More 1931 Etiquette of Weddings

Many wedding etiquette rules became a “matter of choice” or a “matter of taste”, both became synonymous with “matter of finances,” after WWI, the Spanish Flu or Great Influenza, and the Great Depression. Weddings became scaled back and less formal affairs throughout the United States for the majority of brides and bridegrooms, as even families who had a bit of money didn’t want to appear “showy” or “ostentatious” to their less fortunate neighbors or family members. Big weddings with all of the traditional frills, did not really come back into vogue until the mid-1950’s and early 1960’s. – A post-WWII, small California town wedding, circa 1946-1947

 

Question: Do bride and bridesmaids wear gloves?
Answer: This is solely a matter of choice.

Question: Who gives the bride away if she has no father?
Answer: Any male relative or a family friend. Sometimes the mother gives her daughter away.

Question: Should there be an exchange of wedding rings?
Answer: This again is a matter of taste and not of etiquette.

– Imperial Valley Press, 1931

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