at a young
girl who ate of the grains of wheat which became scattered on the ground,
would dream of her future husband. The next step was the baking of a thin
dry biscuit which was broken over the bride's head and the crumbs divided
amongst the guests. The next step was in making richer cake; then icing
it, and the last instead of having it broken over her head, the bride
broke it herself into small pieces for the guests. Later she cut it with a
knife.

=THE TABLE OF THE BRIDE'S PARENTS=

The table of the bride's parents differs from other tables in nothing
except in its larger size, and the place cards for those who have been
invited to sit there. The groom's father always sits on the right of the
bride's mother, and the groom's mother has the place of honor on the
host's right. The other places at the table are occupied by distinguished
guests who may or may not include the clergyman who performed the
ceremony. If a bishop or dean performed the ceremony, he is always
included at this table and is placed at the left of the hostess, and his
wife, if present, sits at the bride's father's left. Otherwise only
especially close friends of the bride's parents are invited to this table.

=THE WEDDING CAKE=

In addition to the big cake on the bride's table, there are at all
weddings, near the front door so that the guests may each take one as they
go home, little individual boxes of wedding cake, "black" fruit cake. Each
box is made of white moire or gros-grain paper, embossed in silver with
the last initial of the groom intertwined with that of the bride and tied
with white satin ribbon. At a sit-down breakfast the wedding cake boxes
are sometimes put, one at each place, on the tables so that each guest may
be sure of receiving one, and other "thoughtless" ones prevented from
carrying more than their share away.

=THE STANDING BREAKFAST OR RECEPTION=

The standing breakfast differs from the sit-down breakfast in service
only. Instead of numerous small tables at which the guests are served with
a course luncheon, a single long one is set in the dining-room. (The
regular table pulled out to its farthest extent.) It is covered with a
plain white damask cloth--or it may be of embroidered linen and lace
insertion. In the center is usually a bowl or vase or other centerpiece,
of white flowers. On it are piles of plates, stacks of napkins and rows of
spoons and forks at intervals, making four or possibly six piles
altog