From 'Must' to 'Maybe' (50 years of Weddings)

One of our first letters this New Year. 2009, was a Wedding invitation. Before Christmas, I had seen an item in the ‘Glancing Back’ section of the ‘Sandbach Chronicle’. That mentioned the Church Hall, constructed 50 years ago in Vicarage Lane, Elworth.

In 1965 Mike & I held our Wedding Reception in the Hall, after our Wedding at The Avenue Chapel. Sadly the Chapel closed recently. The Church Hall is now in the rooms where I went to primary school, but the original building is still in use, as a base for ‘One Stop’ Wedding planning & Wedding Fairs.

Once we had set a date for our Wedding, all sorts of events & arrangements had to follow. The ‘wording and style of the invitations?’ was followed by a visit to Mr. Simcox in his shop in Sandbach. ( I only remember his unusual Victorian-style collar! ). Mr. Simcox explained the layout and cost of suitable invitation cards. We collected the parcel of cards later. I still have one or two of the originals.

Nearly 50 years on, even the invitations reflect the changes from ‘correct’ & ‘must’ to ‘perhaps we could’ & ‘maybe’.

We’ve seen so many huge, PR- aimed celebrity Weddings in the media. Some with restrictions about dress on the invitations. Some insisting on secrecy about venues & times – in case details escape before the actual day.

The four weddings of friends that we know about, so far, planned to take place in 2009. have been talked about for a while.

While the invitations must be correct, in the sense of providing all the necessary information for the guests, these days they are often in themselves a family craft project. “ perhaps we could…? “ or, “ Maybe that would be better…? “

The Wedding Theme and colour choices are often reflected in trimmings on the invitation card. I enjoy looking at these & thinking of suitable replies.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, with Past, Present & Future thoughts & memories to share!

Mary Garratt
4/1/’09