ecision and the day itself. A month or six weeks is none too
much; more than this is often allowed.

The Bride's Burden.

There is a great deal of mental wear and tear for the bride-elect to
go through in the few weeks immediately before her marriage, and it is
a pity that it should be so. The fuss and display at an
up-to-date wedding make it a thing to quail before. Dress has become
so extravagant and absorbing that in the matter of her clothes alone
the girl has her time pretty well taken up. Instead of being able to
prepare calmly and restfully for the most vital step in life, she is
kept in a ceaseless whirl of mental and physical excitement till she
is well-nigh worn out. In any case care should be taken to avoid a
rush at the last. Let her have at least a few days of peace and
quietness in which to prepare for the great event. How can she realise
the solemnity of the vows she is going to make, or the gravity of the
responsibility she is taking upon her shoulders, if she never has a
moment to think and is being hurried from milliner to dressmaker, from
jeweller to shoemaker, from furrier to glovemaker, day in day out?

The Choice of the Bridesmaids.

In some families this is a difficult matter, and may be the cause of
much friction. The bride's sisters, if she has any, take precedence.
There may be a dear friend who has been promised this office since she
and the bride were at school together, but then _his_ sisters expect
to be asked, and they may be neither attractive nor very young. When
the desired number is but small, the problem is sometimes solved by
having two or three children and forswearing all adults. This is
certainly a prettier and less expensive arrangement, for children look
more picturesque as bridesmaids than the {73} average half-dozen
grown-up girls who cannot be chosen for their appearance. Elderly
bridesmaids in youthful frocks and girlish hats are ridiculous to the
unthinking, but pathetic to those who look below the surface.

Wedding Frocks.

"Married in white you have chosen all right," says the old rhyme, and
the "ivory duchesse satin" seems to have come to stay. There should,
however, be some regard for the future social position of the bride in
choosing the wedding gown. The girl who is marrying a man with a small
income, and who is prepared to begin housekeeping on a simple scale,
is not likely to want a magnificent satin dinner-gown with a court
train. A much less expensiv