Weddings, veils, and romance! Surely there is an appeal in that to everyone. What were the early weddings like in this region?  How do they differ to-day?  The very first wedding in Leech Township and in Wayne County was that of William Clark and Peggy Carson, June 8, 1819. The tenth wedding was that of John Moffit and Sarah Campbell, September 7, 1820.  Betsy Harris married Stephen Merritt, September 2, 1822. There were many others between that time and the Civil War  period, but these weddings described here begin with the Civil War, for the same person attended all weddings described except the first and the last. She did attend the infare of the first.   **  Margaret Allison attended these weddings.

A short time after the Civil War, perhaps 1867, a home wedding occured on the eastern border of Wayne. Most weddings then were in the homes. If one were in a church, it was likely that the minister was asked to perform the ceremony after the church service. At that time the couple merely stepped to the front of the church and were married. The audience likely had no previous knowledge of the affair. There were run-away marriages, however, a case in which the bride's parents had disliked the idea of the groom selected by the daughter and so had refused to give consent.

At this home wedding the relatives of both parties were invited and a few close neighbors. The invitations were oral. There were no flowers. It was winter and there were no green houses. The bride's dress was floor length, the way all women were all dressed then. It was made of dark linsey woolsey material, a home woven product. It was so durable that it would serve the bride for many years. It had a tight basque buttoned all the way up the front, buttons close together. A band or tiny collar finished the neck. The sleeves were tight and long. The skirt was very full, and it stood out all around worn with hoops.

There was no ring ceremony, just a small gold band the bride had worn even before the wedding; there was no engagement ring. There was no honeymoon. The couple merely stood up before the minister and were married.

The next day they went to the groom's home, where an infare dinner was served, a big dinner for her close relatives, his relatives, and his neighbors, the whole family.

In those days a few miles was a distance. The roads were all dirt,  often muddy, and in cold weather, frozen, At some infares the group to attend the infare was a different group, mostly, from the one that had attended the wedding. Sometimes it was almost the same group.  One principal seemed to hold; those who were invited to the wedding did not attend the charivari.  (They were the ones who had had no invitation to the wedding. To gather with tin pans and guns to seranade the pair until the groom "treated" them was the way they voiced their slight at not being invited to the wedding).

At this infare the fires in the big fireplaces were kept filled with huge logs all day to keep the two large rooms warm, the kitchen and the living room, which was also a bedroom. There were two upstairs garret bed rooms. It was winter time and the fireplaces were popular spots. Because the living room was larger than the kitchen,
a long table was set down the middle of the room.  On it was a long smooth Irish linen white cloth.   There were no flower centerpieces. There were center nieces, however.  Some artistic minded woman had made two butter ornaments,  one a cow, the other a fancy vase. As they were frozen hard in the butter house, they did not melt any more than candles melted.

At that long table the bride, in her home spun, hoopskirted wedding dress, sat with the men. There was not
room for all, and it was the custom for the men to eat at the first table. The bride was the only woman at that table. The bride's mother and the groom's mother were not considered important people. Certainly it did not matter what they chose for their costumes. They were at work in the kitchen, preparing food and waiting on the men at the table. The bride did not assist with the work. She sat prim in her homespun dress and slicked down hair, parted in the middle and fastened in a knot near her neck. The conversation was carried on by the men.

The children sat at a drop leaf table in the kitchen.

There had been a sheep killed for the occasion, and so plenty of roast mutton was on the table, mutton with dressing and gravy. There were potatoes too, potatoes that had been dug from the pit. Apples from the barrel in the pantry way between the two big rooms had been roasted. There were several cakes, not angel food. That fluffy cake was unknown then. There were butter cakes and fruit cakes. The bread was home-made. In fact everything on the table was home-made.

When the men were through, the table cleared, and the dishes washed, the women ate. All dishes were washed and put away, nothing left for the groom's mother the next day. If the younger children were sleepy, they lay on the bed in the corner where they slept soundly among the wraps. There was no hush- hush to keep them asleep.

At going home time, the fathers gathered their broods and placed them in wagons or on horse back, well before dark. There was no lingering into the twilight; there were chores at home to be done. That jogging over rough frozen roads meant that time was needed to reach home before dark. Such was an infare day.

There was no shower for this bride either; showers were not thought of then. There was no engagement ring, but a small gold band wedding ring. There was no going-away dress; there was no honeymoon. There were no flowers. It was the end of November and there were no flowers. There was, however, a gorgeous wine silk wedding dress, just short enough to clear the floor and show the tips of the shoes. It had a fluted ruffle Around the edge of the overskirt was white lace. It was gathered in the back and looped over a bustle. On that around the bottom. As the basque and overskirt were made in one piece the garment was called a polonaise bustle was a big bow of silk. The basque buttoned tight up the front. The long tight sleeves had white lace over the hands. A lovely white silk lace fichu was worn around the shoulders that came down the front of the blouse to the waist. There was no veil. The bride wore her black hair in two curls down her shoulders, natural curls.

There were four attendants, the two women's dresses made like the brides only they were not silk. The men  wore long tailed black suits. There was no wedding march nor nuptial music.

The wedding gifts were displayed on a long table, lovely presents, silver gifts that were given only at weddings.
The refreshments consisted of cake and coffee, four kinds of cake, passed on plates. (The receipes for those cakes are still in use.) The bride's mother was an excellent cook, but she hired a woman to come days before the wedding to help with the baking. The fruit cakes could be made ahead of time, but the other cakes had to be fresh. There were twenty-five cakes.

Next morning when the groom hitched up to his new buggy to go to his mother's home, where they were to live, the bride had a white beaver hat with ostrich plumes and white kid gloves to wear.

