196 MARRIAGE Marriage plays a very important part in every woman's life, and, on account of its universal interest and importance, will be dealt with fully in Every Woman's Encyclopedia. The subject has two sides, the practical and the romantic. A varied range of articles, therefore, will be included in this section, dealing with : The Ceremony Honeymoons Bridesmaids Groomsmen Marriage Customs Engagements Wedding Superstitions Marriage Statistics Trousseaux Colonial Marriages Foreign Marriages Engagement and Wedding Rings, etc. THE BRIDAL PROCE^tSION By "MADGE" (Mrs. HUMPHRY) The Difficulties of Organising — The Question of Cost— Designing a Dress which will Suit all the Bridesmaids — ^Flower Weddings — Children in Attendance on the Bride W 'hen the bridal procession passes from porch to altar there is little to suggest what tribulation has frequently attended the organising of it. Perhaps one bridesmaid is wearing a hat of a slightly different shipe from the rest, or there is some such small variation to indi- cate the troubles that have been ; perhaps there is an odd number, someone having dropped out at the last moment, ostensibly because of influenza, really because she " cant and won't wear a dress that makes her look a fright." Indeed, the bride has a difficult and delicate task to perform when selecting the girls who are to attend her at the altar, and usually some- body will be offended through being omitted. The Question of Cost Suppose a girl has three sisters, all tall and blonde, and the bridegroom-elect has one, who is very short and very dark. The latter most cer- tainly must be asked to be a bridesmaid, but how can the bride find a dress which will suit each of her four maids equally well ? There is, moreover, the As an alternative to the orthodox Charles I. or Georgian costume, a page looks well in Henry V ill. style question of cost to be considered ; and the bride must remember that if, as often is the case, some of her maids have smaller allow- ances than the others, they will want dresses which they can wear frequently afterwards. Again, the bride may have strong individual taste, and may choose a dress which all the congregation will say is " all very well for Angela, but it doesn't suit a single one of the bridesmaids ! " Yes, much kindliness, thought, and tact are called for from the bride in solving the question of the brides- maids and their dresses. Some brides cut the Gordian knot by saying that they will have only one bridesmaid, choose a pretty girl with good taste, and tell her to dress as she likes. She, of course, con- sults the bride, but there is seldom any room for disagree- ment where the one is almost certain to be in unrelieved white. The single bridesmaid, how- ever, must be pretty, and, moreover, able to stand grace- fully for a long time with all eyes on her. At a quiet wedding her trial is not very severe, but where she attends a bride who has summoned
