Bits of History : Many wedding customs of today began in a simpler era
Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/rhtn/News/4076/
June is the traditional month for weddings, and many of the wedding traditions we enjoy today began back at the turn of the 20 th century. During the late 1800 s and early 1900 s, white wedding gowns, fancy wedding cakes, elaborate wedding decorations, bridal showers and honeymoons became increasingly common.
But in the first decade of the 1900 s, most small-town weddings still were simple affairs in comparison with many weddings today. In early 1900 s Rogers, few weddings were held in church. Most were held in the home of the bride or in the church parsonage. Attendance usually was limited to family and close friends, and only a couple of friends acting as witnesses attended many ceremonies.
Eloping seems to have been popular, even if the families of the bride and groom had no objection to the union. Some couples also seem to have enjoyed the romance and intrigue involved in keeping a marriage a secret for some weeks — or even months.
That some young people were quite romantic in their ideas on matrimony was revealed when in 1907 the Rogers Democrat asked the young folks of Rogers to describe an ideal wife and ideal husband. Many of those who responded spoke of “ pure and spotless character, ” “ genuine love of home” and “ eyes like a fawn. ”
Others refused to answer or offered humorous responses such as this:
He may be either dark or light,
So long as his pocket-book isn’t held tight.
He must not chew, smoke or steal,
And of course must own an automobile.
Some home weddings in early Rogers were followed by a reception, but receptions of the early 1900 s were not elaborate, catered affairs. Refreshments for wedding receptions and bridal showers were simple enough to be prepared by the bride’s family and friends. Newspaper reports indicate that punch and simple cookies or cakes were the norm.
Practical jokes on the newlyweds have been common in many cultures. In Northern Ireland, for example, it was the custom to push the bride around in a wheelbarrow after the wedding. The French-Canadians brought the even more boisterous custom of the “ chivaree” to America. During a chivaree, neighbors surrounded the house where the newlyweds had retired and made noise and fired guns late into the night. We know that in the early 1900 s two doctors and four businesschivarees were held in the coun- men, all friends of both families. tryside around Rogers because Newspaper reports on local weddings sometimes described the bride’s “ going away” costume, usually a suit. But such an outfit was unnecessary for most brides, who went directly from the wedding to their new home without any sort of wedding trip. Those fortunate enough to enjoy a honeymoon as often as not went to visit relatives, and they usually traveled by train. of a newspaper report of an accidental shooting at one.
It was the custom then as now to hold “ linen” showers for the bride and to give wedding gifts. The Rogers Democrat, in a 1903 account of the wedding of Evelyn Stroud and Lee Harris, included a listing of all the presents received by the couple. Although the Stroud and Harris families were prominent and relatively well-to-do, that list offers a good idea of the sorts of items felt appropriate for wedding gifts.
That list included painted china, a china vase, a commode set, and a chocolate pot and cups. Interestingly, many of the more expensive gifts in the 1903 listing were purchased by several individuals. A cut glass water set, for example, was a gift from After the wedding it was common to see the bride and groom off at the depot by tossing rice, banging tin cans and ringing cowbells.
Today we tie tin cans and signs on the cars of the newlywed couple. Back in the early 1900 s friends sometimes decorated the couple’s luggage with white ribbons and signs which made it clear that the travelers were newlyweds. One young couple left Rogers with suitcases bedecked with signs reading “ We’re on our honeymoon, ” “ Treat us kindly, we’re very young” and “ Take me back to mama. ”
Thus the wedding customs we enjoy today began during an earlier, simpler era. But the joy of family and friends in a new beginning has remained unchanged.