Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-01-15
Mr.. VANDERBILT AND
MISS FRENCH MARRIED
Newport Scene of Fashion
able Wedding.
GREAT SOCIAL EVENT

Ceremony Took Place In the Church
of st. John Bridegroom Said to Be
the Wealthiest of the Third Van
derbiIt Generation.
NEWPORT, r. l., Jan. 14-Although
in the depth of winter this well known
watering place today took on a SEM
blance of it's summer gaiety because of
the wedding of Alfred Gwynne Wander
bilt, probably the most wealthy of the
third generation of the Vanderbilt fami-
ly, and Miss Elsie French, charming
Newport girl and former playmate of
the bridegroom, the daughter of Mrs.
Frederick Orme French, resident of
the city for many years.
A brighter sun never shone for any
bride, and in spite of crispness in the
air, it did not seem to be a winters day.
The ceremony took place at noon in
the Zabriski Memorial church of St.
John, the Evangelist, far up in the old
north part of the city, on the very shores
Of the Narragansett bay, once the GEN.
ter of Newport's fashion, but now far
removed from the social whirl of Belle
vue avenue. Miss French made the
choice of her own place of worship, and
her own home for the scene of the mar
riage, instead of selecting the more pre-
tent1ous but less familiar surroundings
which would have been found in New
York. Under these conditions the 100
or more guests were forced to make a
journey TO city as quiet at this time of
the year as an obscure country village.
The festivities, however. did not suffer
from these unusual circumstances
The church was decorated with gorge
Ous lavishness, was only about half
filed with guests, the invitations hav-
ing been limited to relatives and close
friends of the couple. The wedding was
as ornate as the highest forms of the
Episcopal church could make it, the
wedding profession a picture of lowell
ness and fine gowns, and the breakfast,
which closed the formal proceedings of
the day, was grand.
Pink, green and white in many
charming combinations were the pre-
vailing colors, the distinctive flowers
being gloire de la Refine Bengoras, the
golden gate roses with white aZelaes and
the specimen palm.
The center aisle was a lane of bego-
MAS and asparagus standards 8 feet
high, being trimmed with the feathery
foliage of the asparagus at regular in
tervals from the entrance to the chan
Gel. Baskets of delicate pink flowers
depended from the standards.
Specimen palms 30 feet high lowered
high above the altar. Interspersed
among the ferns and foliage which
banked them were great clusters of
white azelaes and medallions of golden
gate roses. On the altar was an i'm
mense cross of ascension lilies. The
program of the organ concert which oc-
cupied the hour preceding the ceremony
was selected by Miss French.
The bridesmaids were Miss Pauline
French, the brides niece; Miss Elsa
Bronson, daughter of the late Frederick
Bronson; Miss Isabel @. Stillman,
daughter of Mr.. James Stillman of
New York, who will become the bride
of Percy Avery Rockefeller, and Miss
Edith Gray, daughter of Judge Gray, of
Albany.
At the altar Mr.. Vanderbilt met his
bride. Together they stood before the
steps of the chancel until DR.. Morgan
had finished reading the betrothal por-
ton of the service, when they assembled
into the chancel and at the altar Dr.
Beattie completed the ceremony and
pronounced them husband and wife
The Mendelssohn wedding march was
played as the wedding procession moved
down the aisle and out of the church.
The ceremony occupied about seven
minutes.