Edwin Harry Woollard- Gertrude Evelyn Campbell, 10 May, 1941
The tenth of May, 1941 was our wedding day. We had planned to be married in the Fall but Ed was to go into the army on May 20 so we decided to get married before he went. It had been a rainy Spring week and the roads were muddy and rutted with wheel tracks. Our first attempt to go to the city to get our licence and a few new clothes ended with the car broken down, stuck in a mudhole West of Dad Woollard's. Ed and Fred fixed the car and Murdina, Fred, Ed and I went to Edmonton the next day. The wedding was to be the next day.
On the morning of our wedding day Ed and Fred went to see Mr. Smith, who was busy cleaning his barn at the Duffield Mission but said he would come at 2 P.M. and marry us.
It was a lovely, sunny Spring day and Murdina, Mom and Dad Campbell and I were ready at home when Ed and Fred came to pick us up. Mom Woollard had hurriedly baked a wedding cake and Pat, Marg and Lois had cleaned house and cycled several trips to Langford's for goodies. The lilacs and saskatoons were in bloom so they were picked for house flowers.
All went well and we started on our wedding trip to Edmonton to stay at the Lincoln Hotel. We took Mom, Dad and Murdina home and had dropped Fred off at the highway to walk home after dark and away we went, but not far. A mile East of Langford's the car broke down. We were able to get back to the home road and picked up Fred, who didn't even recognize who we were, but jumped in the car, glad to get a ride, before he knew who we were.
The next day after fixing the car again we got to Edmonton and spent the rest of the week visiting Anne, Mrs. Hunter, Auntie Velma, Laights and Agnes and Nap, before coming home to a wedding supper at Dad Campbell's prepared by my five sisters and Mother and attended by both families and the Bruces, Aunt Christie and Uncle Wesley.
I had been cooking for the saw mill crew at Laurence Bruce's so had made a bit of money and had about $14.00 to buy my trousseau. Between us we had $80.00 when Ed left Edmonton to go to Camrose and join the army. The army paid $55.00 per month to the soldiers dependent and in those days that was a lot of money.
We had planned a small, very small wedding at Mr. Smith's house, he being the minister.
Ed's mother asked us to be married at her place so- on with the plans.
They stopped at Lent's where Joan and Roy were picking roots in the field and asked them to come at 2:00 as well.
My shoes were $2.98 for a nice white pair and my dress was $4.98, for the wedding. The dress was dusty rose crepe, it was short. Murdina's dress was powder blue, with smocked front, made of crepe.