Let Them Have Their Day

Enough already!  Let Wills and Kate have their day. There are many opinions as to whether or not people will be rising with the birdies to watch the nuptials.  As for me, I’m not as young and naive as I was when Charles and Diana were married.  I haven’t quite decided yet.

One of the complaints I have heard (even from those near and dear to me) is that we fought a war to get rid of a monarchy, why should we get up in the middle of the night to watch this frivolous spectacle!  Others say, “In this economy? This is waste!” Still others, “This is wartime!”

Okay… point taken.  However, don’t be so quick to pooh- pooh a society weddings.  Did you know that their have been a few dandy weddings at the White House?

The first was the wedding of the daughter of our 5th president, James Monroe.  When 17 year old Maria Monroe was to get married to Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, her first cousin, on March 9, 1820, it was to be the society event of Washington that year.  However, Maria’s invalid mother, Elizabeth Monroe, and her older sister,  Eliza decided to run the show.  Never fans of the diplomatic corps or Washington society, the devilish duo decided that the wedding would  be family only.  Not even members of the cabinet were invited!  Poor Maria’s wedding became the victim of her mother and sister’s ongoing war with Washington.

The only presidential son to be married in the White House was the son of  the 6th president, John Quincy Adams.  His wife to be, Mary Catherine Hellen had already broken the hearts of two of the Adams’ brothers.  Mary Catherine had conquered both Charles, and George Adams before she decided to marry their brother, John Adams II.

The wedding itself became an awkward occasion due to the fact that neither of the jilted Adams’ brothers attended the ceremony.  As a matter of fact, George became so despondent, that within a year, he fell into a pit of depression and alcoholism that would lead to his suicide a little more than a year later.

Grover Cleveland was the only president to be married in the White House in 1886.  The 49 year old Cleveland married 21 year old Frances Folsom, making her the youngest First Lady!  At the time of the wedding, many Americans likened it to a royal wedding.

Teddy’s Roosevelt’s daughter Alice was married at the White House in 1906. Breaking with tradition, independent thinker-- some would say she was a bit of a pill-- Alice would insist that there would be No bridesmaids at the wedding.  She wanted to be the star of the show!

There were a couple of pairs of daughters who had White House weddings.  Both of Woodrow Wilson’s daughters, as well as Luci and Lynda Johnson were White House brides.  All four of these daughters were married either right before or during wartime in the United States. So much for the “We would never have a wedding during wartime” excuse for you naysayers!

The last presidential daughter to be married at the White House was 19 year old Tricia Nixon, who was married in the Rose Garden to Edward  Cox on June 12, 1971.  She was also married during wartime.  Ironically, the day after the wedding, as the newlyweds went to Camp David for their honeymoon, the New York Times broke the story on the Pentagon Papers.

Perhaps the most touching White House wedding was that of 18 year old Nellie Grant, the daughter of Civil War hero and 19th President, Ulysses S. Grant.  One historian described Nellie as “probably the most attractive of all the young women who have ever lived in the White House.”  The White House was decked to the nines for the nuptials. The walls and staircases and chandeliers were covered in a mass of lilies, tuberoses and spirea. Florida orange blossoms had been crated up and sent north.

Her fiancé, an gentleman from England named Algernon Sartoris  had met Nellie on a cruise across the Atlantic.  To the public eye, this seemed to be a romantic match made in heaven.  During the playing of the wedding march, Nellie’s father, President Grant, looked steadfastly at the floor and wept.  Always the apple of her father’s eye, Grant knew his future son-in law would be taking Nellie away to a life in England.  After her wedding, Grant walked into his daughter’s empty bedroom, fell onto her bed and sobbed uncontrollably.

Unfortunately, a marriage that began with such romantic promise ended in divorce. Nellie found Sartoris to be a womanizer and a heavy drinker.  She and her four children eventually went to live with  Nellie’s mother, Julia Grant.

Every time I turn on the news, I feel like I ready to stroke out.  Between the economy, gas prices and however many number of wars we are involved in on any given day, I could use a bit of good, happy news.  So I say, give them their day. Supposedly, Prince Charles is chipping for the bill-- as the economy in Britain isn’t much better than ours.  Also, for those of you who think we will forget about what is important,  fear not...the depressing news will be back for the next news cycle.--L.E.L