The Green Weddings of the 1930s
The colour of the 1930s was green. I've always associated the decade myself with the dark Brunswick Green of window frames and gates of contemporary suburban semis. But a study of the Sylko colour shades brought out in the 1930s confirms this association. Variations on the theme of green abound. And when searching the newspaper archives from that decade for the shade, one thing that stands out is it's use at weddings, primarily for bridesmaids' dresses. Yet until recently, it was considered unlucky to have any shade of green at a wedding. Green belonged to the supernatural folk, and it was thought unwise to steal their colour. I wondered how this sat with the more superstitious of the parents involved...
Eau de Nil
“What's up with the long face, young Betty?”
The subject of the inquiry only sighed heavily and changed the hand that she was resting her chin on.
“Oh, it's those bridesmaids’ dresses again, Dad. Me and Mum have had words.
Betty’s father dropped down into the chair facing his wedding weary daughter.
“I wish I’d never started all this. I wish that me and Fred could just go to Gretna Green and not have anybody else mithering us.” Betty’s defiance suddenly crumpled into a sob. “Oh, I am fed up.”
“Where's your mother now? There, there dearie, don't take on. I’ll have words with her. It's time all this silliness was put to a stop once and for all.” Betty’s father sounded business like, but he was trying not to crumple as his daughter did.Why was his wife being like this? When he thought how she was spoiling what should be a happy time for their daughter. How she cast a shadow on the last weeks of having Betty at home with them. By the end of June, she would be gone.They would be down to weekly visits. This silliness had to end. His asking Betty where her mother was - it was a rhetorical question. It was obvious where she was by the banging. One of the rooms upstairs was getting a good bottoming and it was being attacked with vigour.
“Right, what's all this, mother? Betty says that you’ve had words again.”
“It's those bridesmaids’ dresses, Bill. They just won't do. What's wrong with peach satin like I suggested, why has it got to be this fancy Odeanil or whatever it is they call it?”
“It's Eau de Nil, dear. It means water from the River Nile. I read it in the paper and it's very up to the minute. Why can't Betty have it if she wants it? It's her wedding after all.”
“You see! River Nile water! Foreign muck. What's wrong with a nice English peach?”
“ Now we're going round in circles here. Meanwhile, our Betty’s down there heartbroken. Give me one good reason why she can't have bridesmaids in green, or I'm overruling you. I’m the head of this house, I'm paying for this wedding. What I say goes and I say our Betty's bridesmaids will be what she wants.”
“ Green. That's it. You've said it. It might be called Odeanill, but it's green and green at a wedding is bad luck.”
“ Who says it's bad luck?”
“ Everybody. If there's green clothes at a wedding , something will go wrong. The marriage itself might go wrong.”
“Rubbish! It's 1936 not 1836! Superstition is a thing of the past. You need to go modern, mother. I say those dresses will be Eau de Nil and I'm buying them. That's my final say.”
“ And I suppose you'll be buying a green tie to wear while you give her away?”
“ Now then mother, that's enough of that. That's just asking for trouble.”
Comments
Post a Comment