There was a small infare dinner for this couple that next day at the groom's home to which her close relatives came.  There was a baked goose with stuffing, sweet potatoes, pickles which had been stored  in stone jars, cabbage slaw (from the pitted supply), preserves, plum pudding, and coffee.

Photo??
The bride of 1882,
Margaret Lines Allison in her wine silk wedding dress.

There were a few church weddings at this period but not many. if there were a church wedding, it was not the affair of the church weddings of to-day, just a simple ceremony after a church service.

In 1896 the Gibson girl had a home wedding in the autumn at night in a large home that held many guests. She did not have a veil or bouquet, nor a wedding march. She did have a white wool cashmere floor length dress. The skirt had sixteen gores and was full in the back. Tire blouse had pin tucks at the top but was fitted at the waist. Those leg-of-button sleeves were the high lights of the dress, sleeves tight from elbow to hand hut very full at the top.  Her hair was done in short curls on top (made by paper curlers, not a permanent) and fastened in a loose knot at the hack.  A couple "stood up" with the bride ad groom. The usual cake and coffee was served to the guests. The bride had no engagement ring, but her wedding ring was a fairly wide band.

The list of the presents and the doners was printed in the county paper with an account of the wedding.

She had sent invitations, printed invitations, but she had no honeymoon, nor was there an infare. It seemed to be the custom of the time to take bits of each cake and send it to a distant relative who could not attend the wedding.  The idea of listing the wedding gifts in the county paper had lost it popularity.

The couple went to the groom's home the next morning to live a few weeks until their modest home was ready.

She selected spring for her wedding for her groom was a farmer and, would soon be busy with his own crops. The wedding was in her home at night and several guests were invited by formal invitation. She had no engagement ring but a very wide band gold wedding ring. She had no going-away costume; there was no going away, just the trip to their farm home after the, ceremony — in the groom's new buggy.

Her dress was white China silk with a full flounce on the skirt. The blouse was full and the high neck was edged in lace, as were the long sleeves. She had no veil, but she did have a wedding march. She had a ring bearer who merely held the ring until the ceremony was over. She had a small flower girl who dropped petals
in the bride's path. She had no flowers as a bouquet or corsage.

The usual cake and coffee was served, angel food cake added to the other kinds. Guests who had come as far as ten miles stayed all night in the bride's home.  The minister stayed all night also. There was no night travel in a buggy over dark roads for those people.

At this wedding the old custom of the invited wedding guests going to the charivari was broken. as some of the guests also went to the charivari.

In the troubled years that followed there were im hasty war marriages with men in the service, very few at least. A few brides were brought back from Europe at the close of the war but not many. During the roaring twenties it seemed to he the fashion for the bride and. groom merely to go to a minister or judge to have the ceremony performed. Women wore bobbed hair, and so for the first time the brides had short hair. There were printed announcements instead of invitations.

When the depression struck, there were not many marriages. If there was one, it was a simple ceremony.

World War II brought many weddings on the double quick. Men had short leaves. In that period of uncertainty, there was no time for an elaborate wedding.

Here are two weddings of that period, one just before we entered the war and the other a wedding with the man in uniform.

In the spring of 1941 troubled clouds hung over Europe, but they had not yet touched the United States. The bride had a home wedding in the afternoon; she had dallied with the idea of having a church wedding (Church weddings were common at this time). Spring flowers adorned the altar her father had built for the occasion. She had a diamond engagement ring. There was nuptial music. The bride's mother was escorted to her seat just before the bridal procession. In all weddings described thus far the couple had marched together before the minister, but not this bride. The groom and his best man stepped to the altar from a side room. The two bridesmaids marched in carrying baskets of spring flowers. One was dressed in yellow, the other in blue. Then the matron of honor marched in wearing a pink formal. The bride came to the altar on her father's arm. The ring ceremony was used.

The bride's dress was floor length white silk. Her veil was finger tip length. Her sleeves came to points over her hand. Her neckline was high. She wore something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. She tossed her bouquet to see which girl would be married next, Her short hair was done in curls.

She cut the tiered wedding cake. Punch was added to the usual refreshments. She went on a short honeymoon. Many changes had taken place over the roaring twenties and lean thirties.

She had a home wedding. As the groom's furlough was short there was not much previous preparation for the wedding. As it was to he a noon wedding, a dinner was served afterwards. As she was going to camp with her groom, she dispensed with the long white dress and wore a practical blue dress instead. The groom in  his officer's air corps uniform received his share of attention. The attendants merely "stood up" with the couple. She had been given showers previously. Before night she was on a train going toward a southern camp. Such were the weddings in those harried war days.

As one reads an account of to-day's wedding. the wonders how so many details were planned without a slip. There are several showers, sometimes three or four. The bride's mother and the groom's mother both receive their share of attention, their costumes being named with an account of the wedding. They are given the honor of being escorted to their seats the last thing before the bridal procession. In the account of the wedding in the paper, instead of listing presents, the bride's and the groom's sororities and fraternities are named. The bride plans the style and color of her attendants' dresses, often buys them. She has a flower girl and a ring bearer. Even the ushers get their share of attention. The double ring ceremony is often used. There is usually a reception in the church basement afterwards, if it is a church wedding.

This account of the bride's dress is copied from the paper. "The bride wore a ballerina length gown of Goddess lace over satin with insets of scalloped satin down the front and shirred nylon trim on the bodice. The sleeves came to Juliette points over the wrists. Her finger length veil of illusion was attached to a tiara of seed pearls and rhinestones."  Then her bouquet is described.  Its center is an orchid corsage for her going away suit. Since this is a day of permanents, every bride has curls. (The bride of to-day may wear a floor length gown.).
The couple goes on a honeymoon, often in the groom's new convertible.

Times do change.