Weddings in early California

Limousines, altars, and banquet halls may be common in today's weddings. While purposes were the same, the trappings were quite different 160 years ago, when California was in the process of becoming the 31st state. A dispatch from Monterey to a Philadelphia newspaper in 1846 explained that horses were as important in weddings here as they were in everyday life. The groom rode to the wedding on the best horse he could find, using a saddle with bright embroidery and a bridle covered by silver. The bride rode on a horse with a leather skirt draped over its rump, a skirt covered with bright embroidery, and pieces of metal that jingled as she rode to her wedding. After the ceremony, the couple rode away on the same horse to the home of the bride's parents for a three-day reception filled with music, dancing, and drinking.