A Public Wedding at the Fruit Fair
A young couple takes their vows on the bandstand of the local fruit fair, turning a civil ceremony into a city-wide spectacle.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Unless Providence wills it otherwise, there will be no hitch in the wedding at the fruit fair tonight. The groom-to-be, Carlos Colby, a flaxen-haired, handsome youth, employed by the John Stack company, sought the auditor's office early this morning with a friend and obtained his license. The young lady named in the license, who will become Mrs. Colby, is Miss Ida M. Phanes. Despite the happy little smile that played over the groom's features as the request for a license was made to Deputy Auditor Hart, there was a suggestion of determination apparent in the square chin that bespoke little fear in facing the curious crowds at the fair this evening to wed the girl of his choice. The ceremony will take place on the band stand and will be performed by Justice J. J. Huffman. The bridal couple will leave the handsome booth of the Davis-Kaser company in the northern part of the building and march through the crowd to the band stand. Immediately following the ceremony an informal reception will be held in the reception room.
“There was a suggestion of determination apparent in the square chin that bespoke little fear in facing the curious crowds at the fair.”
Modern weddings are often meticulously private, but in 1903, the local fair was the town's social center and a public marriage ceremony was a significant community event. This public display reflects a time when civic institutions and public festivals like the fruit fair were the primary venues for personal milestones.
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