Page:Book of Etiquette, Volume 1, by Lilian Eichler.djvu/91

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WEDDINGS
65

The wedding breakfast or reception proceeds immediately upon the conclusion of the ceremony. Everyone present is a guest; and everyone present attends the reception.


THE SECOND WEDDING

When a woman marries for the second time, her wedding should be very conservative. Elaborate ceremonies would, indeed, be out of place. However, the more important conditions of the ceremony are followed very much along the same lines.

White is for the girl-bride only. The woman who marries for the second time indulges in none of the age-old customs that the first bride does. She does not wear a white veil; she does not carry orange blossoms; she does not have flower girls or pages or bridesmaids. The more inconspicuous the second wedding is, the more it is in accordance with the rules of etiquette.

The bride-for-the-second-time may have a maid of honor only on one occasion. If she has a church wedding and invites numerous guests, she may have a maid of honor to precede her to the altar. As in the first wedding, her father gives her away. Her family assumes all responsibility for the expenses involved unless she prefers to do so herself. If a reception is given after the ceremony, the same order of precedence is followed as after the first wedding; the reception may be held either in the home of the bride's parents, or in her own home.

If married in church, there are none of the elaborate decorations that characterize the first bridal, although flowers are always acceptable. Especially if the second ceremony takes place only a short time after the mourn-