Married Under Difficulties

Hokitika Guardian, 6 January 1923, Page 1

Married Under Difficulties

AN AUCKLAND COMEDY. AUCKLAND, January 4. A wedding that was celebrated at one of tlie Auckland churches just befuro Christmas was characterised by a series of situations which would have done credit to the most fantastic of comedy plots. The first hitch in the process wap procrastination on the part of tlie bride, of whom there was no appearance some very considerable time after the hour set for the event. The clergyman, bridegroom, and best man fretted and fussed about the altar awaiting the belated lady until the clergyman announced that he had another important engagement to fill and could wait no longer, but promised to return as soon as he could get the other affair off his hands in an hour or two He had hardly gone beyond call when the bride arrived, much heated and distressed over tlie delay that had been caused bv an obstacle at home After a korero, the party de ruled to .send the best man for another clergyman rather than wait an hour for the one originally engaged and In- set off in a taxi to a distant subin b. Hardly had he got out of sight when the original clergyman turned up, smiling, having made a “rush job” of

his other engagement, and it was decided to go ahead with the ceremony in the absence of the best man. This decision, however, was momentarily held up by discovery of the fact that best man had taken the ring away with him and there was another delay while a. hunt was made for a substitute ring. This was at last obtained and the ceremony was proceeding when the best man arrived in time for the original ring to be used for its destined purpose and the affair ended happily. Some time later the custodian of the vestry came along to lock up. and to make the discovery that a pair of gold sleeve links, which were included in the vestry property, was missing, with the result that a police interrogation was added to the several annoyances suffered by the parties concerned in that particular wedding. It probably did not mitigate their final cross to any great extent to know that there had been other weddings in the church the same day and that a number of other persons shared with them the vexation of enquiries about the missing gold links.