In this sepia photograph, Rosemarie Lefor poses with a bridal attendant at the site of her wedding on September 15, 1951. She married William Vermilyea in the Holy Rosary Catholic Church. The bride is wearing an ankle length white satin gown with lace overdress and lace shoulder line. Her fingertip veil is caught onto a satin bonnet. She carries a bouquet of orchids and gladiolus. Her attendant pictured is possibly Darlene Harris, her maid of honor, who is wearing a pink taffeta dress with overskirts of blue and pink net. She has on a blue and pink stole and a light lavender hat. (TNT 9-23-51, D-5)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Bouquets; Lefor, Rosemarie; Holy Rosary Church (Tacoma);

Family and friends pose with the new Mr. and Mrs. William Vermilyea in this sepia photograph taken after their wedding on September 15, 1951. The large group is pictured in front of the home belonging to the bride's mother. Rosemarie Lefor and William Vermilyea were married that morning at the Holy Rosary Church. The smiling couple is to the left in the picture with a small girl in front of them. A wedding breakfast was held at the Top of the Ocean and a reception in the evening at the bride's home. (TNT 9-23-51, D-5)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Lefor, Rosemarie; Vermilyea, William; Receptions--Tacoma; Group portraits--1950-1960;

Ruth Marie Martin and Michael Dennis Sheehan were married September 8, 1951, at the Little Church on the Prairie. Ruth is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert John Martin. Michael's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Arthur F. Sheehan. Miss Carol Sheehan was maid of honor for her new sister-in-law. Jack Christianson was best man. The newly married couple would reside at Browns Point. (TNT, 9/19/1951, p.16)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Altars--Tacoma; Little Church on the Prairie (Lakewood); Martin, Ruth Marie--Marriage; Sheehan, Michael Dennis;

A smiling bride prepares to affix her signature to the wedding certificate resting on the grand piano as the minister, her groom, maid of honor and the best man look on. The new Mrs. J. Richard Friedline has placed her beribboned bridal bouquet of stephanotis and orchids next to her. The former Mary Kay Sadler is adorned in satin and Chantilly lace with a fingertip veil; she is also wearing a multi-strand pearl necklace. The groom and best man wear white tuxedos while the maid of honor appears to be dressed in a V-necked tulle gown in this sepia 1951 photograph. The Friedlines were married in late August in the First Christian Church.

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Friedline, J. Richard; Sadler, Mary Kay; Bouquets; Pianos; First Christian Church (Tacoma);

Donna Evodie Waite and Richard Leland Knipe sign their marriage certificate in front of Rev. Carl Rydell and witnesses. They were married earlier at First Lutheran Church on August 25, 1951. Mrs. Peter N. Stojack was her sister's matron of honor. Best man was Chevy Chase of Sunnyside, Washington. Donna is the daughter of Mrs. Anne V. Waite of San Francisco and Maj. Gilbert Waite of Germany. Richard is the son of Mr. and Mrs. L.T. Knipe. (TNT, 8/26/1951, p.D-3; 9/2/1951, p.C-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Marriage certificates--Tacoma; Waite, Donna--Marriage; Knipe, Richard; Rydell, Carl E; Clergy--Tacoma;

Barbara Jean Anderson and David Frank James were married August 19, 1951, at Mason Methodist Church. Barbara is the daughter of Mrs. Zelma E. Anderson and the late Lawrence Anderson of Olympia. The bridegroom's parents ware Dr. Frank H. and Alice Clark James of Tacoma. The Rev. Frank B. James of Kansas City, Missouri, officiated at the wedding of his grandson. Barbara and David met while attending the University of Washington. (TNT, 8/26/1951, p.D-3)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Methodist churches--Tacoma; Altars--Tacoma; Mason Methodist Church (Tacoma); Anderson, Barbara Jean--Marriage; James, David Frank;

Carol Blundell and Emmett Reed Miller were married August 18, 1951, at St. Luke's Memorial Episcopal Church. Carol is the daughter of Richard Archibald and Pearl H. Blundell. Emmett is the son of Ross O. and Anna F. Miller. Carol wore a gown of ivory satin with long sleeves, sheer yoke and fitted bodice. Appliques of Alencon lace provided detail at the shoulder line and the fitted satin peplum skirt over bouffant tulle extended into a circular train that was also appliqued with lace. (TNT, 8/19/1951, p.D-1)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Episcopal churches--Tacoma; Altars--Tacoma; Blundell, Carol--Marriage; St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Tacoma);

Nancy Jean Riehl and Donald Maurice Hoff were married August 18, 1951, at the First Methodist Church. Nancy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lock Carl Riehl and Donald is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jens A. Hoff, Astoria. Dr. R. Franklin Thompson, president of the College of Puget Sound, officiated at the ceremony. Nancy wore a Swiss organdy gown with a floral embroidered jacket topping a strapless gown of nylon marquisette. The full skirt extended over a hoop into a dance length train. Mr. and Mrs. Hoff established a home in Portland after August 27th. Both the bride and groom were graduates of the College of Puget Sound. (TNT, 8/19/1951, p.D-3)

Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Altars--Tacoma; First Methodist Church (Tacoma); Hoff, Donald Maurice; Riehl, Nancy Jean--Marriage;

Carol Blundell and Emmett Reed Miller are joined by their parents at the altar of Saint Luke's Memorial Episcopal Church after their wedding August 18, 1951. Carol is the daughter of Richard Archibald and Pearl H. Blundell. Emmett is the son of Ross O. and Anna F. Miller. Carol is a graduate of Mills College and has taught in Pasadena. Emmett is a graduate of the University Of Washington. They would be making their new home in Walnut Creek, California. (TNT, 8/19/1951, p.D-1)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Episcopal churches--Tacoma; Altars--Tacoma; Blundell, Carol--Marriage; Miller, Emmett Reed; St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Tacoma);

A young bride and groom happily examine a large selection of wedding gifts in an August, 1951 photograph. She is holding her bridal bouquet with one hand while admiring a silver serving dish. Her new husband is reading the accompanying card. Presents displayed include an iron, lamps, soup tureen, candlestick holders, doilies and linens, glasses and china. Virginia Dittman and Jack Wood were married in the Friends' church in front of 250 guests. She wore a gown of white slipper satin and a cap adorned with tiny pearls and orange blossoms during the candlelit ceremony. (TNT 9-16-51, p. D-10)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Dittman, Virginia; Wood, Jack; Gifts;

Marianne Chrystine Stacy and Harold Robert Klett were married July 22, 1951, at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Norma Oden, one of the bridesmaids, is shown here in her gown seated outside holding her bouquet. (TNT, 7/26/1951, p.12; 7/29/1951, p.D-5) (information supplied by a wedding party member)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Stacy, Marianne Chrystine--Marriage; Oden, Norma; Wedding attendants--Tacoma;

Shirley Mae Henricksen and Stanley Morrell Taylor were married July 9, 1951, at the Central Lutheran Church. Shirley is shown with her attendants at the altar. (TNT, 7/11/1951, p.16)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Altars--Tacoma; Henricksen, Shirley Mae--Marriage; Central Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

Marilyn Giesy and Leonard Eugene Estes on their wedding day June 30,1951 at the First Baptist Church. 700 guests were present at their candlelight ceremony in the sanctuary. The bride was the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Archie Giesy and the groom was the son of Mr. and Mrs. S. Leonard Estes. The bride's five attendants were dressed in Nile green organdy embossed with lilly of the valley and carried bouquets of pink and orchid sweet peas. The bride wore a gown of ivory slipper satin with a yoke of Alencon lace and a Peter Pan satin collar. The gown had a full circular skirt with a court length train. The bride wore a bonnet of shirred net trimmed with pink rosebuds and lilly of the valley, with a fastened fingertip veil of imported French illusion. She carried a bouquet of stephanotis and pale yellow sweetheart roses with a white orchid topping a white prayer book. The couple made their home in Portland, where the groom was continuing his studies at the University of Oregon dental school. (Bride featured in TNT wedding layout 5/9/1951, pg. C-9, wedding article TNT 7/1/01, pg. D-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Giesy, Marilyn; Estes, Leonard Eugene;

Wedding picture of Shirley Frances Dezellem and Donald Dale Pease, married 6/23/1951 at Mason Methodist Church. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Dezellem of Bridgeport and the groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.F. Pease of Tacoma. The couple was married by Reverend Bessie Pease, the aunt of the bridegroom. The bride wore ivory brocaded satin with a full train, bustle back and a net yoke trimmed in lace. The veil was of white marquisette trimmed with large lace flowers and fastened to a cap of small seed pearls. The bouquet was of cream colored ophelia in a diamond shape, fashioned after the bride's Alpha Delta Pi sorority pin with a trailing chain of stephanotis. The maid of honor wore lime green marquisette with satin piping on the bodice and a Dutch cap. The bridesmaids wore yellow and the flower girls orchid. The 150 guests were invited to the reception in the church parlors. The couple made their first home in Cleveland, Ohio. (TNT 7/1/1951, pg. D-7)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Dezellem, Shirley--Marriage; Pease, Donald;

A group portrait of the women of one of the families attending the wedding of Miss Constance Lee Campbell and Gilbert W. Hart. Constance and Gilbert were married June 16, 1951, at the Little Church on the Prairie. Constance was the daughter of Frank and Lois M. Buchanan. Gilbert was the son of the Ward V.B. Harts of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Ordered by Lois M. (Mrs. Frank) Buchanan. (TNT, 6/24/1951, p.D-5)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Families--Tacoma--1950-1960; Women--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hats--1950-1960; Campbell, Constance Lee--Marriage;

