Gina Petrecca and Frank Brunette were married on November 20, 1948 at St. Rita's Catholic Church, Father Baffaro officiated the double-ring ceremony. Gina is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Petrecca, Frank is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bruno Brunette of Yelm. Gina is wearing a white slipper satin gown with marquisette yoke, long sleeves, full skirt and a long train; her bouquet is made of white carnations and stephanotis centered around an orchid (T.N.T., 12/12/48, p. D-10).

Weddings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grooms (Weddings)--1940-1950; Brides--1940-1950; Wedding costume--1940-1950; Marriage--Tacoma; Petrecca, Gina--Marriage; Brunette, Frank; Petrecca--Family; Brunette--Family; St. Rita's Catholic Church (Tacoma);

Wedding portrait of Avonne Nadine Nelson and Lt. Truman Everett Boudinot, Jr. Miss Nelson, daughter of Mrs. Hazel Morton Nelson, and Lt. Boudinot, son of Mrs. Truman Boudinot of Beverly Hills, Ca. and the late Brigadier General Boudinot, were married on a Friday afternoon, January 12, 1951, in Raynor Chapel at the Annie Wright Seminary with Reverend Arthur Bell officiating at the single ring ceremony. Miss Nelson wore a pastel pink Adrian suit with an off white straw hat trimmed with white velvet flowers and carried a bouquet of carnations, pink roses and white stephanotis. The maid of honor was Miss Constance Brady and the best man was Robert Winskill. After the ceremony, the couple left for a three week motor tour of Santa Barbara and Palm Springs. The bride attended Annie Wright and was a graduate of Mills College. The groom received his commission at West Point Military Academy. (TNT 1/14/1951, pg D-3; TNT 1/21/1951, D-2 picture only)

Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Nelson, Avonne Nadine--Marriage; Boudinot, Truman Everett; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Norma Brott and Gilbert Simmons marry in a candlelight ceremony at the First Lutheran Church on Feb. 10, 1951. The bride, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Brott, wore a white satin and lace gown with a train. The long veil of imported Italian lace was trimmed with seed pearls and she carried a bouquet of orchids and white carnations. The matron of honor was Mrs. Richard Johnson, and the bridesmaids were Misses Doris Gardner, Emily Simard and Florence Brooker. The groom was the son of Mrs. Willis Simmons of Long Island, N.Y. Russell White served as best man, and the ushers were Winter Burnett, Richard Johnson and Frank Kirch Jr. The reception was held in the church parlor. The couple made their first home in Bremerton. (TNT 2/28/1951, pg. B-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brott, Norma; Simmons, Gilbert;

Wedding picture of Marilyn Jean Mann and Edward Stanley Annas at St. Lukes Episcopal Church. The bride wore an azalea pink satin gown with a molded bodice and a stiff collar of chantilly lace, which was also used at the elbows and wristline. The bouffant skirt had a cathedral length train and the bonnet of pink satin had a fingertip veil. The bride carried a bouquet of calla lilies tied with pink velvet ribbon. The lilies were also used as floral displays for the church and reception. Jo Anne Wood was the maid of honor and Mrs. E. Wayne Mann Jr. was the matron of honor. Both women worn gowns of pale lavender taffeta. The bride was attended by four other bridesmaids in darker lavender. Louis Wohlman was Best Man. The bride was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. Wayne Mann Sr. and attended the College of Puget Sound, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi. The groom was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Annas Sr. of Enumclaw and also attended CPS, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma and the Lettermen's Club. The reception was held at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. (Wedding shower picture & article TNT 3/11/1951, pg. D-7, Wedding TNT 3/25/1951, pg. D-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Mann, Marilyn; Annas, Edward; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960;

Marilyn Knapp and Albert Lawrence Fisher, III, were married August 4, 1950, at Epworth Methodist Church. The bride was given in marriage by her father and wore a gown of nylon net with lace insets over ivory satin. The shirred bodice was trimmed with seed pearls at the neckline. The gathered skirt was hooped and extended to a court length train. Her flowers were white baby orchids. (TNT,8/6/1950, p.D-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Knapp, Marilyn--Marriage; Altars--Tacoma; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Epworth Methodist Church (Tacoma);

