Galen and I will be celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary next week and that inspired me to learn how couples in the past celebrated their anniversaries. I went to chroniclingamerica.com and did a "wedding anniversary" search. The result yielded over 2,000 pages with 20 newspapers per page.
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| This shows part of one of the 2,000 plus pages. |
So far I have gone through 27 of the search pages and typed up 32 pages of interesting anniversary stories. I don't know yet if I'll have enough for a whole book but can add a section on marriages if needed. I also plan to include our story and a few photos.
Things noted so far:
There are an amazing number of golden wedding anniversaries listed in the old newspapers, far more than I expected. And some couples were married over sixty years.
Most of the golden wedding anniversary couples have been active and involved and continue to be "well preserved" for such old people.
Nearly all of the couples have lost at least one child. It was not uncommon to print the number of children the couple had and how many were still living.
They look crabby in the newspaper photos. I will include some of them in the book.
Some took incredible risks and moved west. Some lived their whole married lives in one place—something I just can't imagine.
A surprising number of couples were married on the husband's birthday. We were married on Galen's birthday.
Their idea of informal is quite different than mine. Here is an article I typed up today:
A delightful informal reception was given last night by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur in honor of their fifteenth wedding anniversary.
Rev. B.F. Coulter, who performed the marriage ceremony was among the guests.
In the dining room, where refreshments were served, a huge basket filled with white bride roses and maidenhair ferns stood on a large mirror in the center of the table. At each plate was a pretty floral design with the wedding date and 1906 inscribed. A canopy of ferns was suspended over the table and diamond dust was sprinkled on everything. In the drawing room the receiving party stood under a large white floral bell with the wedding dates inscribed on it, and this was hung from a thick canopy of ferns and smilax. Touches of scarlet were skillfully arranged among the banks of papyrus and bamboo in the reception hall and den, and yellow chrysanthemums decorated the library. De Nublia’s orchestra gave a program of music during the afternoon. Los Angeles Herald, December 2, 1906.
Rev. B.F. Coulter, who performed the marriage ceremony was among the guests.
In the dining room, where refreshments were served, a huge basket filled with white bride roses and maidenhair ferns stood on a large mirror in the center of the table. At each plate was a pretty floral design with the wedding date and 1906 inscribed. A canopy of ferns was suspended over the table and diamond dust was sprinkled on everything. In the drawing room the receiving party stood under a large white floral bell with the wedding dates inscribed on it, and this was hung from a thick canopy of ferns and smilax. Touches of scarlet were skillfully arranged among the banks of papyrus and bamboo in the reception hall and den, and yellow chrysanthemums decorated the library. De Nublia’s orchestra gave a program of music during the afternoon. Los Angeles Herald, December 2, 1906.
We are planning to wear jeans and tennies and serve pizza and birthday cake at our anniversary gathering. Our jam group will provide music. :-)
Stay tuned for more anniversary stories.
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