FEMININE INTERESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18637, 5 August 1930, Page 4

FEMININE INTERESTS.

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES. London’s Most Popular Bridesmaid as Bride: Lady Lettice Lygon, bridesmaid to a score of notable brides in the lasu few years, was the central figure in her own bridal procession at St. Margaret’s, Westminster. Women called her “the lily bride.” Taller even than her father, Earl Beauchamp, who gave her away, she looked as stately and as fair and fragile as a lily on its stalk. Filmy lace, held by orange blossom, veiled her pale gold hair, and fell in a soft cascade to the waist, the folds of her antique parchment satin gown, with its closely moulded corsage, its girdle of orange blossoms, and long flowing skirt, fell softly about her slender figure, and a great sheaf of creamy Bermuda lilies rested in the crook of her arm. No more radiant bride has been seen at St. Margaret’s, nor yet one more .perfectly composed. As she stepped out of the car at the entrance to the church she stood for a moment—in spite of rain—where the crowd which had waited more than two hours to get a glimpse of her could see the full beauty of her bridal attire. Just inside the porch there waited for Lady Lettice a group of four bridesmaids. They were in long flowing dresses of parchment-tinted crepe romaine, each girdled with June roses of a different colour, red, pink, yeilow, and greenish white — and with trails of the same roses from the shoulders, WTeaths of them in their hair, and bouquets to match. They were the Ladies Sibell, Dorothy and Mary Lygon, the bride’s sisters, and Lady Dorothea Ashley-Cooper, her cousin.

Following the bride came two small pages—Lord Geoffrey Percy, the youngest son of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, and Christopher Bethell, dressed alike in fawn satin knickers and magnificent green satin coats. They carried the wonderful bridal train of exquisite old Brussels lace—an heirloom in the Grosvenor family, to which Lady Beauchamp, the bride’s mother belongs. Preceded by the choir, singing ‘Lead us, Heavenly Father, lead us,” the bride passed up the aisle through a double line of tall troopers of the Royal Horse Guards. Forty troopers of the Blues as they are known, lined the aisle from the church door right up to the altar steps, and made an imposing guard of honour, the scarlet plumes on their helmets looking like so many flaming torches.

Tall grasses and towering lilies decorated the aisle, and in the chancel, where the bridegroom. Mr Richard Cotterell, of the Royal Horse Guards son of Sir John Cotterell, awaited his bride, splashes of deep blue from delphiniums mingled with the creamy white of scores of lilies.

The wedding ceremony was performed by Canon Carnegie. The crowd which still waited in the rain had grown to immense proportions, and their cheers as the smiling bride appeared and waved her acknowledgements could be heard above the clash of the bells from the tower above.

Lord and Lady Beauchamp gave the reception afterwards at 13, Belgrave Square, which was a scene of great ac-

livity all day. The retainers and tenants of both the Lygon and the Cotterell estates came to see the presents in the morning and partake of a buffet lunch, which had to be cleared away in time and the buffet replenished for the afternoon guests. Lady Lettice’s going-away ensemble was a tailored, closely pleated frock of deep blue crepe de chene, accompanied by a bolero jacket trimmed with ermine. At Wimbledon: The spectators at Wimbledon for the Wightman Cup enjoyed a great many advantages over the spectators at the “real” Wimbledon. They saw all the matches on the Centre Court, which was not even full, in spite of the crocodiles of girls from various schools in their uniforms, who occupied whole blocks of seats. They saw the Centre Court grass really green and fresh after a winter’s careful tending. And they saw Homer nodding badly in the shape of a squad of really inefficient ball boys, who were so interested in the English and American girl players that they forgot to give them | any balls or else sent them rolling across the court in the middle of rallies. "Methuselah, can’t you run!” shouted one irate tennis “fan.” Spectators were assured by authority, however, that this was only “that Centre Court feeling” consequent upon a new set of boys being employ- j ed, and that they will be expert by ! the time of "real” Wimbledon. Those who had come to note new | fashions in the tennis world had j some curious contradictions offered to ! them. Miss Helen Jacobs was the only woman brave enough to appear with- I out stockings in the face of the clearly expressed wish of the committee that women players should wear stock- | ings while playing. Miss Joan Fry and Miss Harvey, ! when playing a doubles match against j the Americans, wore exactly similar j frocks of washing silk, with all-round | pleated skirts that came a good four , inches below the knee, and fairly j tightly fitting normal waists. The longer skirt did not add to the 1 grace of the players, and Mrs Helen ; Wills-Moody, who had added just one j inch to her frock length, so that her knees were just covered, seemed to have struck the happy medium. She, on the other hand, keeps the waist of her tennis frock well down towards the h>;s. The Queen’s Love of Children: Whatever the splendour and glamour of .Her Majesty’s public or Royal activities, the domestic part—the woman part—of her life makes as j strong if not stronger appeal to the affection of her subjects. It is the human side of her personality that grips the people, states a London writer. Her Majesty’s love of children is well known. A hundred acts—whicn never come to the knowledge of the ! public—can be recorded of her, and her sympathy with suffering little ones, and her own self-denial of ease, if by such act she can give comfort or encouragement. There came to her one dav that magnificent gift of the Queen’s doll’s house. Some might have taken it as t* thing of beauty, and lodged it in some* secluded room to be shown to favoured guests; but Her Majesty’s consideration for others, and her desire to i lessen distress in every form, not only induced her to send the gift to the Wembley Exhibition, but also made her set apart a special room In Windsor Castle, where the gift could be inspected.