Wedding Extravaganza

The extravagance of weddings is a popular topic. We blame it on modern commercialism. But then, what excuse could President Ulysses S Grant have for the money he spent on his daughter's wedding?

For the occasion the East Room which was chosen for the wedding ceremony, was resplendent and aromatic with flowers and greenery. From the ceiling, suspended on floral ropes, dominated a giant wedding bell composed completely of flowers. Never before, in the history of White House entertainment, were the decorations so lavish, and the atmosphere so laden with perfume.

200 guests sat in the State Dining Room at the White House, their hunger assuaged by a seven-course wedding breakfast. The savoury part of the fare included chicken, woodcock, snipe and crab. For the dessert there was the ever popular strawberry and cream and cake. Punch was laid on, of course, possibly based on Mrs Grant's favourite recipe.

When food was eaten, wine was drunk, and good wishes were exhausted, Nellie and Algernon slipped into a Pullman carriage groaning under the decorative weight of flowers and flags.

Nellie, of course, stole the show. She was attended by eight bridesmaids dressed in white, four carrying pink bouquets, the other four blue. Algernon, showing himself a sensitive guy at a time when men were men and women had babies, chose also to carry a bouquet. His was pink and white.

The wedding dress chosen by Nellie was of white satin, fashionably bustled in the back, and trimmed with lace, orange blossoms and miniature oranges. Yes, I did say miniature oranges. What I'm not sure about is whether they came from grafted miniature orange trees, or bonsai trees.

Suffice it to say, that the dress alone cost $5,000. And that was in the year 1874. President Ulysses S Grant had decided, like so many other people, that spending money on a wedding was as a good an excuse as any. Especially if you have the money.

Vlady, an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant, is an author of "The Complete Book of Australian Weddings", "The Small Organsiation Handbook" and an ebook "Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle?" which you can see on her website http://www.vlady-celebrant.com

cleaning help near Park Ridge ..

In The News:

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Wedding Extravaganza

Marriage & Wedding