The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-03-31
NOTABLE WEDDING
IN WASHINGTON

witnessed such an outpouring of dis
t1nguished representatives of official
and resident society as filled Con-
cordia church, a modest little place
OF worship Of the German Lutheran
denomination, at the wedding this af-
ternoon of the Countess Louise Alex
andra Won Bernstroff, daughter of
the German ambassador and Count
ess Won Bernstroff, and Count Ray
mond Pourtales, an attache of the
German embassy
The wedding was notable event
both in social and official circles. for
the guest list included the names OF
the President and Mrs. Taft. Vice
President and Mrs Sherman. the
members of the cabinet, Justices of
the supreme court. senator's and rep
resentatives. foreign diplomats and
many other officials and their wives.
Owing to the limited accommodations
OF the church only about 600 guests
were invited to witness the marriage
ceremony. but the wedding reception
that followed at the German embassy
was attended by several thousand
persons we'll known in social circles
in Washington. New York, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore and a number of 9th
er cities.
The little church was bower OF
white lilacs, white roses and apple
blossoms when the bride, leaning on
the arm of her father. walked up
the fiower-marked aisle. The usual
customs of wedding in Germany
were followed, with an adoption al
SO of the forms in vogue in America.
Following the custom of the father
land, the bridegroom escorted the
countess Won Bernstorff The bride
had no maid of honor, but was es-
corted to the altar by her father,
preceded by her four bridesmaids
Miss Alys Meyer, daughter of the sec
rotary Of the navy; Miss Elsie AID
rich, daughter Of ex-senator and
MIS-. A!drich; Miss Cecilia May, whr
Is soon to be the bride of Mr.. Rob-
ert t.. F"con, and Mss Mary x
Switzerland, daughter OF Captain
and Mrs. Switzerland.
Instead of a best man there W are
four ushers for the bridegroom. They
were Count Guenther Won Bsrnstorff,
brother of the bride; Jonkheer IL.
M. Won Weede, secretary of the Meth
erlands legation; Lord Eustace
Pecy. British attache, and Baron
Hardenbroek, German attache The
four ushers chosen according to Am
erican custom were Count Elemer
Pejaesevich, Austrian attache; Ma
jor Won Herwarth, German military
attache; Commander Retzmann, Ger
man naval attache, and A. G. Horst
mann, German attache.
The marriage ceremony was in &C.
cordance with the ritual of the Ger
man Lutheran church and was per-
formed by the Rev. Paul A. Mentzel,
pastor of Concordia church.
A coincidence of today's wedding
Of special interest in the United
States is that the mother of the bride
and the stepmother of the BRIDE
groom, both were Americans. The
wife of the German ambassador and
mother of the bride was Miss Jeanne
Luckemeyer of New York, while the
stepmother of Count PourtaIes was
Miss Helen Barley Of New York CITY
and Tuxedo.
The bride was born in Berlin
twenty-five years ago and when she
was eighteen she was given a bril-
liant deaute party at the diplomatic
court in Cairo, where her father was
then minister from Germany. Since
coming to America in 1908 she has
been extremely popular in Washing.
ton society life and noted for her
beauty, her wit and social charm. In
spite of her youth she is thorough.
going cosmopolitan and speaks sew.
eral languages fuently.
me acquaintance of the bride and
bridegroom began a year ago when
Count Pourtales first came to Wash.
ington. This marked the counts en-.
try into the diplomatic service. Pre-.
viously he had served six years IN
the Berlin Guards. The count. who
il twenty-eight years old, was borr
in Switzerland and educated In Nh
MICH, His father, cunt Herman
Pourtazles. was soldier of the Ger
man army. His mother died in 1885
andt wo years later his father mar
rfed Miss Barley. Count Herman
died in 1904 and his widow ha,
since continued to live in Europe
spending her summers in German,
and her winters in Rome.