Women are ready to serve refreshments at the reception following Joan Thrasher's and Allen Jerome Morgan's wedding. The wedding took place June 14, 1952, at Christ Episcopal Church. The reception was held at the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club. The bride was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Thrasher. The groom's parents were the Allen B. Morgans of Seattle. (The Reporter, 6/21/1952, p.4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Receptions--Tacoma; Tea--Tacoma; Coffee--Tacoma; Thrasher, Joan--Marriage; Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club (Tacoma);

Patterson-Ambuehl wedding. Six wedding attendants gather around the smiling bride as she lifts her satin gown to show her beribboned garter. One bridesmaid gingerly tugs at the garter with one finger. Donna Mae Patterson and Andrew Ambuehl exchanged vows during a double-ring ceremony on November 30, 1951, at the First Presbyterian Church. The bride wore a Chantilly lace bodice extending into a peplum over a white satin skirt. Her attendants wore gowns of satin and tulle. The bride and groom honeymooned in California. (TNT 12-9-51, D-8)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Patterson, Donna Mae--Marriage; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);

Lorna Mavis Schmidt and John Lewis Jaech were married Christmas Day 1951 at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church. Lorna is the daughter of LeRoy M. and Mildred H. Schmidt. John is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Jaech of Seattle. Lorna wore a white brocade dress with accordion pleating insertions and a low, graceful neckline. Her illusion veil was fastened to a matching cap. The Christmas bouquet was of poinsettias and variegated holly. They planned a wedding trip to San Francisco. Their new home was to be in Seattle where both the bride and groom were students at the University of Washington. (TNT, 1/20/1952, p.D-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Altars--Tacoma; Schmidt, Lorna Mavis--Marriage; Jaech, John Lewis; Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma;

Bride with flower girls and ring bearer. Mrs. Frank A. Roe, the former Jane Irene Carr, gazes smilingly downward at her two little flower girls and solemn ring bearer. She is wearing a wedding gown of ivory slipper satin with a fitted bodice, dolman sleeves, and mandarin collar. Stephanotis decorates her veil and it is also included in her bouquet with gardenias and ivy. Her little cousins, Mary Lee Hein and Margret Taylor, are the flower girls and her nephew, Michael Edward Carr, is the ring bearer. The double-ring ceremony took place on September 1, 1950, at Holy Cross Catholic Church. (TNT 9-3-50, p. C-4)

Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Altars--Tacoma; Holy Cross Catholic Church (Tacoma); Carr, Jane Irene--Marriage; Hein, Mary Lee; Taylor, Margret; Carr, Michael Edward;

Displaying a lovely star bouquet of stephanotis and camiss, the former Katherine Mary Geehan, now Mrs. Henry Sandahl, stands before the altar of St. Luke's Episcopal Church on August 25, 1950. She is wearing an ivory satin gown wtih sweetheart neckline and long sleeves. Her bridal veil of net and lace was brought from Europe by her cousin and her gown was loaned by her sister. (TNT 8-27-50, p. D-6)

Wedding costume--1950-1960; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bouquets; Geehan, Katherine Mary--Marriage; Brides--1950-1960; St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Tacoma);

All Saints Catholic Church in Puyallup was the setting for the Kathlene O'Connell-Dell Thurston wedding in August, 1950. The bride had two attendants and the groom, three. This view, shot from the rear of the church, shows the beautiful painted murals and large side altars with statues of the Sacred Heart and Mary with baby Jesus.

