Newspaper reports of marriages.

[Shropshire Lass]

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?

[gc1]

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.

[Nick_Ips]

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" ?

[Top-of-the-hill]

  A quiet wedding might take place if there had been a recent death in the family, or if a family member was very ill.

[Shropshire Lass]

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.

[Shropshire Lass]

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!

[Top-of-the-hill]

  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."

[MollyC]

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.

[Top-of-the-hill]

   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.”