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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Shropshire Lass on Saturday 22 March 25 17:59 GMT (UK)

Title: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Shropshire Lass on Saturday 22 March 25 17:59 GMT (UK)
Most of the reports of family weddings in the newspapers have been very detailed but I've come across a few that are much shorter and all have the phrase "a quiet wedding" in them.

Was this some sort of code that everyone at the time would have understood or is my imagingation running away with me?
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: gc1 on Saturday 22 March 25 18:52 GMT (UK)
Google search meaning

A "quiet wedding" or "intimate wedding" means a wedding with a smaller guest list, often focusing on the couple and their closest family and friends, emphasizing a more personal and less formal celebration.
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Nick_Ips on Saturday 22 March 25 19:28 GMT (UK)
Was this some sort of code that everyone at the time would have understood or is my imagingation running away with me?

You mean something like "Arranged in a great hurry so not enough time to invite a more extensive guest list" ?
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Top-of-the-hill on Saturday 22 March 25 20:24 GMT (UK)
  A quiet wedding might take place if there had been a recent death in the family, or if a family member was very ill.
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Shropshire Lass on Saturday 22 March 25 21:23 GMT (UK)
Google search meaning

A "quiet wedding" or "intimate wedding" means a wedding with a smaller guest list, often focusing on the couple and their closest family and friends, emphasizing a more personal and less formal celebration.

That's understandable.  I was curious as to whether the phrase could have had a colloquial meaning above and beyond just describing the size of the wedding party.
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Shropshire Lass on Saturday 22 March 25 21:24 GMT (UK)
Was this some sort of code that everyone at the time would have understood or is my imagingation running away with me?

You mean something like "Arranged in a great hurry so not enough time to invite a more extensive guest list" ?

That is along the lines I was thinking!
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Top-of-the-hill on Saturday 22 March 25 21:53 GMT (UK)
  I think "a quiet wedding" means just that and could be for several reasons. One which came up in my research recently was a marriage in a wealthy family, but "owing to the illness of the bride's mother, the wedding was of an extremely quiet character."
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: MollyC on Saturday 22 March 25 22:16 GMT (UK)
I have one from a newspaper of 7 Oct 1939.
"... will take place quietly... on Wednesday next... Friends will be welcome at the church."
Maybe the outbreak of war was a reason for doing things quietly and not sending invitations.
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Top-of-the-hill on Saturday 22 March 25 22:33 GMT (UK)
   Yes, I came across a report like that but for 1914  - “The marriage was very quietly celebrated as is the case in so many military weddings at this season.”
Title: Re: Newspaper reports of marriages.
Post by: Shropshire Lass on Sunday 23 March 25 21:26 GMT (UK)
The reports I have aren't around the times of the war and don't give any reason for the wedding being 'quiet'.