The Wedding

It has for some time been our ambition to picture a high-class wedding where all the details of costume, decorations and appointments are carried out on an elaborate and elegant scale, and in putting this production on in our studio we have spared no expense or effort to make it an elegant affair. The comedy elements which are introduced are only those which might happen at any well-regulated wedding, but they are none the less laughable, for no one who has stood before the matrimonial altar will forget the little annoyances and mistakes, which at the time seemed so momentous, and which afterward are looked upon only with amusement.

Added to the beautiful effects which we have acquired by the use of special scenery, elaborate gowns and beautiful flowers, we offer to our customers something new in the way of the lighting effects, showing a depth of stage never reached in moving pictures. In the wedding scene proper the bridal party is seen marching up the main aisle of the church to the stately music of Mendelsohn's Nuptual March, and the effect of distance which is given is both unusual and remarkable. Throughout the entire film the photography is of a very superior order, and we place it before the public as a magnificent example of artistic studio work.

The opening scene is devoted to the bride. She is shown in her boudoir where the last touches are being given to her costume, a Worth creation of great beauty. The three bridesmaids are dressed alike with elaborate picture hats and assist in the momentous task of adjusting the bridal veil, etc., while the dear old mother laughing for joy at one moment and in tearful hysterics the next, hustles about making herself busy wherever she can find anything to do. The father almost overcome with nervous excitement, anxiously eyes his watch as the moment for the departure to church approaches. The groom bustles in and presents the bride with a handsome bouquet. While in this great excitement and hurry in rushes Mrs. Buttin, an effervescent female who just delights in weddings and wants to be in the foreground whenever anything is happening. Much to the amusement and disgust of the bridesmaids she immediately pre-empts the mirror and the poor bride is crowded out. The irate mother immediately puts a stop to this state of affairs and orders the fussy female out of the room.

The scene then transfers to the groom's apartment. He is a tall well-built chap, but as awkward as they make them, and completely rattled because of the non-arrival of his silk hat which he has sent out to be pressed. Everything seems to go wrong with him, his collar button refuses to to work and he has great difficulty to get himself together. Finally when the hour set for the wedding arrives he is still in his apartment awaiting the hat. In strolls the boy with the top piece at last, and the groom dashes madly out of the house.

In the next scene he is shown coming down the street at full tilt trying to catch a street car. He is just too late, but seeing a cab standing at the curb, he dashes toward it only to stumble and fall with the silk hat beneath him. It is ruined beyond all repair. The groom arises, brushes himself off, gives the hat a vicious kick, jumps in the cab and is at last off for the church.

In the meantime the bridal party has assembled in the vestibule by the church. The wedding guests have all arrived and the groom has not appeared. The bride is in tears and weeps on her father's shoulder. The best man is looking everywhere for the groom, and the excitement is at fever heat. At the last moment the groom, dishevelled and dusty, rushes in so excitedly that he fails to distinguish his bride from the others, and after embracing Mrs. Buttin, and trying the same procedure on one of the bridesmaids, is finally set straight and carried off into the church by the best man.

The line then forms for the wedding procession, the ushers, the bridesmaids, the bride on her father's arm, and as the wedding music starts up they all proceed into the church. The groom and the best man with the minister are waiting at the altar. The bridal party soon arrives and the bridal couple go before the clergyman for the ceremony. The groom is still flustrated and when the time comes to produce the ring he cannot find it. In his haste he searches through his various pockets assisted by the best man, and finally produces the gold circlet, and when the ceremony is completed the party forms again and marches out of the church down the centre aisle.

The final scene shows the going away at the railroad station. The bridesmaids and ushers and all the relatives are on hand with bags of rice and old shoes to give the young couple a good send-off. The train rolls in and the bridal couple have not yet appeared. At the last minute however the carriage comes up with the horse at a dead run. The hack is decorated with white ribbon and tin cans. Only a few seconds are left to catch the train, and the young couple are hurried aboard followed by a shower of rice and shoes. The train then pulls out and the picture ends as it vanishes in the distance, the bride and the groom standing on the rear platform, waving their handkerchiefs to their friends standing on the station platform.

[Source: Biograph advertising bulletin No. 45, May 22, 1905, Biograph Bulletins 1896-1908, Compiled by Kemp R. Niver, Edited by Bebe Bergsten (Artisan Press, 1971), pp. 156-158.]