Different sort of wedding
The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)
Wednesday 29 July 1936
.SHOPPING CARNIVAL!
A PUBLIC WEDDING.
BRIDEGROOM GETS TRUCKLOAD OF OTTS.
Twenty-nine men and 2271 women filled the Strand Theatre, Leichhardt, yesterday afternoon, to witness the wedding of 22-yoar old Miss Mena Palmer to Mr. Thomas Fidler 23.
The public wedding was part of the week's carnival, organised by the Parramatta-road Shopkeepers' Association, to celebrate the switching on of a footpath floodlighting scheme In the newly-named shopping centre of Westgate, which extends along Parra- matta-road from Johnston-street, Annandale to the top of Taverner's Hill.
The bride, who was attended by two brides- maids, Miss T. Carter, In pink, and Miss K Fidler, in blue, and two little flower girls In pink (Misses L. and E, Miller), was given away by Mr. E. O. Single. Mr. R, Fidler was best man, and Mr L. Single acted as grooms-man.
The Rev. J. Faulkner, of Leichhardt Pres- byterian Church, who performed the cere- mony, told the audience that he did not ask the bride to promise to obey her husband, be- cause he felt that if he did, he should also ask the groom to give the same promise. He wanted both to feel that they were starting off on level terms.
After the ceremony, the couple were driven through the Westgate shopping centre, where from over 100 shops they received wedding presents to the value of over £200. A truck following their car was well laden, the gifts ranging from groceries to furniture. The wedding ring and bridal array were also gifts
Thousands of people who had waited out- side the theatre thronged the footpaths as the gift-collecting procession moved from shop to shop, and a large squad of police had considerable difficulty In controlling the crowd, which could not be kept off the road-.way
The bridegroom, who has been unemployed for a long time, said that his hopes that the publicity would assist him to find a job had not been realised.
Miss Avis Hobbs sang a solo during the signing of the register, and the complete ser- vice was broadcast by Station 2CH.