This story was originally published in NAA Magazine Issue 1, 2016.
The need to ask for and share advice on correct wedding protocol is part of a long tradition. Wedding etiquette guides abounded during the 20th century. Women's magazines bulged with bridal pleas for advice on how to enhance their special day.
Newspaper columns spouted the accepted protocols of the time; from the roles of bridesmaids and groomsmen to identifying who paid for what – and even suggesting contents for the bride's trousseau. Some reporters used the columns to voice changing conventions (or perhaps personal opinions). In 1926 The Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express chastised the tardy bride:
Don't keep the bridegroom and clergy waiting. In granny's day it was considered the right thing for the bride to dally behind a little after the appointed hour for the wedding, but in these days it is not the thing. She should be right on time, and not keep her bridesmaids waiting in a draughty porch and her husband-to-be at the altar.
The topic of wedding etiquette was so popular that many authors aimed to profit by writing booklets on the matter. The Archives holds a range of these in its copyright collection. They all offer similar advice, which suggests that protocols remained unchanged for decades.
In the 1940s a Sydney jewellery store, Saunders, produced a 10-page wedding guide that subtly suggested appropriate gifts for bridesmaids and the best man. Perhaps less subtle was the hint for choosing a wedding ring.
These days a Bride seeks beauty in her Wedding Ring; it should be a Yellow or White Gold or All-Platinum Band ... Saunders the Jewellers will be very pleased to send a complete range of the latest and loveliest Wedding Ring Designs to prospective Brides.
Interestingly, the booklet suggests that 'it is usual to eliminate speeches as much as possible' but is very prescriptive about correct etiquette 'if all speeches are desired'. As for the newlyweds, 'the Bridegroom will, of course, respond on behalf of his wife and himself'.
It was obviously not acceptable for the lady to entertain any ideas about representing herself!
