Kelsey, my fabulous co-GA, happens to be getting married this weekend, so I want to make a ‘toast’ by looking at wedding themed materials in our collection. It has been far too many years since my own wedding, so it has been so much fun to watch Kelsey plan hers. I am so excited for her and thoroughly enjoyed looking at the collections I’m about to share with you.
We have a number of wedding invitations in a few different collections, so I’ve chosen three for now.
Invitation to the wedding of Etah Eiffert and J. Polk Carter, September 18, 1894
Wedding invitations haven’t really changed very much in the century or so since these were sent out. It is easier to add pictures now but the basic invitation has been around for quite some time.
Invitation to the wedding of Elizabeth Shelton and John Hastings, February 20, 1901
There are a hundred different ways for a couple to personalize their invitations and it’s fun to look at the similarities and differences between these three.
Invitation to the wedding of Beula Addison and John Carlisle Johnson, November 1, 1913
The first invitation was for a September 1894 wedding and the last was for a November 1913 wedding. The first couple had been married 19 years by the time the last couple tied the knot! The difference between my wedding and Kelsey’s is 13 years. When they happened a century ago a few years’ gap doesn’t seem as big a deal as it does in the present.
These next two photos are from the Faye Beard Wilhoite collection. She was a TU alumnus and a noted Soprano in Tulsa. The collection consists of scrapbooks, poetry, and these photographs.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilhoite
Presenting the brand new Mr. and Mrs. Wilhoite. Neither one of them seems to fully grasp everything happening here quite yet. So much of your wedding day can be spent in a daze wondering if it’s all really happening.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilhoite
I just love their expressions in this photograph! I am looking forward to seeing Kelsey’s version of these! I already know she is a radiant bride, so her photos are going to be utterly fantastic! Wedding pictures are always fun to look at; Kelsey will definitely love looking at them over the years to come and maybe people a century from now will even find them!
The items below are stereo cards and my pictures simply cannot do them justice. Stereo cards were extremely popular toward the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. When viewed through a stereoscope the slightly different angles produce a 3-D effect which is entertaining. We have a number of stereo card collections, many of which portray World War I, but I found some about weddings as well.
The set of three cards above depicts his expectations for married life, his wedding eve (party at the Bachelor Club!), and her wedding eve (burning letters from former affections!). I imagine stories like this also made excellent silent films when the “movies” took off.
These two are are actually from a set of 12 stereo cards which tell the whole story from proposal to the first evening together after the wedding. I selected these two in particular because I love the bride’s flowers (Easter lilies are so beautiful to me!). Kelsey’s flowers are going to be gorgeous, so I can’t wait to see them…I’m so excited and I’m not even the one getting married! To truly enjoy these stereo cards, you’ll have to see them in person.
The Bride-to-Be with the Bride-to-Be
I stumbled across this large portrait entirely by (happy) accident while writing this post! Kelsey helped hold it up so I could get a decent picture and I told her I would crop out the background (including her) but her expression is just too funny to leave out. She’s so much fun to work with and she’s going to be a delightful bride!
If you would like to see any of these collections or congratulate Kelsey in person, stop by to see us on the 5th floor of McFarlin Library, any time between 8:00-4:30 Monday through Friday.
Congratulations Kelsey! May your love be as endless as your wedding rings!