Saying “I Do” On The Texas Frontier

[Draggingtree]

Saying “I Do” On The Texas Frontier

By U.S. Sen. John Cornyn

Across Texas this Valentine’s Day, many young men will present their sweethearts with the ultimate Valentine’s gift – an engagement ring. From the moment she says “yes,” the planning will begin. Reception venues and churches are booked, showers and parties are planned, invitations are sent and the many details involved in planning the modern wedding are given careful consideration.

It is amusing to consider, therefore, that not long ago, our predecessors on the Texas frontier were similarly busying themselves with preparations for their own weddings—but with a little less fanfare and a lot less in the way of access to supplies.

According to Texas historian and author Betty J. Mills, weddings on the Texas frontier “took place wherever space permitted—at home, in church, or even on the back of a buggy with the guests standing around to witness the nuptials.”

Until the late 19^th century, invitations were circulated by word of mouth, and most everyone in a 30- to 40-mile radius was invited. Guests had to consider weather conditions and schedule plenty of time to make the trip to the wedding. Many of them began arriving days before the big event. For the lucky groom, obtaining a marriage license sometimes required traveling on horseback up to 200 miles to secure the document.

The wedding date was normally selected depending on when the next circuit preacher was expected to come through the region. This might be a Methodist minister or a Baptist missionary. At times, their arrival was unexpected and a wedding had to be quickly pulled together to accommodate the officiant.

Many pioneer brides had to weave their own fabric for their wedding gowns, with assistance from their mothers and sisters. Some towns were visited by traveling peddlers who sold fabrics like gingham and calico. Those with the financial means often ordered their wedding dresses in mail order catalogs or from French dressmakers in Fort Worth. While some brides were married in white, it was not uncommon for a bride to wear a dark dress that “was to be her best dress for years to come,” wrote Mills.

While the wedding ceremony was typically simple and brief, held on the front porch of the bride’s parents’ house, the celebration feasts were more elaborate with dancing that often carried on until the morning hours. Cake was served, fiddles and other instruments provided the music, and a washtub full of coffee kept the guests awake and dancing.

The following morning, guests took some time to rest and recover but were soon summoned again for the “in-fair”—yet another feast and dance hosted by the groom’s parents.

One observer, Noah Smithwick, who arrived in Texas in 1827, wrote down his observations after attending several weddings on the frontier: “The houses of early Texans were small but their hearts were large enough to cover all deficiencies. No candidate for hospitality was ever turned away.”

 

Sources: Calico Chronicle: Texas Women and Their Fashions, 1830 – 1910, by Betty J. Mills; Eats: a folk history of Texas foods, by Ernestine Linck and Joyce Roach; “What Were Weddings Like in Days of Yore?” by Barbara Mayer, The Associated Press; “A Frontier Wedding,” by Gay Schlittler Storms, The Graham Leader; The Book of Texas, by Harry Yandell Benedict and John Avery; and Abilenetexashistory.com.

 

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Finance, Judiciary, Armed Services, and Budget Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.