Marianna Catherine Van Rooy and Robert James Mattecheck were married June 9, 1951, at St. Patrick's Church. A reception was held afterwards at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club. Marianna was the daughter of Marie (Mrs. Clemens W.) Van Rooy and Robert was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mattecheck of McMinnville, Oregon. Marianna was attended by seven bridesmaids: Mrs. Marcus Woods, Josephine Risalvato, Sue Souix, Mary Jane Van Rooy, Marilyn Van Rooy, Dolores Hrvatin and Molly Mattecheck. There were two flower girls, Katie Van Rooy and Penny Mattecheck. (TNT, 6/10/1951, p.D-2)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Van Rooy, Marianna Catherine--Marriage; Risalvato, Josephine; Souix, Sue; Van Rooy, Mary Jane; Van Rooy, Marilyn; Mattecheck, Molly; Hvratin, Dolores; Wedding attendants; Tacoma Country & Golf Club (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Miss Donna Mae Handel and Donald P. Kemp were married June 7, 1951, at the St. Paul Evangelist Lutheran Church. Donna was the daughter of Richard and Ruby Warner and Donald was the son of Paul and Margaret Kemp. Donna wore a white lace ballerina length dress with a short, long sleeved jacket with a high neckline. A fingertip veil was attached to a crown headpiece with pearls. She carried a bouquet of white orchids. (TNT, 7/3/1951, p.8)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Handel, Donna Mae--Marriage; Kemp, Donald P.; Lutheran churches--Tacoma; St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

Judith Shore and Merton Glant were married June 3, 1951, in the Army-Navy room at the Winthrop Hotel. Rabbi Bernard Rosenberg officiated at the ceremony. Judith was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Murry Shore and Merton was the son of Mrs. and Mrs Samuel Glant. Both the bride and groom were graduates of the University of Washington. The bride, given in marriage by her father, wore a ballerina-length bouffant white organdy gown with pale pink pique flower appliques on the skirt. She wore a short veil of imported illusion and a white daisy crown and carried a bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley, daisies and bleeding hearts. (TNT, 6/17/1951, p.D-6)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Shore, Judith--Marriage; Glant, Merton; Cakes--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Wedding portrait of Violet Anderson, Anderson-Thompson wedding party, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Miss Anderson, daughter of the Carl Sixtus Andersons, became the wife of John Darrell Thompson, son of the John William Thompsons, on May 12, 1951 in a double ring ceremony. The bride wore a gown of Chantilly lace with tiers of flower-edged ruffles. The bodice was lace appliqued over satin and the costume was accented by elbow length lace gloves. The veil was waist length illusion attached to a pearl trimmed lace bonnet. The bouquet was of baby gardenias and lilly of the valley. The bridesmaids wore pale green gowns of net over taffeta and carried bouquets of purple and yellow. The reception was held in the church parlor and utilized the same lavender and yellow color scheme as the wedding. Mrs. Thompson attended Lincoln High School and the University of Washington. The groom graduated from Stadium and attended Willamette University and received his degree from the University of Washington.The couple made their first home in Olympia. (TNT 5/13/1951, pg. D-6; shower announcement TNT 5/3/1951, pg. C-18; additional picture in TNT wedding layout 5/9/1951, pg. C-9; wedding picture of couple TNT 5/20/1951, pg. D-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Anderson, Violet;

Microsoft mogul Bill Gates' parents' wedding. William Henry Gates Jr. and Mary Maxwell married May 11, 1951 in Seattle. The photo shows the couple in an automobile leaving after the ceremony and reception. Both of Gates' parents can trace their Northwest roots back to the late 1800's. Bill Jr. grew up in Bremerton, the son of a prosperous local merchant, served as a Second Lieutenant in WW II and returned after the war to complete his undergraduate work at the University of Washington and enter law school. There he met Mary Maxwell, an energetic and high spirited athlete and sorority girl nicknamed "Giggles" by her friends. ("Bill Gates" by Adam Woog, "Bill Gates, Billionaire Computer Genius" by Joan D. Dickinson and "Smart Money, The Story of Bill Gates" by Aaron Boyd)

Weddings--Seattle--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Maxwell, Mary; Gates, William Henry; Wedding costume--1950-1960;

