es. He will
find the bill a large one in these days of lavish display and
increased luxury. The idea that a reception is much cheaper than a
luncheon is balanced by the facts that a far larger number of people
can be included in the former and that champagne cannot be dispensed
with.

At the Bride's House.

Before the appointed hour, bustle and possible confusion will reign in
the bride's home. The young people will take a pride in decking the
reception-rooms with flowers. The presents will be in a room by
themselves, and will probably have been arranged the day before, but
there are always a hundred little finishing touches to be put to
everything. The caterer will, if required, supply all needful glass,
china, tables, and attendance for the reception or breakfast. Everyone
should be dressed in good time. There will be belated presents,
telegrams of congratulation, and all sorts of minor distractions.

Dressing the Bride.

In many cases the dressmaker who has _created_ the wedding gown comes
to see it put on, but where such skilled help is not required the
loving hands of mother, sister, or friend would deck the bride. One
thing I would suggest. It is a risk {90} to dress the hair to suit the
veil rather than the face. I remember seeing a bride quite spoiled by
having her pretty hair dragged up under her veil, when as a rule she
wore it in soft, natural waves round her face and ears. The less
jewellery a bride wears the better, and some recent leaders of fashion
have exchanged the bridal bouquet for a prayer-book, which they
carried in ungloved hands. A bride who is married in the veil of a
happy wife is supposed to be lucky. It is a pretty idea for a girl to
wear her mother's bridal veil.

The Tying of the Knot.

When she is ready and all the others have started for the church, the
bride drives with her father or mother, as the case may be, away from
her old home and her maiden name. These few moments are too sacred for
an outsider to speak of. Upon her arrival the bells ring out, the
choir and clergy form the head of the procession, and she goes up to
the chancel step on her father's right arm to take her place on the
left side of her expectant bridegroom. It seems almost an impertinence
to tell her how she should look at this solemn time, but it is not
necessary or seemly for her to smile and nod to her friends in the
church. She should remove both gloves on taking her place, so that she
may be prepar