Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-12

men should act as ushers and wear colored
shirts would have seemed out of the ques-
ton ten years ago, but IL is by no means
unusual now. Then the introduction Of
brightly colored ties would have seemed
to be sufficient evidence Of the tendency
to be less formal.
! There has, of course, been no indication
of such a change on the part Of the brides,
who dress with even greater elaborate
ness than ever. The abandonment of the
frock coat for the cutaway was, however,
a decisive blow at the formality of mems
dress at weddings. 1t was much more
significant than the adoption of the COL
ored ties. The frock coat has for almost
half a century stood for daytime dress
for man and the cutaway, which is at
best but half dress, can never fully take
its place.
White Spats Distinctive.
There is no detail tina gives more dis
~tinction to mems dress at a wedding than
white spats over their patent leather
shoes, and they are especially appropriate
to a country wedding. Perhaps the last
word in wedding formality came last
spring, when at a wedding at a place
! about an hour from New York the ushers
appeared in blue flannel double breasted
sack suits with tan shoes and with white
duck stats above them. If it had been a
yachting wedding there might have been
some appropriateness in the idea, but
there was no element of sport about It
and about all in their dress that gave
distinction to the appearance of the men
. was the white spats. The satin gown or
the bride was a Earring note in the midst
of such informality in the mems dress.
When the white spats are not used there
is nearly always a h~igh-buttoned patent
leather shoe. Even I'm the summer, when
the shoes called low-quarters are more
comfortable, there seems little demand for
them at weddings. Well dressed men, in
fact, nowadays seem to know but two
kinds of patent leather sh~oes-pumps and
high-buttoned boots.
The use of the cutaway as the formal
coat of o0y dress has not had the effect
of changin mems ideas in regard to the
right kind of hat, and there has been no
abandonment of the silk hat because the
frock coat is gone. Men have been known
to wear straw hats at summer weddings in
the country, but no tendency toward in
formality has yet led to the use Of any
such hat in town.
Nothing in the line Of flowers for a
boutonniere is considered smarter than the
gardenia for all periods of the year.
Souvenirs for Ushers.
Bridegrooms have come to exercise more
independence than formerly in the presents
they make to ushers. Once only a pin was
possible. 1t still seems as If the scarfpin
were alone considered the appropriate pres
ent for the best man, but there have been
many different souvenirs selected this
spring for the ushers
Gold matchcases were given by a bride
groom the other night, and another gave
his ushers gold rings with his initials and
those OF his bride in~tertwined in the pat
tern that ran around the ring. Both men
had plenty OF money to crafty their taste,
which is not true OF ali the men who have
to supply ushers with souvenirs. There
are indeed men who have been known &c
be economical about what they give theii
ushers when they would not think of the
money they spent at other times.
In the way of scarfpins there is nothing
more in demand now than those with lht
letters of the names of bride and bride.
groom in small diamonds, surmounted will
a crown. Although the design is rather
monarchical and is indeed copied after the
presents given by royalty, it is more Ere,
quently used than any other and has NOR,
distinction than an ordinary piece Of Jew.
elry. Such pins are, of course. not mex
pensive. but they show their worth.
Next to them in popularity comes IN,
horseshoe, which is most popular in pearls
The many differently colored stones tina
have become popular lately make II very
easy to select the pin to match the color
of the tie.
1t is this kind OF pin that the usher,
will always receive II the selection is lef
to the bride. Brides are likely to think tina.
too much money need not be spent on ar
usher, a pin and the thought OF the match,
ing colors, always appeals TO them. So 4
is fair to presume when the ushers hav,
pins OF the new stones that they represent
the taste of the bride, who has already be.
gun to show her influence on her husband.
to-be.