 ously.
 For many days scores of workmen,
 carpenters, florists and electricians
 have been engaged in the decoration of
 the church and the residence. For the
 floral work the contents of the fifteen
 greenhouses OH the Benedict property
 were found to be inadequate and the
 immense stock of prominent Fifth
 avenue florist of New York was se- cured to complete the work. Superb
 magnolia blooms, the pride of the south, constituted the predominating feature of the decorations. Heliotrope and southern smilax were used in pro fusion. An immense canopy of this vine, extended from side to side, and the whole length of the interior. The windows were covered with banks of smlax and evergreen to the complete exclusion of thu. daylight. Numberless
 palms and magnolia trees, reinforced with myriads of potted plants added to the beauty of the scene The rays of arc lights peered through the foliage and made the old stone Congregational church to assume the appearance of a summer forest.
 The special train of eighteen coaches conveying upwards of a thousand guests from New York city and points
 west pulled into Greenwich station shortly before 3ao'clock. The grounds of the railroad company at the station were given over to this burst of traffic. and carriages bore the guests to the church with such dispatch that all were comfortably seated before 3.30, the hour of the ceremony. The guests were bewildered by the beauty of the decorations. In addition to the elabor- ate decorations, novel effect was at tafned by striking alteration in the church arrangements. The pulpit had been torn out, and platform, 15x40 feet in dimensions, had been built in its place, forming chancel for the occasion. Here Rev. Thomas S Hast ings, father of the bridegroom and former president of the Union Theo- logical seminary. and Rev. Henry N. Sanders, pastor of the Madison avenue Baptist church, New York awaited the wedding party.
 The bride, magnificently gowned in blue and white corded silk entered the main door of the church leaning upon the arm of her father. As the bridal party proceeded up the aisle a boy choir of thirty voices from Old Trinity church, New York, entered through side door, singing q wedding hymn composed for the occasion by the or ganist of Old Trinity, Victor Baiers, who presided at the great organ. The bridegroom, with his best man, Charles T. McKin of New York, awaited his bride at the chancel. As they met, the choir ceased singing and Rev. Dr. Hast ings performed the ceremony, the full Episcopal service being recited. Prayer was then offered by Rev. Dr. Sanders.
 There were neither bridesmaids nor maid of honor, but little Lawrence White, son of Stanford White of New York, filled the position of page. The ushers were: Harris Roone, Robert II. Russell, Herbert Satterlee. Henry Barbee. Arden Robins, w. B. Coster c. Dana Gibson, Stanford White, Percy Turnure, Hon. Cecil Barring and E. Dalton oe Boston.
 Immediately following the ceremony a reception was held at the Benedict mansion. A wedding supper was fur nshed by Sherry for eight hundred guests. American Beauty roses vied with the magnolia In the decorations of the house. The wedding gifts were moi displayed. The gift Of MT Bene- dict to his daughter could not be learn ed authoritatively. extreme reticence being maintained on this point. How | ever 1t was hinted by members of the ] that it was nothing less than | a check upon a New York banking house for S1 ,0Oo OOo
 At 5 o'clock MT. and Mrs. Hastings | will board the steam yacht Oneida for