As I glance at the Marriage Announcements in today's newspapers, I see many references to extravagant wedding receptions and honeymoons. It's no wonder that many of today's marriages are short lived as debt, piled up by expensive wedding and honeymoon costs, places a great deal of pressure on young marriages.
Reading old marriage notices from back issues of the Tuckerton Beacon shows a distinct difference in marriage receptions and subsequent honeymoon trips. They clearly were much simpler and cheaper in the "good old days", with receptions often held in the home of the bride's parents and honeymoons limited to automobile trips to the Delaware Water Gap, Niagra Falls, and other short trip destinations.
The other day I came across a 1920 Marriage Announcement that I couldn't help chuckling over. The honeymoon destination really took the cake. The happy couple honeymooned at the home of the groom's parents on Clay Street in Tuckerton - not exactly a honeymoon paradise. It clearly was a frugal approach but, somehow, it doesn't seem very romantic. I hope the bride got along well with her in laws.
Maybe the Blackman newlyweds will set an example and start a trend in today's perilous economy. After all, stranger things have happened.
Pete S