(no subject)

[eileennicholson at aol.com]

Hi seufererer, 
    I got married in London in 1982; I'm probably a  year older than Snape 
would be....and I've got so into the Potterworld, its hard  to imagine that MWPP 
don't exist.... 
    UK wedding traditions in the 1970s.....the bride would  wear a long white 
dress with plenty of white lace, a veil and a bouquet with  lilies and roses 
in it and probably some asparagus fern....something old,  something new, 
something borrowed (something mum wore at her wedding?),  something blue (usually a 
blue garter, so that no-one sees if it clashes  with the rest of the 
outfit).....the bridegroom would hire a morning suit  from Moss Bros, as would the 
best man, and both of them would look extremely  embarrassed and uncomfortable in 
them...but the fiancee would insist...the rest  of the male guests would be 
wearing suits, if they had them, the younger guys'  suits with wide lapels and 
those wide, bright kipper ties, some with hair  down to their shoulders or 
longer (worn loose, no pony tails, it was too early  for that, thought to be too 
girly) .. two or three bridesmaids in frilly  frocks, probably little sisters 
or cousins of the bride....very prissy and  smarmy, feeling very 
important....church wedding if possible, otherwise room at  town hall (frowned upon 
slightly)..Confetti thrown over the brial couple,  ignoring the 'no confetti' 
signs...Pause for photographer (hired specially) and  two relatives with cameras who 
want to take their own snaps..bride throws the  bouquet over her shoulder into 
the crowd at the end of the ceremony, older girls  and women rush to catch 
it, in order to become the next bride....reception at a  hotel, perhaps, so the 
guests can get accommodation, with a marquee in the  grounds for the party 
afterwards....or in the church hall if money is tight, or  in a hired room at the 
local pub if there is no money at all, with some money  behind the bar for 
the first few drinks and then everyone paying for their  own...food from a 
buffet, sausages on sticks and triangular sandwiches with the  crusts cut off and 
the edges curling up, egg & cress, ham and lettuce for  the cheaper wedding, a 
sit-down meal with between two and four courses for the  more expensive 
wedding...speeches from the groom and best man (has to include at  least three 
embarrasing incidents from the bridegroom's past)...toasts to the  bride and groom, 
bridesmaids etc ..white iced wedding cake with three tiers  supported by 
plaster columns, and the bridal couple hold the  knife together to cut the first 
slice.  
    They would probably hire a DJ for the evening,  playing vinyl singles and 
some album tracks. They may also hire a band - if they  know one of the band 
members, the band would probably play their own songs; if  not, the band would 
play cover versions of the same songs that the DJ would  play.  DJ tracks in 
the 70's? Country and jazz would be limited to Jim  Reeves and Frank Sinatra, 
plenty of rock, songs from 50's to 70's, Buddy Holly,  Little Richard, Chubby 
Checker, the Twist is fine, quite a lot of Beatles  stuff, one or two Rolling 
Stones tracks, Pink Floyd, Tom Jones, a couple of  songs out of the current 
top 10, one or two California Summer of Love tracks,  Beach Boys hits. If there 
are a lot of parents and grandparents at the  wedding, add extra Max Byfield, 
Frank Sinatra and Jim Reeves, with a conga at  the end of the evening when all 
the guests are drunk......married couple tying  to slip away early in the 
proceeding, with many of the guests aiming to catch  them out.....driving away in 
a hired car with white ribbons tied across the  bonnet to the honeymoon 
destination, and the best man has tied tin cans to the  back of the car...the 
guests that have spotted them shouting a chorus of  goodbyes with raised 
glasses.....
hope this helps! I can probably do some more research into the music if you  
want it, there is a musician in the house.....!  
 
eileen             


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