My Aunt Harriet, my grandmother’s sister, sent me this story from my Great Grandma Long. It was the story about my Great Grandparents wedding. These are written in the words of my Great Grandmother. It is interesting to see how the celebrations and traditions have changed. I hope you enjoy the story.

 

We set our wedding date for June 6, so that my graduation from High School would be over (one week before). Mother made my wedding dress during that week and the DAY soon came. We walked to town (didn’t have a car) and went first to the jewelers where he had bought my engagement ring and bought the wedding ring right then. Went on up above the store to the photographers and had our picture taken. The ceremony was to be in the parsonage of H.L. Hayes, Minister of the First Christian Church at Charleston at 5:30pm. Ova Clark and Derema Freeland were our witnesses. We walked to the parsonage from the photographers (not far and met Ova C. and Derema and all went in together. The minister, wife and two little boys were waiting for us and attempted to make us feel at ease. Then he read some scripture and began the ceremony. I didn’t hear the part that always was in “Wives Obey Your Husband” etc., but I did come to and hear “In Sickness And In Health – For Richer, For Poorer . . . And As Long As You Both Shall Live. Well I must say that carries quiet a wallop when you start living it. I can vouch for the poorer anyway! After the ceremony was over and we were signing our names, one of the little boys whispered to his mother “Do I get any gum?” O.B. didn’t have any and Ova Clark had to provide the gum for the boys. Then we all got in Ova’s car and went to Mattoon and my new husband treated us all to hamburgers, French fries, and cokes (big deal in our days). Then, back to Charleston and all went to a movie. But, I’m a little ahead of the story – Charivari – was the thing in those days and we were sure they weren’t going to let the custom die out with us, so we hid out Monday night. Nobody showed, but Tuesday night, they were having a shower party and the women were all there and the men were evidently close by and all the noise of 4^th of July or worse broke loose, so O.B. let them carry on for awhile, then went out and passed around the cigars and I think candy for the ladies. It is sort of vague and they stayed for the shower too. They threatened to ride the grooms on a rail and take them eight miles out in the country and make them walk home at the Charivari’s but the noise was all they did. (I’m glad that old time custom is gone.) The refreshments at the shower were bought in by everyone. They called it pound partys – it was all put together and passed around. I don’t remember a whole lot of what we got at the shower, but did get pillow cases, lunch clothes, some pots and pans, dish towels, pillows and cake plate ( still have that – a broken chunk repaired in it).

 

Our apartment at Stella Mays had most of the furniture in it, which was a big help. “The rest of the Story” will have to be verbal – 60 yrs. would take too long to write! Oh, yes he paid the preacher $10.00 and our license was $2.00. Didn’t he get a bargain? He thinks it isn’t the cost that counts – it’s the upkeep. Oh yes, later on in years, Mr. Hayes said he never asked the women to obey their husbands in his ceremonies, so that let me off the hook.

 

I got a bargain