The Transatlantic Marriage Bureau by Julie Ferry

Author:Julie Ferry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MBI
Published: 2017-04-21T16:00:00+00:00

Prince Leopold would always hold Minnie in high esteem, and even after her marriage he still wrote to her frequently, his letters filled with compliments. ‘You were much admired yesterday, I thought you looked better than anyone else. (Don’t be offended at my saying so.)’16

The fashionable St Peter’s Church in Eaton Square, London was the venue for Minnie and Arthur’s marriage on 27 July 1878. Equally fashionable was the time of the wedding, 3.30pm (previous custom had led most marriages to be completed with little fuss before midday). Minnie and Marietta, who had witnessed the excitement surrounding Consuelo Yznaga’s wedding, were keen to exploit the publicity potential of the big day and Marietta ensured that the New York newspapers were sufficiently briefed with the minutest details. The New York Times breathlessly reported, ‘The Anglo-American marriage which took place in London in Saturday will send a thrill of envy through some thousands of feminine breasts.’17

It was a testament to the interest the wedding had created that crowds of people turned out to catch a glimpse of the happy couple. No doubt they were also interested in the royal guests who graced the wedding with their presence. The Prince of Wales was of course in attendance, as were other members of the royal family: the Duke of Connaught, Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Louise. Minnie ensured that their presence was recorded for posterity when she asked the royal guests to sign the wedding register.

The bride drew gasps of appreciation from the largely aristocratic ensemble when she entered the church on the arm of her brother, Harry. She had been planning this moment for many years and was determined to savour it, as was Marietta, who could hardly believe the sequence of events that had taken them to this place and time in the company of the greatest royal family in the world. The meteoric rise of the Stevens family was not lost on the press either, which commented, ‘The man or woman who, 15 years ago, should have predicted that the daughter of the late Paran Stevens would have been married under these conditions, and that his widow would, on the day of the wedding, receive a visit of congratulations from the Prince of Wales, would indeed have been deemed a visionary.’18

Minnie’s magnificent robe of white satin trimmed with orange blossoms had been carefully chosen to accentuate all her greatest attributes and ensured she looked every inch a society bride with an impeccable pedigree. A delicate tulle veil fell over her elegant features, while six diamond stars glittered in her hair. Everything about the wedding highlighted the couple’s aristocratic lineage and good taste. Arthur’s best man was his old friend and fellow racehorse owner Lord Marcus Beresford and the Pagets had ensured the Dean of Windsor performed the service. The guests retired to the groom’s parents’ house on Queen Anne Street for the wedding breakfast and the pitch-perfect military band of the Scots Fusiliers played throughout. Marietta appraised the vast collection of wedding gifts, which lined the Pagets’ drawing room.

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