The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing | Page 4

of some piece of jewelry, and if this is to be worn during the ceremony it should consist of white stones in a thin gold or platinum setting, such as a pendant, bracelet or pin of pearls and diamonds. If a colored stone is preferred--and a turquoise, for instance, adds the touch of blue which is supposed to bring a bride good luck--it should be concealed inside the dress during the services.
As a memento of the event a groom often presents his ushers with a scarf pin or watch or cigarette case ornamented with the initials of the bride and groom, and the bride generally makes a similar present to her bridesmaids of some dainty piece of jewelry. Whether this takes the form of a pin, bracelet or one of the novelties that up-to-date jewelers are always showing, it should be the best of its kind. Imitation stones or "silver gilt" have no place as wedding gifts.
Wedding Customs.
There is no time in a woman's life when ceremonies seem so important as when a wedding in the family is imminent. Whether the wedding is to be a simple home ceremony or an elaborate church affair followed by a reception, the formalities which etiquette prescribes for these functions should be carefully studied and followed. Only by doing so can there be the proper dignity, and above all the absence of confusion that should mark the most important episode in the life of a man or woman.
Wedding customs have undergone some changes of late years, mostly in the direction of simplicity. Meaningless display and ostentation should be avoided, and, if a girl is marrying into a family much better endowed in worldly goods than her own, she should have no false pride in insisting on simple festivities and in preventing her family from incurring expense that they cannot afford. The entire expenses of a wedding, with the exception of the clergyman's fee and the carriage which takes the bride and groom away for their honeymoon, are met by the bride's family, and there is no worse impropriety than in allowing the groom to meet or share any of these obligations. Rather than allow this a girl would show more self-respect in choosing to do away with the social side of the function and be content with the marriage ceremony read by her clergyman under his own roof.
Invitations and Announcements.
In the case of a private wedding announcement cards should be mailed the following day to all relatives and acquaintances of both the contracting parties.
Evening weddings are no longer the custom, and the fashionable hour is now high noon, although in many cases three o'clock in the afternoon is the hour chosen. Whether the wedding is to be followed by a reception or not, the invitations to it should be sent out not less than two weeks before the event, and these should be promptly accepted or declined by those receiving them. The acceptance of a wedding invitation by no means implies that the recipient is obliged to give a present. These are only expected of relatives and near friends of the bride and groom, and in all cases the presents should be addressed and sent to the bride, who should acknowledge them by a prettily worded note of thanks as soon as the gifts are received or, at the latest, a few days after the marriage ceremony.
Silver and Linen.
The usual rule followed in the engraving of silver or the marking of linen is to use the initials of the bride's maiden name. The question of duplicate gifts is as annoying to the sender as it is to the young couple who are ultimately to enjoy the gifts. Theoretically, it is bad form to exchange a gift after it has been received, but, in truth, this is often done when a great deal of silver is given by close friends or members of the family it is a comparatively easy matter to find out what has already been sent and to learn the bride's wishes in this matter.
Prenuptial Functions.
After the wedding invitations are out it is not customary for a girl to attend any social functions or to be much seen in public. This gives her the necessary time to devote to the finishing of her trousseau and for making any necessary arrangements for the new life she is to take up after the honeymoon is over. Family dinners are quite proper at this time, and it is expected of her to give a lunch to her bridesmaids. The wedding presents may be shown at this occasion, but any more public and general display of them is now rarely indulged in and is, in fact, not considered in good taste.
The groom, as a prenuptial celebration, is supposed to give a supper to his intimate bachelor