History – Wedding bells

My grandfather, Harold Marsh wrote in his diary on 2 August 1905 ‘Went to the Neal-Payne wedding at Port Albert. Took some photos of the bridal party etc.’ Those photographs are beautiful and marriage records provide basic data, but they don’t give details! So I had yet another browse through Papers Past online and found a report of this wedding. The language may seem old-fashioned and formal, but doesn’t it paint a vivid picture of the occasion?

‘Considerable interest was displayed in the marriage of Miss L Payne and Mr R Neal, which took place on Wednesday, August 2 in the Wesleyan Church, both bride and bridegroom being son and daughter of highly respected settlers residing in this district. The Rev C Griffin in his happy way performed the marriage ceremony and declared the young couple husband and wife. The bride was given away by her father, Mr Walter Payne and of course looked charming in a pretty dress of crème voile, veil and orange blossoms. Miss Annie Payne and Miss Linda Becroft were the bridesmaids, and wore dresses of crème voile with black hats. Mr Walter Neal acted as Best Man and Mr Alfred Neal as Groomsman. By invitation of the parents of the bride a large number of well-wishers adjourned to the hall where afternoon tea was liberally dispensed. The Rev Griffin, congratulating the newly married pair, who were, he said, abolishing one pain by getting married and that was always considered a good thing done. The newly married couple left soon after by steamer via Helensville for Whangarei where Mr R Neal has elected to start married life. The presents were both very numerous, choice and useful. The bridegroom’s presents to the bridesmaids were pretty greenstone brooches mounted in gold. The wedding cake which was greatly admired was the work of Mrs Geo Weston of Warkworth, who deserves great credit for the artistic manner in which the cake was executed.’

I wonder if any of those greenstone brooches have made their way down through families of the bridesmaids? Perhaps we will find out when Albertland descendants get together for the 150th celebrations at Easter.