Olé we're married!

With the wedding industry gearing itself up for the busy season ahead, I thought that it would be interesting to look back at how my parents an ordinary couple got together and celebrated their marriage in the late 1950s.

Mum and Dad (2nd from left) with Dad's two brothers 

Dad was 27 and having carried out his National Service with The Intelligence Corps was now working as a translator for a textile company on a wage of £14.00 per week. Mum who was just 20, came over from Spain after her brother saw an advert which had been placed in The Lady magazine by a family in London who were looking for a Spanish au pair for their two young sons, the family name was Rothschild. Mum's brother who was very keen on languages suggested that it would be a good way for her to learn English and as the contract was only for one year she applied for the position and got the job; it was March 1958.

My parents met within a couple of weeks of mum's arrival here in London, they were both guests at a house party thrown by a lady called Araceli who had helped to arrange mum's passage over from Spain and was also acting as her chaperone while she was in England. Araceli held regular gatherings at her home in Earls Court, her work as a stewardess for Iberia meant she was able to buy duty free goods every time she flew; her well stocked drinks cabinet as well as a healthy supply of Spanish foodstuffs and natural hosting skills always attracted a loyal and diverse group of friends.

The first meeting Mum and Dad front with Araceli (back centre) and friends

Mum and Dad met up again a couple of weeks later at The Challoners; a Catholic social club in Pont St, Belgravia and regular haunt of the many Spaniards living in London at the time. By the third meeting dad had decided that mum was the one for him and following a day out alone together proposed on the platform of Edgware Road Station in a nervous conversation that went like this; (in Spanish obviously),
Dad, "I'm thinking of getting married", Mum, "Oh, who to?" Dad, "You" Mum,
 "Ok then".  As soon as he received his next pay cheque he took her to the jewellers to buy the engagement ring telling her not to worry about the price, he could afford it. The jeweller using his experience and discretion bought out a tray of reasonably priced rings for mum to look at; she chose a small blue sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds in white gold.

The date was set for 17th January 1959, they were to be married at the Roman Catholic Church Of Our Lady in St Johns Wood with the reception for around 30 guests to be held  afterwards in the basement rooms that dad was renting privately in Sutherland Avenue, Maida Vale.
The wedding rings were bought for 5 guineas each and the dress for 10 guineas. Invitations were ordered and printed with dad's parents as hosts;  mum's family would not be coming as they couldn't afford the fare.

In the months leading up to the wedding mum and dad would speak on the phone most evenings and meet on their weekends off. Although by now they were living less than a mile and a half apart, they wrote to each other regularly. Mum recently gave me a pile of 19 letters written by dad. I am sure they must contain a more detailed insight into this period as well as a load of sweet nothings; but as yet I can't bring myself to read them.

The love letters sent by Dad to Mum in the months before the wedding

On the day of the wedding mum got herself ready at her employer's house where she was still living. She had not thought to order a wedding bouquet for herself or indeed any flowers at all, so Mrs Rothschild sent her husband out to the local florists to get a bouquet made up in mum's choice of white flowers which was tied with a simple white ribbon. The Rothschilds had ordered a new car a couple of months earlier and asked that it be delivered on the day of the wedding; they used it for the very first time to take mum to the church. Mum walked up the aisle on the arm of her father-in-law George, who gave her away to his son. The ceremony took place in front of the invited guests and with Araceli and one of dad's brothers as witnesses, there were no bridesmaids or pageboys.
As a mark of respect following the ceremony mum left her bouquet at the alter.
My parents also received a special blessing from Pope John XXIII; a wedding gift arranged by a friend of dad's who did voluntary work at Westminster Cathedral, it was presented  in the form of a commemorative certificate. Mum gave me the certificate along with the letters, it was the first time I had ever seen it or even known of its existence.

Mum arriving at the church on the arm of her father-in-law George

The Blessing from Pope John XXIII 

Mum and  Dad inside the church 

Back at the reception a buffet had been prepared which consisted of bridge rolls, sandwiches, sausage rolls, cold meats and crisps with chorizo and jamon sent over from Spain. I'm almost certain that they're would also have been one of those cheese and pineapple hedgehogs; although this was never confirmed. The foil covered potato studded with cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks was the stalwart of many an English buffet table. The Rothschilds who had already shown such generosity contributed various cakes and Petits Fours made by Mrs Rothschild herself. The wedding cake which was a traditional two tiered fruited and royal iced affair had been ordered from a local bakery, it was mum's first taste of such a cake. Used to Spanish style wedding cakes which were more like a dessert often filled with fruits and confectioner's custard she hated it. Drinks of course were plentiful and had been arriving in a steady stream in the months leading up to the wedding. In fact a photographer with the local newspaper; The St Marylebone and Paddington Record, who turned up having heard of a wedding taking place between a Spanish couple, left rather worse for wear having indulged just a bit too much on the liquid hospitality that was on offer. But not before taking a couple of photographs of the occasion. The image (apologies for poor quality scan of  scan) at the very top of this post featured on the front page of the newspaper (23/1/1959) under the heading; 
                                                            
                                                        'OLÉ WE'RE MARRIED'

Music came courtesy of dad's two brothers George and Joe both gifted musicians with mum and dad adding the vocals whenever appropriate. This was now 1959 and like all couples they had their special song; their's was 'Living Doll' by Cliff Richard and The Drifters (later called The Shadows).
They spent their honeymoon at a little guest house on the Isle of Wight, a wedding gift from the owners who they had met at a friends wedding a month or so earlier.

Dad (Arthur) centre and his two brothers Joe (Left) and George with Mum (Marlene)

As you will know from my earlier posts, mum and dad went on to have 7 children and
13 grand-children. Like all marriages it had its ups and downs but there were many many happy times,  had dad not passed away just over 5 months ago, yesterday, would have marked their 55th wedding anniversary, this blog post is a tribute to their long marriage and is dedicated to them both.

Mum and Dad Christmas 2009

Copyright text and colour images Salon Glacé 2014