Pineville, a historic refuge
Part 17: A Pineville wedding
By Warner M. Montgomery Warner@TheColumbiaStar.com

Theodore Gourdin of Pineville, shown in this 1809 locket portrait, may be wearing what he would have worn to a Pineville wedding.

In his account of Pineville between 1794 and 1836, F.A. Porcher ("Historical and Social Sketch of Craven County,

South Carolina," Southern

Quarterly Review, April 1852) was enthralled by the "country weddings" that took place there.

Most of the marriages were arranged by the families. They were not comfortable allowing their daughters to select their own husbands. After all, bloodline was important to the Huguenots of the Santee. And marriage meant a union of land as well as a union of families.

Soon after the engagement had been announced and the date of the wedding set, the bride- elect and her mother sent out the invitations. Months before the wedding, the bride traveled to Charleston to purchase her trousseau - her special clothes, linens, and personal belongings.

The bride and her parents carefully selected the bridesmaids as did the bridegroom and his parents select his groomsmen. Again, family connections were carefully considered.

Elizabeth Gourdin of Pineville, shown in this 1809 locket portrait, may be wearing what she would have worn to a Pineville wedding.

Since the wedding lasted three days, arrangements had to be made for guests coming from more than a half- day's ride away. Hospitality ruled the era, so every guest had to have room and board for three days and nights.

Several days before the event, the bridesmaids arrived at the home of the bride, the site of the wedding. The bride disappeared to her chambers, and the bridegroom van- ished to parts unknown. They were not allowed to cast eyes upon each other until the magic moment.

The father of the bride, the master of the house, furnished all implements and ingredients for the preparation of the upcoming feast. The young ladies, with assistance from the servants, turned the flour, sugar, spices, fruits, and berries into cakes, candies, jellies, custards, tarts, and other tempting dainties.

These examples of American dress of 1790-1800 may have been similar to those worn at a Pineville wedding: (l-r) man in a brown broadcloth shad- belly coat, woman in mauve crepe gown, woman in dress of fine glazed cambric, man in the style of 1800, and woman in Muslin dress.

On the wedding evening, the bridegroom arrived first followed by the guests. At the appointed moment, the bride appeared. The happy couple stood before the priest (most likely Episcopalian), recited their vows, received their nuptial benediction, and became man and wife.

At the announcement, "I present Mr. and Mrs. So and So," the fiddles

struck up A Health to the

Bride, and the couple was surrounded by well- wishers. When the waiters appeared with tea and coffee, the bride was allowed to sit for the first time since early afternoon when she was donned in white silk and satin by her bridesmaids.

The servants then brought out wine, cake, and cordials for the throng milling about the entire plantation house. After about an hour, the orchestra opened the dancing

with Haste to the Wedding.

The first groomsman danced with the bride, the groom with the first bridesmaid. The bride took turns with every groomsman, her father, her uncles, and eventually every man in the house. The groom followed suit with the same ranking of women.

At midnight, supper was announced. (Remember: dinner was at noon, supper at night, in those days.) Guests took their seats at the tables decorated with towers of cake, wreaths, and ornaments. There were sideboards of turkey, duck, ham, rice, and bread. Wine flowed in abundance.

Toasts were offered to the health and happiness of the new couple followed by jokes by the groomsmen. As dancing resumed, the bride slipped away. One by one, so did the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and eventually the groom. By three o'clock, the house was quiet.

At dawn, the fiddlers

began Health to the Bride

outside the door of the nuptial chamber. The consummated, starry- eyed couple led the assembly to the breakfast table where it was the bridesmaids' turn to send up jokes about their newly- married friend.

After breakfast, the gentlemen rode off on a hunt in the woods. The ladies put away their gowns and went back to the kitchen to prepare the dinner for the second round of guests at two o'clock. More greetings, congratulations, then another festive supper and dancing until early morn. Finally, after breakfast at dawn on the third day, the party ended, the house cleared, and the young couple were left to "the enjoyment of domestic bliss."

(Next week: Pineville's free

lady of color)