Here comes the Bride. ( And where I've been)

I am so sorry for the long absence. Life happened.

But while I was out, I did go antiquing! Went to my usual haunt in the Dells, nothing new *sigh*

But then I hit up Roscoe Antiques in Roscoe, IL!!

I have found a new place to go. For almost everything. I came out there smiling ear to ear and the customer service cannot be beat!

http://www.roscoeantiquemall.com/

And then I was in Milwaukee to see Fitz and the Tantrums this past weekend and discovered Antiques on Second

http://www.antiquesonsecond.com/

Three stories of joy! I hit jack pot. I love this place. I was with the Mr and friend of ours. and we canvased the entire place. My Friend Jen went for records, as did her hubby, Andy. My Mr and I went for pictures and whatever caught his fancy.

I found this picture in MLK

She's pretty. Look at her face. She can't wait to get married! The excitement

Her dress is lovely and simple, the flowers sweet and subtle.

I wonder who the other two people are? Her parents? Family, friends?

I bet her soon to be husband's eyes popped out at the first look at her!

It's Been Ten Years.

Ten wonderful, fantastic, frustrating, topsy turvy years that I have been married to my wonderful Mr.

Here is Us...10 years ago. I was 20 and he was 23.

M.C's find...Revisited.

I visit the Wisconsin Dells a lot. Its a favorite vacation spot. And a really great antiquing place.
A year ago, M.C found this and this year, same time about, I found this picture

Pretty neat. 

Catholic Marriage Certificate

This is the only MC I have that actually states the denomination of the Church.

I have six MC in the collection and they could be anything from Lutheran to Protestant to Methodist.

Also, the design to this piece. Look at how intricate it is, but yet very simple.

These were meant to be proudly shown off. That's why they were so lavish in design.

I don't like showing mine because in comparison to these, it looks like a child drew it.

Certificate from St. Charles 1898

In color. Ink is still  legible

I love the illustrations. So pretty and vibrant. The detailing in this a just wonderful...from the scroll work to the Holy Bible on the bottom

And the couples pictures make this even more special. This was meant to be showed off in the home.

Nels Peter and Ellen Mathilda were married in St. Charles, IL on the 22nd of February 1898

Marriage Certificates: Day one. Iowa and Missouri.

105 years old.

The paper is faded and watermarked. But the illustration is still vibrant.

I had a bit of a time trying to read the writing, but then my eyes began to throb with the strain and I gave up.

I wonder if the Frank and Lena had a long and happy marriage?

Was it filled with laughter? Were there fights? Did she nag? Did he not listen?

Did they make up? Teach their children to be good people?

These are questions I ask myself when I find pieces for my collections. 

Happy Ever After

Jane

All the Certificates!

I have a bench in my living room. Its become my catch all for my framed marriage licences. I have six total in this offshoot of my collection.

They all vary in age and condition. And even in elaborateness.

I'll be posting one every day of this week. Showcase all parts of my obsession :)


Happy Ever After
Jane

Reunited with Memories

A friend of mine posted this on my FB wall:
Reunited
Its a wonderful thing to have happen.

To be reunited with your pictures when you've given up hope of ever finding those memories.

This gave me the feel goods.

:)

Happy Ever After,

Jane

What I saw at the Zoo last Saturday

There was a wedding at Brookfield Zoo! Was it ever pretty!
The Bride wore an off white dress. It was strapless and had a full gown with lots of tulle.A perfect princess gown. The bodice was sparkly. Her hair was in a updo. A perfect Chignon. A lovely tiara and long veil completed the look. The best part about the bride's ensemble? Her shoes!

Sparkly cobalt blue shoes! Her something blue, I suppose.

The Groom was in classic suit.Clean lines. Stone grey with Chucks! LOVE.

I was thrilled to see this. It made my day.



I was going to take pictures, but then realized that would be so rude and disrespectful. So I didn't.

When the Mr and I do our vow renewal, we are having it at Brookfield Zoo, with the Penguins.

Cousin Isabella's White Wedding.

September 26, 1953. 

Cousin Isabella got Married!

Bride Isabella and the Bridesmaids.

Sounds like a music band, doesn't it?

But I am going to gush a bit.

I love the wedding gown.

The collar, the "v".

Its one lovely dress.

And the bridesmaids...Perfect tea length dresses.

The lace shrugs with the collars (again!) and the headdresses. 

I love it. LOVE it.

An early mirror selfie.

Guess who this is.

Seriously.

The Attendants.

No guesses yet?

Fine.

Its Eleanora! And the Bridesmaids!

The Guests of Catherine Scorgo's Wedding

The guest of the wedding are pretty interesting.  Remember the wedding scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" That was my wedding day. Guests are so fun to watch. They can be happy for the couple, pissed  at the couple ("They placed me next to HER?") Or just there for the free booze. Who cares? Its a celebration!

