The License
The Common/Ordinary License (approximately 10 shillings). Though Margaret told me that she was fine with the publishing of the bans, this was a topic that Mr. Thornton, his mother, and Margaret's aunt heavily disagreed with. In the end, the new Mrs. Thornton didn't require much convincing in order to settle on the common license, however, because she was rather complaisant throughout the whole affair. This isn't to say that from my observations I gathered that Margaret wasn't keen on marrying Mr. Thornton, but it was obvious that the whole of the wedding preparations exasperated her.
The Clothes
The dress: Margaret's dress was absolutely lovely! I managed to purchase one newly made for the event. It was ivory-coloured, just a shade darker than her skin, with a slim-fitting bodice and full skirt. The dress was made of net white muslin and had slightly puffy sleeves. I also managed to find it for $300*, a lot cheaper than the average $500, and Mrs. Margaret Thornton truly appreciated that it was so relatively expensive (though her sister-in-law was overheard bragging about her own superior wedding dress during the reception).
* Price converted to dollars from pounds for mutual comprehension
The groom's style: I asked Mr. Thornton if he would need my help in picking out attire for the wedding, but he bluntly informed me that his mother had already chosen it. Looking back at the wedding, I can see that her judgement was all right: Mr. Thornton looked dapper and at-ease in his blue frock coat. To add to his style, Margaret gifted him a pretty little flower favor she had made herself out of roses from Helstone, which he wore in his lapel.
The groom's style: I asked Mr. Thornton if he would need my help in picking out attire for the wedding, but he bluntly informed me that his mother had already chosen it. Looking back at the wedding, I can see that her judgement was all right: Mr. Thornton looked dapper and at-ease in his blue frock coat. To add to his style, Margaret gifted him a pretty little flower favor she had made herself out of roses from Helstone, which he wore in his lapel.
Bridal accessories: Margaret's plain dress was elevated through the use of pretty accessories, such as a gorgeous long veil made of silk which spread almost to the bottom of her full skirt- a "something borrowed" from her cousin Edith. As was the fashion, Margaret adorned her bridal bouquet with orange blossoms and white gardenias. She also wore a small pearl necklace, "something old" handed down from her deceased mother, and a blue monogrammed handkerchief, or "something blue," given to her by the elder Mrs. Thornton.
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| Margaret's dress was slightly less ornate |
The Guest List
The wedding party:
** Sadly, Margaret lost her father (Mr. Hale) and legal guardian (Mr. Bell) before the wedding, and her older brother Frederick was not able to take her father's place because of the security dangers to his person should he wish to leave Spain and enter England. Surprisingly enough, Nicholas Higgins stepped in to take her father's place! He offered on behalf of Margaret's late friendship to his deceased daughter, saying that she had been so kind as to do him a favor and it was only natural for him to swoop in. Though it was a little unorthodox, as he was neither relative nor legal guardian, and was firmly of the lower working class, not much of a fuss was made.
- The bride: Margaret Hale
- The groom: John Thornton
- The best man: Henry Lennox*
- Bridesmaid: Boucher's young daughters**
- Father of the bride: Nicholas Higgins***
- The clergyman
- The parish clerk
Invited guests:
- Mary Higgins
- Mrs. Thornton and Fanny
- Dixon
- Mrs. Shaw
- The Lennoxes
* As Thornton needed the help of Henry Lennox to invest Margaret's inherited money into a thriving business, both men grew to appreciate the other and their relationship evolved into an unlikely friendship. By the time Mr. Thornton had to chose a best man, Henry Lennox had been over Margaret and was only glad to help out in preparations.
** There was no maid-of-honour; Bessy Higgins, Margaret's closest friend in Milton, was gone and her cousin Edith was already married and too busy with her young children to help out other than financially. Instead, Margaret's ever-faithful servant Dixon helped take on the duties of a maid-of-honour and the bridesmaids were Boucher's young daughters, who all wore simple white dresses and wore lilac crowns on their hair. Though Margaret had been originally opposed to the idea of bridesmaids at all, the enthusiasm of the girls made her reconsider.
The Timeline
June 12, 1855 (a Wednesday)
9:00 a.m.: The wedding party arrives to the church to see that the preparations are all in order.
10:30 a.m.: Guests start trickling in to the church in Milton
10:30 a.m.: Guests start trickling in to the church in Milton
11:00 a.m.: Church service: exchanging of the vows, prayers, a blessing, Scripture readings, and a homily
12:00 a.m: The Thorntons sign the wedding registry
12:05 a.m.: Margaret pins her wedding favors (flowers and lace pin with white ribbon attache) onto the sleeves of her guests before leaving the church.
12:05 a.m.: Margaret pins her wedding favors (flowers and lace pin with white ribbon attache) onto the sleeves of her guests before leaving the church.
12:30 a.m.: The wedding party and their guests go to the Thornton's residence, where they are served a wedding breakfast.
4:00 p.m.: Margaret and Mr. Thornton leave for their honeymoon to Helstone!
The Food
The wedding breakfast consisted of food items that were in season at the time, such as cherries, lettuce, cucumber, apricot, blackberries, carrots, and mackerel. Champagne was served and the main courses were an elegant preparation of soups and game. The wedding cake was the piece de resistance, as Dixon (the chef) later claimed: it had a white sugary crust with white flower petals (the same kind used for the bridal bouquet) as decoration and were tied up neatly in coral ornamental paper that Mrs. Hale used to keep, as per the fashion of the times.