Clinton News-Record, 1983-02-16, Page 29"1 do"—two words w::ich,
as frequently as they are
repeated, signify at the same
time, a beginning and an
end. In front of the couple
being married, a wedded life
looms not unnaturally large.
For, implicit in the two
simple words both have
repeated, is a world of
commitments, decisions and
promises—two lives have
joined, a truly momentous
occasion.
And, behind the
newlyweds, he not only the
path of their courtship and
their own formative years
and experiences, but
'aggregated centuries of
traditions and customs,
years fraught with hope and
thought for the future that
have led to the moment of
joining—for every couple the
world over who meet, fall in
love, and marry.
Falling in love seems such
a simple thing—we have
developed a picture of it,
thanks to an endless
sequence of books, movies
and songs, in which all of the
FEB
ele
complications have been
romanticized out.
The actuality, as young
people meeting with it for the
first time discover over and
over again as one generation
succeeds the next, is far
richer and far more com-
plicated, liberally endowed
with all the ambiguities in
which life delights.
Interestingly enough, all
the people who have painted
love in such vivid and simple
colors, do not attempt to
..fool" their public on the
subject of weddings.
With all the planning that
goes into them, all the
celebration they occasion
and all the people they in-
volve, it is to be expected
that they should be as con-
voluted and complicated as
life itself.
Custowns observed
Right off the bat, centuries
of tradition present them-
selves for reckoning.
Customs—from carrying the
bride over the threshold off
her new home to the
Planning the
bridal shower
When an excited group of
bridesmaids -to -be get
together to have a shower,
the least likely place to find
them is in the bathroom.
Bridal showers are meant
to get the soon -to -be -wed
woman off to a good start.
Whether the shower adds to
her trousseau, her linen
closet or her kitchen
cabinets, it is often one of the
gayest parties to precede the
wedding reception.
Showers are usually well -
kept secre :',, as half of the
fun comes in surprising the
bride. They may be small
gatherings or all-out parties,
depending on what the
hostess decides.
A shower may occur at
any time of s! y. Be it a brun-
ch, an afternoon tea, an
evening dinner or after-
hours coffee and cake, the
key is to plan it when the
bride will least suspect it.
The shower is usually
given by a membbr of the
bridal party, a relative or a
close friend. It is not con-
sidered proper for a member
of the bride's immediate
family to give the shower.
Shower gifts need not be
extravagant or expensive.
Rather, they should be
helpful household necessities
They are more likely to be
in one of their homes,
preparing to surprise a lucky
bride -to -ie, - with a shower of
gifts.
or other such items. The
hostess may choose to give a
theme to the shower —
equipping the kitchen, filling
the linen closet, armfuls of
appliances, aids for the
gardener — w ;ch helps
make the gift selection
easier.
Brides wear pearls
Hindu legend credits the
discovery of the first pearl to
e great god, Vishnu. The
legend holds that Vishnu
drew the pearl from the sea
and presented it to his
u., ter on her wedding
y, thus setting a precedent
for millions of brides down
through the millenia.
For her wedding, Queen
Nefertiti of Egypt d pearls
mount ^:.1 on her crown,
worked into her cell r,
draped upon her arms and
sewn into the gilded leather
of her sandals.
Mary Queen of Scots was
given four hundred large,
lustrous white purls as a
wedding gift. These were so
covet: ;., by her cousin, Queen
Eliza,; th, that they are said
to be one of the reasons for
Mary's imprisonment and
later execution.
Catherine de Medici wore
six ropes of great pearls to
her wedding, along with a
pair of pearl earrings which
were the largest in the world
at that time.
According to existing
manuscripts. Pocahontas
was the first American bride
known to wear pearls to her
wedding. A royal diadem of
three strands of pearls
decorated her I ;. t, and large
oval pearls hung from her
ears.
As ",merican fortunes
began to be made in the
laii is, pearl engagement
rungs became the prized
ssessions of prospective
brides.
It was then customary for
a bride to receive a gift of a
arl necklace, which she
wore to the altar on her
special day. Mary Todd Lin-
coln was one such bride.
Wi : the rl iscovery t:st
pearls could cultivat:•. *1 in
live oysters, the custom of
brides wearing pearls came
into greater prominence. No
longer was it necessary to be
very wealthy in order to en-
joy wearing nature's jewels
of the sea.
Society's elite, however,
continued to observe the
custom of wearing pearls on
the wedding day.
When Grace Kelly mar-
ried Prince Rainier of
Monaco, her gown was clos-
Turn to pa,_,e 11
tio
throwing of rice at the newly
married pair—must be ob-
served, as age-old ser-
station rears its head.
And, indeed, these
customs give a tone to the
wedding, a sense of con-
tinuity that young and old
alike find satisfying.
Many of the complications
arise during the p:.::nning
stage, which often lasts
several months.
The trick, and it is a trick,
is to arrive at a game plan
for The Wedding which takes
into account the likes,
f hTFe!
dislikes, whims and
prejudices of everyone in-
volved, not only bride and
groom but their iamanediate
families as well.
First, decisions must be
made as to where and when
the wedding will be held;
how large the guest list w:!:
be and who will be invited;
w , -ther it is to ,: an af-
ternoon or an evening event,
and how formal it will be;
what colors the bridal party
will wear.
As the big ,.;,y approaches,
other questions arise: from
Turn to page
BRIDES E
BT ON ° PAGE P
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