CURIOUS WEDDING MISHAPS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5092, 27 October 1894, Page 3

CURIOUS WEDDING MISHAPS.

Not long ago an accident of a somewhat amusing kind occurred at a rustic wedding. The bride was attended by two bridesmaids, one of whom exhibited much uneasiness daring the ceremony. She dropped her bouquet on two separate occasions — this in itself was sufficiently alarming as it is considered a sign of ill orn^n in some country districts to drop anything during the wedding service— and at a most unlikely moment the girl threw up her hands and, shrieking hysterically, fainted in the arms of the best man. And the cauea of all this alarm was an innocent mouse, which for some minutes had been amnaing itself by running in and out of the altar rails, at no great distance from the affrighted bridesmaid. This disturbance caused a general uproar, the congregation pressing up to the front to discover the reason. Not until a vigorous fanning had been applied was the originator of all this hubbub able to explain her cause of affright. The bride was so nervouß after the catastrophe, that it was | some little time before she could respond , to the marriage service correctly. Directly this readied its termination she Bat down | in the vestry and indulged in a good cry. Another disturbance at a rustic wedding was due to the bride, who was apparently a great favourite with the villagers, judging by the number of people assembled and the various packages of rice which they carried. At the critical moment when the ring should have been slipped on the finger, i the high heel of the bride's new shoe i caused her to lose her balance, and in her ' effort to restore her equilibrium she fell . "in a heap," as the rustics said, at the : bridegroom's feet. A most awkward accident truly, the . maiden being of portly build and requiring i the assistance of two individuals to lift her i to an erect posture. After this Bhe ap- , peared anything but calm, and when the . party turned away from the altar, Bhe i stooped to piok up her shoe— which had i come off during the occurrence— and ' walked, like the nursery rhyme hero, with i " one shoe off, one shoe on," to the vestry, i amid the amused titters of the crowd, i It is reported that the union of two fond , hearts was affected in a curious manner at . a church in a manufacturing town in the north of England some time ago. The groom could not find the golden symbol : that was to pledge the solemn vows of the I marriage ceremony. He put a nervous finger in the pocket of ' his vest, shook his handkerchief, felt in [ the opening of his glove, but the magic j circlet was not; to ba found. As already , some time had been loßt, the sexton produced the vestry key, the ring of which ] waa slipped over the confused girl'B j finger, and the two were proclaimed man t and wife. , If report be true, this is by no means , the only instance of the kind. At a fashionable wedding in New York last summer, an accident of a painful kind to the fair bride happened. Instead of the 3 customary bridesmaids, this lady had two > little boys, dreased in Fauntleroy suits and 1 curls, to attend her; and one laddie in his | hurry trod on the rich satin train — which * it waß his duty to Bupport— tearing it quite 1 apart, and falling over it. J The consternation of the bride was J great, but a few pins, kindly supplied by b a guest, who deftly attached the train in c place, proved a satisfactory if temporary 7 arrangement ; after which, the lady 1 walked down the aisle with apparent un--9 concern, though her feelings must have 1 been anything but pacific. 7 Yeb another incident at an American " wedding, which was of a more alarming 9 charaoter than the former. During that " solemn hush which usually precedes the 5 reading of the marriage service, a roughlooking man pushed himself to the front, and attempted to seize the bride— a rich i Canadian lady, about to be married to a 1 naval officer. , The lady was well known in fashionable - circles, and the gathering wbb composed [ chiefly of smart people; therefore, tin? * appearance of so rougii » character created b an unusual flutter. For eotne fow minulee 9 entreaties weie ÜBed, but the man becomv. ingYioleat *-•- .itm forcibly .ejected, ft

j deolared the lady waa his step-daughter, i and he wished to give her his blessing. It > waß afterwards proved that the fellow was I intoxicated, and had created the tumult • for a wager. He was imprisoned for hio j pams, and it was declared the same in- ■ dividual had been the cause of as uproar I some time previously at the funeral of a ) notable city man, escaping punishment by i hiß adroitness in" making an exit at a convenient moment. A mishap, with a happy termination, . took place at a village ohurch in a remote ( part of Cheshire. At the appointed hour , the bride was waiting at the altar, and . all waa in readiness for the ceremony, but no groom was forthcoming. | 111 at ease, the girl sent a message to t the house of the dilatory one, but receiving , what she deemed an unsatisfactory answer, i she flounced out of the churoh, and, a few | minutes later, reappeared with the laggard , afc her aide, his face liberally decorated > with court-plaster, the result of a battle in ; the village beer-house the night before ; this being the reason of his non-appearance ! at the important moment. ' On one occasion a young man and hiß , intended bride were obliged to attend I church twice before the ceremony was , solemnized, the cause of the delay oeing the forgetfulness of the groom to bring the necessary papers, he being a residemt of a villlage some miles away, where the allimportant documents were resting. As the house was full of guests, the ! young people went home and entertained t them, the bride receiving the congratulations of her friendi, who were all unconj scious of the affair. Next morning, at an . early hour, the two were married secretly, ! and set off on their honeymoon ua« ; observed. ■