Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Enough suffering and illness! Today I will post about our wedding. June 16 was our 35th anniversary. Before all of this cancer business happened, I was planning to write about it anyway. All of the friends who visited me last weekend were involved in our wedding and I regret I did not pull out pictures while they were here. In one of my scrap books, I found a newspaper article that had been written about our wedding and I was shocked with some of the hilarious details. Facts were mentioned that I did not even remember though I am probably the person who supplied the information.
My gosh! We were only 20!
We were married in Helena, Montana in 1973. Both Dave and I had grown up in Helena so of course, the wedding was held at the church where I had always attended. At the time, my parents had moved to Deer Lodge where my father became principal of the high school. He had been born and raised in Deer Lodge and was looking for a change after being in Helena for years. Deer Lodge is also where I was born. Deer Lodge is a small picturesque town 56 miles from Helena on the way to Butte. A few years later, my parents returned to Helena where my mother still lives.
In my scrap book, I have a tiny newspaper article from the Helena paper. However, the Butte and Deer Lodge newspapers came through with write-ups that made us look like celebrities. Back in those days, the society pages of the newspapers in small towns were a huge deal. Here is the column about the Janet-Dave wedding from Deer Lodge's Silver State Post. Obviously, I am not including last names:
Janet and Dave of Helena were married in Helena at St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral at 12 noon on Saturday. The Very Rev. Raymond performed the double ring ceremony before an altar flanked with flowers and candelabra. Dick T. sang "Beautiful," "Charity," and "Morning Has Broken" with Imogene as organist.
The bride's father, attired in a dark red sports jacket, gave her in marriage. Her long-sleeved wedding gown, made by her mother, was of organdy with eyelit trim and an eyelit apron trimmed with dark pink ribbon. Her headdress and veil were of simple organdy with lace trim. She wore heart earrings and locket and carried pink and red garden flowers on a Bilble belonging to her sister-in-law.
The maid of honor, Tina, wore a dark pink floor length gown with long sleeves and light pink pinafore. She carried pink and red garden flowers in a basket. The bride had four other attendants, Cathy, Leslie, Barb, and Vida. Tammy, the groom's niece was flower girl. The attendants' gowns were in different shades of pink with light pink pinafores. They also carried baskets of flowers.
The bride's mother was dressed in a long dark pink gown and had a pink carnation corsage. The groom's mother chose light pink for her long skirt. She had a dark pink carnation corsage. Mike, the grooms brother, was best man. Ushers were Jim, the bride's brother, Mike, Bob, and Randy. They wore maroon tuxedos. The groom was in a white tuxedo with a pink shirt.
The wedding reception was held in the parish hall where silver service, dishes, compotes and candelabra belonging to the groom's parents decorated the table. The wedding cake was chocolate with pink frosting and decorations of flowers. The bride's sisters-in-law poured. Annie and Cathy were in charge of the guest book.
The couple left for a wedding trip to the Washington coast, the bride wearing a pink seersucker pants outfit. Upon their return, they will live in Bozeman where they are both students at MSU. ......
The article goes on and on to list relatives and guests who were specifically from Deer Lodge and those who came from out of state. Naturally, a huge picture was with the article. I have to mention the scandalousness of our wedding. When my Mom was making my wedding dress, she was told the dark pink ribbon was inappropriate. Brides were supposed to be in all white. Red or dark pink symbolized impurity. The chocolate cake with pink frosting also caused an uproar. Wedding cakes were supposed to be white through and through which I thought to be boring. Nobody in my family liked white cake so I wanted chocolate. Finally, although our wedding was during the day time, we had candles lit everywhere. The church ladies kept telling me you did not do candles in the day. We had candles! Go ahead my dear readers and laugh at the long sleeve turtle neck dresses with aprons. At the time, I thought they were beautiful. I was trying to have a peasant flower garden type of thing.
It was a fun day and it makes me smile to think back. Who would have guessed that my good friends on that day would still be with me all of these years later??!!
Vida, Barb, Tina, me, Cathy and Leslie.
8 Comments:
Just a side note- we were all going to find and wear our aprons when we came to visit - but some of us are sure we still have them but just couldn't find them. Hugs,
Leslie
By 
, at
1:10 PM
Janet, I would never have featured you to be so much into pink. But I loved reading all the wedding details and the hometown write-up. Improbably, I have on my top closet shelf right now a pink bridesmaid's headpiece (wide hairband plus netting concoction) from my best friend's wedding in 1969. I'll bet those aprons are around somewhere.
And your blog is an inspiration on so many levels that you should never worry about the effort to be "brilliant." It already shines.
I hope you are logging some good deck time in this lovely weather.
Melanie Boaz
By , at
1:47 PM
1500 miles away in Ohio I was in my sister's wedding with long sleeve dress with apron, very similar (homemade by my mom, of course). Oh dear. We thought they were amazing and beautiful.
The 70's were great.
By , at
7:39 PM
Too funny about the pink ribbon on your dress, chocolate cake, candles during the day. It is clear that your amazing spirit goes way back. I'd love to hear some of your mom's and girl friends stories about you growing up. Congratulations on 35 years and still obviously in Love. Celebrate Life, Lani
By , at
8:39 PM
Boy, you and Dave had a LOT of hair back then. I remember some of the 60s and 70s, and I get what you were trying to accomplish, which you did quite nicely. I also love the spirit you still have. You're a fighter, in the very best way, and I enjoy reading your thoughts. If you can make it to the FREE concert at 7PM this Friday at church, I think you'll enjoy the enthusiasm and talent of a great group of Music and Art Campers. Love in Christ, Mary
By , at
12:15 PM
Janet, I have been catching up on your blog as I'm in Bend on vacation this week. Congratulations on your 35th wedding anniversary!
I will ride the Tour des Chutes tomorrow in your honor. (www.tourdeschutes.org)
-Linda J.
Portland
To Lani, above. Janet was always a very good and conscientous student, and also very opinionated!She knew right from wrong and acted accordingly. Janet adored her Dad, and his death was devasting to her. She has always been very supportive of me. Janet's Mom
By , at
10:48 AM
Mom, Lani is one of my beloved P.E.O. sisters.
By , at
12:01 PM
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