WAITING AT THE CHURCH

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11412, 8 January 1923, Page 10

WAITING AT THE CHURCH

COMEDY IN REAL LIFE GETTING MARRIED FOR X CHRISTMAS. /. wedding celebrated at one of the Auckland churches just before Christmas was characterised by a series of situatdlona 'which would have done' credit to 'the most fantastic’ of comedy plots, says the Auckland ‘’Star.” It was made notable by no less'tban three false Starts before the harassed couple got properly away with a clear run for the matrimonial stakes, and even then the event* was complicated by a vexatious after-event. The first hitch in the process of getting hitched was procrastination on the part of the bride, of whom there was no appearance some very considerable time after the hour Bet for tho event. Parson, bridegroom, and best man fretted and fussed about the altar awaiting the belated lady until the clergyman announced that he had another important engagement to fill and could wait no longer, but promised to return ay soon as he could get the other affair off his hands, in an hour or two. He had hardly got beyond call when the bride arrived, much heated and dia tressed over the delay that had been caused her and others by an obstacle at home. After a korero the party decided to dispatch the best man for another * clergyman rather than wait an hour for the ono originally engaged, and he set off in a taxi to a distant suburb. Hardly had he got out of sight when the original clergyman turned up Bmiling, having made a rush job of his other engagement, and -t was decided to go ahead with the ceremony in the ahsenoe of the best

man. This decision, however, WM momentarily held up by discovery of the fact that the best man had taken the ring away with him, and there was another delay while a hunt was made for a substitute ring. This was at last obtained, and the ceremony was proceeding when the best man arrived in time for the original ring to he used for its destined purpose, and the affair ended happily. Some time later the custodian of the vestry came along to lock up, and to make the discovery that a pair of gold sleeve links which was included in the vestry property was miming, with the result that a police interrogation was added to the several annoyances suffered by the parties concerned in that particular wedding. _ It probably did not mitigate their final cross to any great extent to know that there had been other weddings in the church the same day, and a number of other persons shared with them' the vexation of inquiries about the missing golden links. Taken all in all there were incidents and omens enough abont that wedding to have satisfied the most bloodthirsty village oracle in the superstitious Victorian days, and probably to have tfirned the affair into a matter of real and lasting nnhappiness for the principal':, instead of just a passing comedy of coincidences providing humour for a good honeymoon laugh.

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