Weddings--Puyallup--1950-1960; Catholic churches--Puyallup; All Saints Catholic Church (Puyallup); Religious architectural elements--Puyallup; Altars--Puyallup;

Marie Margaret Ultsch and Robert Austin O'Donnell were married September 18, 1951, at Holy Rosary Church. The bride is the daughter of Mrs. and Mrs. T.F. Ultsch. The groom is the son of Mrs. Edna O'Donnell of Seattle and B.A. O'Donnell of New York. Celebrant of the mass was Father John Kilty, North Vancouver, B.C., cousin of the bridegroom. The bride wore a white slipper-satin gown fashioned with a lace yoke, princess panel, pointed sleeves and an arched hipline. Miss Jean Bucsko was maid of honor. Terrence O'Donnell was his brother's best man. John M. Griffin and Robert E. Ultsch were ushers. (TNT, 9/25/1951, p.10)

Wedding costume--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Ultsch, Marie Margaret--Marriage; O'Donnell, Robert Austin; Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Altars--Tacoma; Holy Rosary Church (Tacoma); Catholic churches--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;

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;

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);

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;

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);

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;

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;

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;

The wedding of Shirley Claire Fields and Jack Schneidermann in the Wedgewood Room at the Winthrop Hotel. A single ring ceremony was performed by Rabbi Bernard Roseberg under a canopy of white stock and greens flanked by candelabra. The bride, the daughter of Mrs. and Mrs. Hyman S. Fields, wore an ivory satin gown with a yoke of net and venice lace with a long train and an illusion veil. She carried a bouquet of orchids and stephanotis. The groom was from Coos Bay, Oregon and was the son of Mrs. David Schneidermann. The matron of honor was the recently married Mrs. Alvin L. Fields, sister-in-law of the bride, who wore the same bridal gown at her wedding. The Junior Bridesmaid was Dorothy Fields and the Bridesmaids were Helen Gold, Mona Kleiner and Nancy Brown. The Best Man was Harold Schneidermann. The bride was a graduate of Stadium High School and received her degree in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Washington. She was a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi. The groom was a Business Administration graduate from the University of Oregon and a member of Sigma Alpha Mu. The Schneidermanns honeymooned in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Ca. (TNT 4/22/1951, pg. D-4)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Brides--1950-1960; Grooms (Weddings)--1950-1960; Wedding costume--1950-1960; Fields, Shirley Claire; Schneidermann, Jack; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

The flower girl and ring bearer impishly grin for the camera at the wedding of Helen Bruhn and Harley Lee Brown, Jr. The couple was married April 20, 1951 at Bethesda Baptist Church, with the ceremony followed by a reception in the Church's parlors. Miss Bruhn was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. K.R. Bruhn of Enumclaw. The groom was the son of the H.L. Browns of Tacoma. The Browns honeymooned in California and then made their first home in Tacoma. (wedding picture of couple TNT 4/29/1951, pg D-6)

Weddings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Children--Tacoma--1950-1960;

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;

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;

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);

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;

On April 16, 1937, St. Paul Methodist Church held a double "Tom Thumb" wedding to raise funds for their missionary society. "Tom Thumb" weddings were held in the early 1900's as a social event; they were recreations of the 1863 wedding of P.T. Barnum's most famous attraction, the midget Charles Stratton (exhibited as Gen. Tom Thumb) and the equally tiny Lavinia Warren. Children doubled in the Tom Thumb pageants as the tiny couple. The St. Paul event starred, left to right, Eddie Goodenough as the minister, Curtis Killian as Tom Thumb, Shirley Clark as the bride Jennie June, Billy Goettling as the second groom Fred Finger and Barbara Ann Bowen as the other bride, Nellie May. The couples were four years old. All together, over 100 children, ranging in age from 4-11, took part in the event, impersonating the wedding party and its famous guests. (T. Times 4/16/1937, pg. 8)

Children playing adults; Weddings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Brides--1930-1940; Wedding clothing & dress--1930-1940; Grooms (Weddings)--1930-1940; Goodenough, Edward; Killian, Curtis; Clark, Shirley; Goettling, William; Bowen, Barbara Ann;

ca. 1926. Picture of the bride and groom from the Wight wedding. (WSHS)

Weddings--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1926. Wight Wedding (WSHS)

Weddings--Tacoma--1920-1930; Brides--1920-1930;

Haley wedding. Frank Haley and his bride Nell peer out the window from the back seat of a two-door sedan after their wedding ceremony which took place in May of 1938.

Weddings--1930-1940; Brides--1930-1940; Grooms (Weddings)--1930-1940; Haley, Frank; Haley, Nell; Haley, Frank--Family; Automobiles--1930-1940;