A Minnesota Fall Wedding Story-Oct.22,1966

Oct. 22, 1966 was the big day. We had only dated about 4 months but we were pretty sure we were doing the right thing although others had their doubts. Almost 44 years later we still remain a married couple despite ups and downs, slips and falls and hills and valleys.

It was a beautiful fall day here in the great state of Minnesota , a little on the windy side, but overall very nice for this time of the year, when we said our "I dos". The wedding ceremony was performed in our local Catholic church at 11:00 A.M. According to Catholic traditions at that time all weddings had to take place before noon. Since then though, that time requirement has changed.

Our wedding party consisted of my sister as matron of honor and my sister-in-law as a bridesmaid, 2 friends were the groomsmen for my husband. Our colors were in the blue family. I wonder today why we didn't go with the more traditional colors of autumn, but at the time it didn't seem to matter that much. About 100 invited family and friends attended our fall wedding ceremony.

After the approximately 45 minute nuptial ceremony, the wedding party headed to the local photographer for pictures. We didn't have a hired photographer take pictures of our wedding. For one thing it wasn't that common in this area at that time to have a hired photographer for your wedding and another thing, we couldn't afford one. Other then the traditional wedding pictures that we had taken by the photographer our wedding photo album, which we purchased at the local Ben Franklin store, consists of snapshots taken by family and friends.

After our wedding ceremony guests gathered at the local Knights of Columbus hall (an old converted country schoolhouse, which years later became the site for a plumbing business) for a reception. There were no event centers in the area at that time that were specifically designed for weddings or other large gatherings. The reception dinner, which was prepared mostly by my dear mother, consisted of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, jello salads, dinner rolls, relishes, wedding cake and punch. It was delicious! After the wedding dinner, many of the guests hung around watching us open our wedding gifts and visiting.

At around 5:00P.M., my parents had a lite supper at their home for our wedding party and out of town guests. Sandwiches, potato salad and some leftovers from the wedding dinner were served.

Our fall wedding day was completed with an evening wedding dance at a local dance hall. Traditional wedding dance music was provided by a local 4 piece band. Everything from polka music to rock and roll music was played for our guests enjoyment. The wedding dance was open to the public and approximately 300 people enjoyed the evening with us.

We slipped away around 11:00 P.M. for a "one nite honeymoon" at a motel in the nearby state of Wisconsin. We came back home the next day in time for my husband to watch the Minnesota Vikings play football. About 3 years later we enjoyed a "real honeymoon".

Now that's my Minnesota fall wedding story, some 44 years later.

Source: personal experience