EASTER WEDDINGS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1940, Page 4

EASTER WEDDINGS

MOST POPULAR SEASON PROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED. PREPARING FOR THE GREAT DAY. A marriage has been arranged. The pleasure of your company is requested at the celebrations. And the toast! The bride and groom. Easter is the season that seems to have been specially set aside for weddings. Surely no other time of the year is so beautiful. That fragrant tang in the air and m'ild warmth of the sun calls for the wearing, by bridal party and guests alike of fashion’s latest fantasy.

So you have at last decided upon the day and the place of the ceremony. Perhaps you are going to be married in one of the larger churches before friends and relations who will say in after years that you were the most beautiful bride they ever saw. Or have you chosen your own drawing room as a setting with only your immediate relations present? Or perhaps you have planned a rrimantic touch —just the bridegroom and witnesses —and then break the news to your friends. But no matter it is still your day.

Let us discuss the more serious side of the preparations if the wedding is to be a large one. Each member of the bridal party .has special duties. Those of the bride-elect begin with the sending out of the invitations three weeks before the wedding. Then she must send letters of thanks for presents received. A list should be made of all those who have accepted invitations so that place cards can be prepared. A list must also be taken of all those who are unable to attend so that a small piece of wedding cake may be sent. She must also attend to such personal matters as appointments with the hairdresser. helping the bridesmaids to decide upon their frocks, making an appointment with the photographer and choosing a gift for the bridegroom.

The bridegroom’s first duty is to secure a marriage licence and purchase, a wedding ring, lie will have to prepare a speech for the wedding reception and make final arrangements with the clergyman. Flowers for the bride and bridesmaids are to bo. ordered and presents purchased for the bridesmaids. He will have to make arrangements with the ushers as to the seating of guests and order cars for the church and the reception, lie also has to pay the clergyman and organist, if there is music.

.Most of the <1 uties for the day are left to (lie best man. He accompanies the bridegroom to the church and during the ceremony stands at his right, lie takes charge of the ring and after the ceremony escorts the chief bridesmaid to sign the register. Tiien he hands the fees to the clergyman and follows the bridal party from the church. If there arc ushers present they see the bride ind bridegroom info the cars, and if not the best man does. He must also be prepared to respond to the toast of the bridesmaids. The ushers are usually chosen from relations of close friends of the bride and bridegroom. The bride’s relations are seated in the pews mi the left of I ho church ami I hose of the bridegroom on the right. If the guests are unknown to the ushers the latter ask if they arc friends of the bride or bridegroom and seat them accordingly. .As the bridesmaids always buy iheir own frocks. 1 he bride should decide upon Ihe styles and materials that will be suitable for wear on future occasions. If there are several bridesmaids the chief bridesmaid assists the bride to dress. 'They all wail in the church 10 minutes before the bride appears ami if there are no page boys or train bearers, (hey will follow behind the bridal party. The bride walks up the aisle on tin* right side of her father. When the lime comes to pul on the ring the bride hands her bompiet to the chief bridesmaid. At (lie reception the chief bridesmaid sits next to the bridegroom and her duties eml after sin* has helped jhe bride to dress for travelling.