“Hatch-Gillette”—figure of a chicken surprised at having hatched a safety razor.
“Graves-Colgate”—figure of a man brushing his teeth in a cemetery.
“Heinz-Fish”—57 assorted small fish tastily arranged on one plate.
SELECTING THE BRIDAL PARTY
AS soon as the engagement has been announced it is the duty of the prospective bride to select a maid-of-honor and eight or ten bridesmaids, while the groom must choose his best man and ushers. In making these selections it should be carefully borne in mind that no wedding party is complete without the following:
1 bridesmaid who danced twice with the Prince of Wales.
2 Bridesmaids who never danced more than once with anybody.
1 bridesmaid who doesn’t “Pet.”
1 bridesmaid who was expelled from Miss Spence’s.
1 bridesmaid who talks “Southern.”
1 bridesmaid who met Douglas Fairbanks once.
1 bridesmaid who rowed on the crew at Wellesley.
1 usher who doesn’t drink anything.
9 ushers who drink anything.
In some localities, following the announcement, it is customary for the bride’s friends, to give for her a number of “showers.” These are for the purpose of providing her with various necessities for her wedded household life. These affairs should be informal and only her dearest or wealthiest friends should be invited. A clever bride will generally arrange secretly for several of these “showers” by promising a certain percentage (usually 15% of the gross up to $500.00 and 25% bonus on all over that amount) to the friend who gives the party. Some of the more customary “showers” of common household articles for the new bride are toothpaste, milk of magnesia, screen doors, copies of Service’s poems, Cape Cod lighters, pictures of “Age of Innocence” and back numbers of the “Atlantic Monthly.”
INVITATIONS AND WEDDING PRESENTS
The proper time to send out invitations to a wedding is between two and three weeks before the day set for the ceremony, although the out-of-town invitations should be mailed in plenty of time to allow the recipient to purchase and forward a suitable present. As the gifts are received, a check mark should be placed after the name of the donor, together with a short description of the present and an estimate as to its probable cost. This list is to be used later, at the wedding reception, in determining the manner in which the bride is to greet the various guests. It has been found helpful by many brides to devise some sort of memory system whereby certain names immediately suggest certain responses, thus:
“Mr. Snodgrass—copy of ‘Highways and Byways in Old France’”—c. $6.50—“how do you do, Mr. Snodgrass, have you met my mother?”