Mary’s Commentary: This was one of the first columns I wrote in my career. It was right after I wrote a column about Mrs. Townley Tompkins’ ball. The editor told me there was a big wedding occurring this weekend and after I asked Alison about it she told me I should go with her. It got the attention of the editor and he paid me two guineas and I was very excited to see my career in journalism finally pick up. I accompanied Alison and her aunt because she knew the bride's mother. The wedding was extremely extravagant. Both families came from wealthy backgrounds and spared no expense in showing it. The Church was decorated in streaking gold silk to match the bride's dress and there were white and gold cushions on the church benches. The “At home” gathering was so large they held it at a Town Ballroom while the bride and groom drove off to arrive at their special train. Seeing the excitement and liveliness of the wedding made me sad. I craved something like this. To be happily in love and have a wedding that symbolizes all that you go through and sacrifice to make it all work. Unfortunately with the cards, I was dealt, I was never able to have a happy ending where I marry the man of my dreams and we live happily ever after. I don't blame Vincent completely for this, he wanted to pursue his own career, and so did I. We both never lost track of our goals, he just lost track of our love.
Editors Commentary: This newspaper column is a great example of a wealthy Victorian Age wedding. It has all the glam, class, sophistication, and people to really exemplify the upper-class Victorian culture at the time. What is most interesting to me is why Mary was chosen to document and record this wedding. The editor picked a very specific type of events to send Mary to. She was not writing a column about the weekly weather or the new factory that opened up, or even when a special guest arrived in town. She was writing about parties, weddings, and other things of that nature. This shows a very interesting ideal about gender roles at the time. Women were believed to be more gossipy and loose mouthed so newspaper and magazine editors sent them to record things of that nature. It is interesting to look at today because some argue that there is still an underrepresentation of women in media roles. Another thing to point out would be Mary’s commentary. She included this because of the impact it had on her life as one of the first sources of independent revenue. She was very moved by the financial independence that came from being a journalist. Her little personal rant about marriage also shows that even though she craves a nice wedding and a married life, she will not prioritize it over her own goals, unlike many women at the time. This is another example of Mary proving to be more progressive in the ideals of women's gender roles and how they influence the changing modern society.
Citation: "FASHIONABLE WEDDING." The Albany Observer (WA : 1890 - 1891) 3 January 1891: 3. Web. 12 Nov 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article253647674>.