Microsoft mogul Bill Gates' parents' wedding. The happy couple cut their wedding cake after the Seattle ceremony. Both William Henry Gates, Jr. and Mary Maxwell Gates came from extremely successful families. Mary's great grandfather James Willard Maxwell moved to Washington in the late 19th century where he served as President of a bank, two terms as Mayor and was elected to the State Legislature. When he moved to Seattle before World War I, he became a prominent banker. Mary Maxwell grew up with some of the most important and famous families in the Pacific Northwest. Bill Jr. grew up in Bremerton, also in a well to do family, and became the City Attorney for Bremerton before entering the Seattle law firm of Skeel, McKelvy, Hanke, Everson and Uhlmann. Mary became a school teacher until the couple started their family and later served on corporate boards including United Way, University of Washington and First Interstate Bancorp. ("Bill Gates" by Adam Woog, "Bill Gates, Billionaire Computer Genius" by Joan D. Dickinson and "Smart Money, The Story of Bill Gates" by Aaron Boyd)

Weddings--Seattle--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Maxwell, Mary; Gates, William Henry; Wedding costume--1950-1960;

Miss Jade Sang and Herbert Lim were married April 28, 1951, in the Burnham chapel of the First Baptist Church. Miss Sang was the daughter of Charley and Agnes Sang and was a graduate of St. Leo's High School. Herbert Lim was the son of Gordon and the late Mrs. Lim, of Vancouver, B.C., and he had served in the Royal Canadian Air Force in Burma and India as a paratrooper. Miss Lenna Sang was her sister's maid of honor. George Chong was the best man. The bride and groom pose with their parents and the bride's attendant. A reception was held after the ceremonies at the Derby Club. (TNT, 5/7/1951, p.4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Sang, Jade--Marriage; Lim, Herbert; First Baptist Church (Tacoma);

June Marie Johnson and Albert Herman Kosmin were married April 28, 1951, in the Little Church on the Prairie. The bride and groom stand at the altar with Donna and Doyle Nelson, twins, who were their flower girl and ring bearer. June Marie Johnson was the daughter of Harold G.and Ester A. Johnson. The bride attended Lincoln High School and the College of Puget Sound. Albert Herman Kosmin was the son of Mr. and Mrs. B.B. Kosmin of Philadelphia and he attended school in Germantown, Pennsylvania. (TNT, 5/6/1951, p.D-8)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Altars--Tacoma; Johnson, June--Marriage; Kosmin, Albert Herman; Nelson, Donna; Nelson, Doyle; Little Church on the Prairie (Lakewood);

Miss Lucille Flateau and Ralph Long are searching the globe for their honeymoon destination. Lucille and Ralph would be starting their honeymoon after their July 1951 wedding. (TNT, 5/9/1951, p.C-10)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Honeymoons--Tacoma; Flateau, Lucille; Long, Ralph; Travel--Tacoma--1950-1960; Globes--Tacoma;

Helen Greco is taking advantage of Penney's Towel Event to choose towels for her new home as she prepares for her upcoming wedding. A saleswoman helps by showing her several designs. Helen and Alfred McKechnie were to be married July 22, 1951. (TNT, 5/9/1951, p.C-11)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Journalism--Tacoma--1950-1960; Shopping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Greco, Helen; Towels; J.C. Penney Co. (Tacoma); Sales personnel--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Doreen Magnuson is picking her silverware pattern as she prepares for her wedding. Doreen and Sanford Shaub planned to be married June 16, 1951, in Immanuel Presbyterian Church. (TNT, 5/9/1951, p.D-5)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960;Journalism--Tacoma--1950-1960; Shopping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Magnuson, Doreen; Silverware;

These two young girls who are wearing identical dresses are shopping for flowergirl's dresses. They are, L-R, Betsy Currier, 4 years old, and Nora McNerthney. They were to be the flower girls at the June 16th wedding of Miss Virginia McNerthney and George Richner. (TNT, 5/9/1951, p.C-10)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Journalism--Tacoma--1950-1960; Shopping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Girls--Tacoma--1950-1960; Currier, Betsy; McNerthney, Nora; Dresses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Children--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Virginia McNerthney is shopping for her crystal pattern as she prepares for her wedding. Grace McGinley, a sales person, holds up a goblet cut in a diamond pattern while Virginia holds one that is less ornate. Virginia and George Richner planned to be married June 16, 1951, at St. Patrick's Church. (TNT, 5/9/1951, p.C-8)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Journalism--Tacoma--1950-1960; McGinley, Grace; Shopping--Tacoma--1950-1960; McNerthney, Virginia; Crystal glass; Glassware;

Miss Violet Anderson and John Thompson shop for their wedding rings. Violet and John were to be married May 12, 1951, in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. (TNT, 5/9/1951, p.C-9)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Journalism--Tacoma--1950-1960; Shopping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rings; Anderson, Violet; Thompson, John;

Joan Kohl is looking for just the right going away shoes for her upcoming wedding. These spectator pumps may be nothing new under ordinary circumstances but they take on priceless glamour as part of her trousseau. Joan and Lt. Clifford O. Johnson planned a home wedding to take place in 1951. (TNT, 5/9/1951, p.C-14)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Journalism--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kohl, Joan; Shoes; Shopping--Tacoma--1950-1960;