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A Grand Wedding at the Episcopal Church

Seattle society turns out in force to witness the union of Nellie Wright and Guy C. Phinney.

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.

It was generally understood that a marriage was to take place at the Episcopal Church Sunday evening, and consequently the church was more than crowded, and many of the regular members were unable to obtain admission. After the usual Sunday evening service the wedding party entered, led by Mr. and Mrs. F. K. Sander. The bride, Miss Nellie Wright, and the groom, Mr. Guy C. Phinney, came next, and they in turn were followed by two young ladies dressed in white. The bride looked very pretty, and attracted universal admiration. The party took their place near the altar, and Rev. G. H. Watson performed the marriage ceremony in a very impressive manner. The party then took carriages and drove to the Arlington, where a sumptuous repast was spread for the newly married couple and twenty or thirty invited guests. Later in the evening Mr. and Mrs. Phinney drove to their new and elegant home on Broadway, where they will reside.

“The bride looked very pretty, and attracted universal admiration.”

— Printed in Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883
Then · 1883143 years apartNow · 2026

The Phinney name remains a fixture of Seattle topography, most notably through Phinney Ridge. This account offers a rare glimpse into the social hierarchy and public spectacle of late 19th-century elite marriage in a growing frontier town.

The original page

Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-05-22. Library of Congress, Chronicling America.

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About this story

From
Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, MAY 22, 1883, Page 2
Rights
Public domain
Place
47.66867, -122.38542 · placed automatically
The paper in the Library of Congress catalog ↗