Possibly the MOB and FOB?

It's not always Happily Ever After....

Sometimes in my collecting travels, I come across the most interesting things. Babies getting their first ever pictures, family portraits. Military pictures. But those don't interest me. We all know my focus: Wedding portraits and marriage certificates. The Start of Happy Ever After.

But its not always, is it? The Start of Happy Ever After. Its not. And it took my newest find to put that thought firmly on the front of my mind. A couples HEA can end. Death? Distance? Indifference? Yeah...

Anyway...before my thoughts run away with me. Where was I? Oh yes, Its not always HEA and my find from last month proves it.

Our Bride is Eleanora and I inherited her history. Its so rare that I know about my Brides. Usually I just know a name or a little snippet (if I am lucky). With Eleanora, I got a lot more. In her box, (Goodness, that is so sad!) there are pictures of every stage of her life. Baby, girlhood, her First Communion, high school photo, Eleanora in her cap and gown. And finally, as a beautiful bride.

At first, I felt like a voyeur. An oddly specific one at that. I only wanted the wedding pictures and screw the rest. I dug more into the box with the Mr's encouragement and found the rest of my Brides story.  And it broke my heart. While I think Eleanora had a good, if ordinary, childhood, I don't think married life was good to her.

Snippets of her life were found.  Like a flipbook of her past. Receipts from deliveries, old mortgage papers, letters and pictures from friends. I went even deeper into the old Rubbermaid container and found more. And I wish I hadn't. I believe in Happy Ever After like a child. I love fairy tales and know most by heart, so to find what I found made me sad and my heart ache. Divorce papers. The end of a tale. The end of a story of two people once in love.

Eleanora must have believed in love...because there were two sets of those papers. Two different marriages. Maybe she tried a third time and it was her HEA. Or maybe she gave up. Who knows? But this is where her story ends for me. In that old, cracked Rubbermaid container, I hold her story.

I truly hope that the beautiful bride with eyes full of hope and love on her Wedding Day found her Happy Ever After with her Prince.

Eleanora.

May you find your Happy Ever After,

xoxo
Jane

And now, on with the Wedding

Here's the last two picture from the last posts Bride and Groom

Another of the Bride and Groom.

The Wedding Party.

I cut off a bridesmaid. It was a big picture.

Bride and Groom from Chicago

When the Mr. and I went to the flea market and found that treasure trove, we came across a whole set of pictures. Bride, Groom, wedding party. The whole shebang.

Made me sad, as it usually does, to see the box of memories being sold. Lucky they came to me. :)

She's a lovely Bride. 

However, I find that the head dress and the bouquet overwhelm her slender frame.

The Bride and her Groom.

What a handsome, well matched couple.

This is only two of the pictures from the set.

Treasures Found!

Oh! We came back successful! Very successful! It was a decisively hot day and towards the end of it, I was walking in a daze.  Thank the Mr for the fantastic finds.

We were walking past a table when the Mr said to hold up and lets look. Glad we did!! We found a treasure trove of wonderful photos!

Here's a preview:

A small sampling.

Some bridal party,

and some more bridal party.

A look at a few wedding guests.

And a couple wedding portraits.

A Flea Marketing I'll go...

The Mr and I along with the Bug and Penguin are going to the big flea market in the neighboring county this Saturday. We'll be looking for some new treasures for the collection. Told you it became a family hobby. Bugaboo is going to look for some postcards to add to his collection as well.



So hopefully on Sunday I'll have some new pictures to share with you all!!

Happy Treasure Hunting to us!

Jane

xoxo

A Marriage Portrait.

My dear friend Carolyn strikes again. So to repay her, I made her lemon bars and another spot on this blog

She found this at a yard sale. To me, that is so heartbreaking. 

But, alas, I digress. 

This is the 20's. The man's hair and the woman's drop waist dress give it away.

I am loving this picture.

Look happy, won't you?

The cameras back in the day took forever to actually take the picture, so that's why we have the unsmiling people in so many older photos. But this one? I think she (the Maid of Honor) had to be some how wrangled into the wedding or something. Jury's still out

And I am not tickled pink by that head dress. Its rather odd on her head. Its awkward. That is one wedding trend I am happy to see die off.

Watertown, Wis 1910

Watertown, Wis.

Very young, aren't they? 

There is a certain sweetness that radiates from this picture.

Dated 1910-1912 I believe.

The Reception Line

Look at how happy EVERYONE is!

The Bride is just beautiful! And I will just say, what a very handsome groom. Looks a bit like Hugh Grant. :)
I am loving the flower accent on the Brides veil.
And the brooch on her collar. Maybe a "something old"?