A wedding anniversary I'd like to share

I hope you don't mind getting into my time machine with me. Doing that 80s memory trip to Paris brought back other memories. Eighty years ago today my parents were married--June 5, 1935. It was a quiet celebration--still the Depression and my mother's Dad died four months earlier. Both my parents had big family responsibilities during the 30s, so they were engaged for 7 years before taking the big step. My Mom said they had an open house with cookies and punch after.

Today as I went through the old photos I realized there were no wedding photos of them. My sister has my Mom's wedding dress, but I don't think we have a photo of it.

June 5, 1985 we held a 50th celebration for them in San Francisco. We had a real wedding cake and a trophy for them. We would have had a bigger celebration but they didn't want one. We had them stay at the Cartwright Hotel in San Francisco, a place we stayed in 1949 on our first trip to California. The hotel staff treated them royally. Dinner was at the Iron Horse Restaurant on Maiden Lane.

Count this as a 1930s and 1980s fashion trip.

1-As close as I can find--1930s, Phil and Dorothy.
2-Some of us outside the Cartwright. My son today that his shudders over the 1980s fashion and hair shook the building.
3-4-We gave them a trophy and Dad returned a toast.
5-I'm pretty sure this is Telegraph Hill.

This post has 5 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

10 years ago

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

What a fab picture from the 30s--your parents look so stylish.Great photos of the celebration! And check out that wind on Telegraph Hill! A treasure trove of photos and fun memories for you.

deb

Wonderful pictures! Thank you so much for sharing.

pil

The first thing that came to mind upon looking at photo 1 was that your dad looked Cary Grant-esque. 50 years is quite the milestone.

Janet

(website)

I love these old photos. I shudder at ones of me from the 80s too. But the first photo is especially nice. I have some of my parents from their very small, low-key wedding, and from the years before they married (in the late '40s), and it's fun to see how much more dressed up everyone got back then. Thank you for sharing.

jackiec

What a special day! Thanks for sharing the photos and the memories

carter

What fabulous pictures! And such a happy couple. Thanks for sharing. What a great way to honor mom and dad.

rachylou

Very cool!

Jeweled

What a lovely trip through time - and wow, engaged for 7 years!
Your parents are part of the "Greatest Generation".
Thank you for sharing these photos and story!

Summer

Thank you for sharing the story and pictures - such precious memories for you all. Your parents look very distinguished in both eras - so stylish.

Helena

Lovely photos and couple! What fantastic style from the '30s ... Wow.

crutcher

They were quite the stylish couple from the first...These pictures are such a treasure for you and your family...THX for sharing...

puppycat

Active Member

Lovely photos, evoking sweet memories! My grandparents were also married at about the same time, with a similar low key, informal ceremony. Thank you for the beautiful pictures which sparked my own thoughts of weddings long ago.

Interesting that we also have no pictures of my grandmother's wedding day. I remember asking her why not, and she simply said no one thought it was important enough to take more than a couple of pictures, and those few that were taken had been lost over the years. Cameras weren't as common then, and more significantly, there wasn't the drive to record *everything* for posterity that there is now. Weddings were generally not blowout/extravaganza/personal statement occasions, except for the wealthiest families. Most people would have felt the marriage itself was more important than the details of the wedding day. Family and friends gathered to enjoy a special moment but that's all it was--a ceremony at a church or registrar's office, a special meal or family-held party, then off to the next responsibility.

My grandmother's wedding, according to her, was a simple matter of calling the relatives, arranging a midmorning ceremony in the minister's office, and ordering a special cake from a bakery for the luncheon at her parents' house afterward. They weren't poor, and they weren't in a special hurry. That was simply how weddings were done. She wore a tailored suit because that was her best outfit. My grandmother's younger sister gathered flowers for the ceremony, and did my grandmother's hair in a fashionable updo. Years later she told me the hairpins were poking her during the ceremony and all she could think of was "Let's hope the minister keeps this short!" After a short weekend "honeymoon" trip to the nearby "big city" they came back to work on Monday.The whole thing took less than a week to plan and execute. They were married for 49 wonderful years. It really says something about their values and makes me a bit embarrassed thinking about my own fussiness and endless agonizing over the details of my own wedding day.

I appreciate your detailed comment, Puppycat - there was a beautiful simplicity of weddings back then. How did weddings evolve into our expensive, complicated, detailed events nowadays?

And at the same time, the marriages that started with those simple weddings seem to have lasted longer.

Also, I resonated with your thought, "Cameras weren't as common then, and more significantly, there wasn't the drive to record *everything* for posterity that there is now."

While much has been gained, much beauty and simplicity have also been lost in the process.

tam

Beautiful pictures and comments by all. I love the cabbage patch doll in the second pic! Having parents with long marriages is truly a blessing - mine have been married 53 years and my husband's 57. I'll see what wedding pictures I can find - both were low key affairs by today's standards but have stood the test of time. Thank you for sharing.

Category