Family Stories
Jack and Joan Get Married!
In some ways it seem odd to be telling the story of my parent's wedding. But if I don't, who will? And since my own daughter is getting married soon, it seems appropriate.
The date was Saturday, September 24, 1949. Joan had finished her classes and been baptized, so they were married in the Old San Gabriel Mission. It was a 3:00 wedding, so dinner was served. The reception was in Alice's backyard.
Joan's family was well represented. Her mom and dad were there, of course. Alice (as Matron of Honor), Murray, and their 3 kids (the youngest, Colleen was now a determined toddler) plus Ralph, Bette, Pam, Louise, and Paul. Del was still awol. He would eventually end up with Bakersfield and stayed with Louise and Paul while he put his life back together. Her brother Everett wasn't going to come - his wife was not about to leave Staten Island. Joan's sister Marion wanted to come, but she was pregnant.
Since she couldn't be there, Marion instead sent her wedding gown, which Joan had helped make before they left New York. Marion was a bit taller, so Alice helped Joan make alterations. Alice's mischievous son Patrick was the ring bearer. He had very firm orders to go straight to his mom once she got up there and not leave her side. My cousins Mary Margaret (Alice's) and Pam (Ralph's) were the flower girls. The girls had matching dresses, as did Colleen.
It was a pretty good crowd. Almost filled the small church. What was left of Jack's family was there. Also a lot of Jack's friends and Joan's friends from work. It was a simple wedding. Almost none of the hoopla we see in modern weddings. They didn't have a professional photographer, but they did have Jack's father, who was a professional photographer. No photos were allowed in the old church, but almost all of the existing pictures were taken by him.
The ceremony started. Mary Margaret primly laid down rose petals one by one down the aisle. Pam took handfuls of petals and tossed them randomly. Pam's basket was empty long before she reached the front of the church. Patrick made it to the front safely, where he was corralled by one of the ushers until Alice made it down there.
Joan's father Vincent tripped on her dress going down the aisle. Clearly a tradition, since my own father tripped on my gown during my wedding. Murray's one job was to hang on to Colleen during the ceremony. Not surprisingly, he failed at it. The ceremony was just starting when Colleen came running down the aisle yelling, "Doan! Doan!" She hadn't figured out the J sound yet. Since Colleen was a blonde (like Joan) and Alice a dark brunette, there were some rumors, quickly squashed. After a hug and kiss from her now former roommate, Colleen was content to stay with her mother. The wedding proceeded rather uneventfully after that.
The reception went well. The priest came over and ate. The food was good, which means that Grandma had nothing to do with the making of it. No real problems. The gifts were opened and later stored at Alice's for the happy couple to pick up later. Then they changed clothes and prepared to leave for their honeymoon. I do like to note that Joan made the suit she left in (with a little help from Alice).
Since they didn't have much money, Jack and Joan had a low key honeymoon. Their goal was to see as many of the Old CA Missions as possible. They traveled in Jack's convertible. The problem was that the top of the car had broken and Jack hadn't had time to get it fixed. They did see the Missions at San Fernando, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and the ruins just north of that. Rain was in the forecast, so they headed home to their new apartment.
A side note, I respect my parents morals. Many years later my dad told me that they did managed to wait to have sex until they were married. That's what you were supposed to do back then. He said the hardest time was when they were working on their new apartment. But somehow he resisted and was glad of it. I know of some of my other relatives who weren't that strong.
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