Thursday, March 24, 2022 A Fine Honeymoon Send-Off

The honeymoon send-off has changed and evolved over the years. When we were married, people threw bird seed at us. This was supposed to be a more ecologically friendly way than throwing rice, which had fallen out of favor because apparently the rice was upsetting to bird tummies. We never did get all the bird seed out of our car.

We’ve had three weddings in our family so far and the send-offs have been sparklers. Sparklers are so fun and festive, but when we had them at our daughter’s wedding, the specter of little burnt hands and legal culpability loomed over us a bit. In doing the kind of in-depth research you can expect from this blog, I went back to look at the photos and realized that one of our sons and his wife just took off into the night without any fanfare at all.

I don’t really know what the fad was back in 1917 when my grandparents got married, but I found a send-off poster made for them by some of my grandmother’s friends and sisters that was so funny! They cut a bunch of phrases out of newspapers and magazines and cobbled them together to create some well-wishes for them as they embarked on the honeymoon and on married life in general. The last section is particularly amusing with one random phrase after another serving as “advice” for the newlyweds. I took a photo of it, but also typed it up so you, my dear readers, could enjoy it as much as I did. I put all the cut-out phrases in brackets.

June 1917
[Harry] + [Lois] left
[The Most Musical Town in America] for the
[ferny dells of the matchless St. Croix River,
and the vigor-renewing forests and streams of Northern Minnesota]
[photo of forest inserted].

[The Silent Holstein Buick],
[a Car You Can Trust for Life] succeeded in [Getting Away].
It was [Quick and Convenient – and Downright Fun]
But oh, [The Fate of a Frock], her [photo of comb]
+ Harry’s [photo of glasses.]

[They] reached [Watertown] but [“He laughs best who laughs last,”
and they’re now wearing the smile that won’t come off].
[They] [got a lower berth in the middle of the train]+ reached [St. Paul]. [Away they go again]
[Just You and I] says Harry, [are quickly reached by boat, rail or automobile from Saint Paul.]

[Welcome to Our City!] [Who is this Girl?]
[Why Don’t You Fill Next Summer with Genuine Pleasure?]
[Keep Young – for Harry’s Sake]. [Never molest a skunk].
[Do an errand for your wife.] [Don’t fret – take a bath].
[“Have You a Little Fairy in Your Home?”] (signed Florence)
[Never let your husband persuade you to gaze fixedly at the neck of a bottle or the top of a sugar-bowl].
[Invent Something. It May Bring Wealth.]
[Protect Your Car.]
[Learn at home by mail to mount birds, animals, tan skins.]
Buy [photo of fancy car driving through water with side shields]
for rainy weather.
[Get back to nature, get out in the open]
[Photo of a young couple canoeing]
[We are particularly anxious for you to make an early call.]
[This is a personal invitation to you. Will you accept it?]
[Good night]
Florence, Bess, Myrtie, Ada, Annie & Daisy

I can just picture Florence and company giggling while they put that masterpiece together. Can you imagine their shock to realize that over 100 years later, it’s still intact and being featured in a blog? (“What’s a blog?” would probably be their first question.)

I don’t have one of their wedding photos, sadly, but here’s one taken during their engagement.

Ain’t they cute?

I’d love to hear about your honeymoon send-off, if you had one.

I’ll probably have some sort of send-off for this blog post in the morning, whatever is acceptable in the blogosphere.