#65 MY PARENTS' WEDDING
MY PARENTS' WEDDING
"The best gift a father can give his children is to love their mother."
My parents
were married on June 6, 1947. This month would be their 77th
anniversary. Mom and Dad were rarely
apart—they lived, worked, socialized, hobbied, travelled, cottaged, and danced
together for sixty-three years.
It’s well-known family lore how my parents met. Mom was in her second month at the College of Optometry; Dad was in his second year. They were in the same lecture hall. Mom balled up a piece of paper to toss at a friend, missed, and hit Dad in the face. He asked her out to a dance at Casa Loma. After Dad escorted Mom to her home in Scarborough, he got lost and headed east, not west (lost in her charms!). The next month Dad proposed. Mom hesitated believing they didn’t yet know one another well enough; but she accepted that proposal on Valentine’s Day. When I asked Dad what prompted his hasty proposal, he remembered that it was just the “natural thing” to do. But it should be noted that Grandpa Suomela offered to pay for their marriage license—a hint?
Friday,
June 6, 1947 was a humid evening. A description of the wedding was
printed in the Harriston Review.
A very pretty June wedding was solemnized in Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Toronto on the evening of Friday, June 6th
when Helvi Viola Suomela, R.O., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vaino Suomela, of
Toronto, became the bride of Carol Edwin Homuth, R.O., son of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick
F. Homuth, of Harriston, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Dr. MacPherson,
Minister of the Church. The Church was beautifully decorated for the occasion
with tulips and snap dragons.
The
bride, who entered the church on the arm of her father, looked charming in a
gown of cream satin with long veil caught up with Lily of the Valley and
carrying a corsage of Red Roses and Lily of the Valley. Miss June Sanka [sic..should be Sirkka Koivu],
wearing a gown of yellow taffeta and carrying a corsage of bouquet of Sweet
Peas and Lily of the Valley, acted as bridesmaid, while Jean Hendrickson, a cousin
of the bride, wearing a gown of pale pink silk, carrying Sweet Peas and Lily of
the Valley, was flower girl.
Mr.
Robert Maas, of Toronto, was best man, while Don Lippert, of Kitchener, Mr. Jack
Blacker, of Harriston, and Mr. Elmer Hendrickson, of Toronto, acted as ushers.
During
the signing of the register, a friend of the bride sang “Because”.
Upwards
of two hundred guests attended the reception, where a dainty buffet luncheon
was served. The bride’s table looked charming, centred with a four-tier wedding
cake {made by my grandmother, Jean Homuth) and decorated with Pink Roses. The bride’s mother received the guests in a
sheer pale blue dress and wearing a corsage of red Roses, while the groom’s
mother wore a figured silk jersey and a corsage of Red Roses.
Among the guests present were Dean and Mrs. Thompson, Prof. and Mrs. H.R. Kirkconnell, Prof. and Mrs. F. Attridge, Prof. and Mrs. H.A. Stein, of the Staff of the College of Optometry; Mr. and Mrs. David Vallance of Harriston; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Carl, of Toronto; Miss Helmi Vigrin, of New York; Miss Islay Francis, of Toronto; Misses Dora Staiger, Edna Heighes, Olive Turner, Rhoda Dahms, of Harriston; Mr. Elvin Heighes and Mr. Charlie Davie of Harriston.
After the reception the bride and groom left on a motor trip and a cruise of the Great Lakes, the bride wearing a pale green spring suit with matching accessories.
The
bride graduated from the Ontario College of Optometry this year, while the groom
graduated from the same college last year.
On their
return from their honeymoon the happy couple will take up residence in
Harriston, where the groom is practicing optometry with his father.
Every five years, my parents threw a very big anniversary party. At their 60th party, I congratulated them and said, "Sixty years of anything is a long time and sixty years of a happy married life is quite remarkable. Even though many things in life changed greatly in the past 60 years, their love for each other had not changed. It's been said that a successful marriage means falling in love many times- always with the same person. Everyone in this room has seen my parents continually falling in love with each other...I always love stories about fate and destiny. How my parents--she the Saskatchewan-born girl, transported by my grandfather to Russia for six months, then luckily getting out to Finland and back to Canada--a young life on the move. Dad--a Harristonian his whole life...June 6, 1944 was D-Day for World War II. My parents were married on June 6, 1947--their own D-Day. Their "D" stands for many things--Doctors (many in the room have had their first-class eye exams and advice.) "D" stands for day-to-day--they work, socialize, hobby, travel, cottage, dance--always together. "D" is for this diamond anniversary; diamonds are unconquerable and enduring and they say the fire in a diamond symbolizes the constant flow of love. Most importantly, "D" stands for love and devotion...it's been a constant their whole marriage...look at the faces tonight, the way they touch. My Dad was right...this marriage was a natural and (another "D") destined."
A lovely tribute vs
ReplyDeleteVery moving.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful account of your parents’ love and life together! ❤️
ReplyDeleteThey were truly soulmates!
ReplyDeleteThe first of many “motor trips and cruises” :-)
ReplyDelete