Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Bernadotte - Manville nuptials

November 30, 1928

The little village church in Pleasantville, New York,  "a building the capacity of which will be taxed to the utmost to accommodate even the 250 guests," will be the scene of a royal wedding tomorrow, according to the New York Times.
The wedding of Miss Estelle Romaine Manville, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Manville of Hi-Esmaro, Pleasantville, and Count Folke Bernadotte af Wisborg, nephew of King Gustav V of Sweden, will be the first time that a member of a royal family "will have been married on United States soil."
Count Folke's father, Prince Bernadotte, is the younger brother of King Gustav V.  He forfeited his right to the throne when he married a Swedish commoner, Ebba Munck.
 Prince Gustav Adolf, eldest son of the Crown Prince, will be the best man.  Prince Sigvard, second son of the Crown Prince, will be one of the ushers.
There will be "one touch of European court glamor" as the the Swedish noblemen and officers will be wearing "their full dress uniforms as officers of the royal bodyguard.
Due to the small size of the church, only 250 guests have been invited to the church.  An "elaborate reception will be given at the Manville estate after the ceremony, to which more than 1,500 guests have been invited."
Other members of the royal party who have come to the United States for the wedding including, Count Carl Bernadotte af Wisborg, the bridegroom's elder brother, and his wife, Countess Marianne; the Countesses Elsa Bernadotte and Baroness Sophie Fleetwood, sisters of the bridegroom; Count Carl Bonde, Master of the King's Horse, and his wife, Countess Ebba; Count Nils Wachmeister, the bridegroom's brother-in-law, and his wife, Countess Martha; Countess Gunhild von Platen and Count Eric von Rosen.
Other wedding details have emerged.  The bride will enter the church when the organist begins playing the Wedding March from "Lohengrin.  During the service, the choir will sing "Oh, Perfect Love," by Barnaby.  The recessional will be Mendelssohn's "Wedding March."  A "program of numbers" will also be given by Mr. Gibson at the organ at Hi-Esmaro during the reception."  There will also be a string quartet and a harpist at the reception.
The reception will be held on the second floor at Hi-Esmaro.  The wedding cake will be cut by Count Bernadotte's sword.  This part of the reception will take place on the patio, which has been enclosed for the event.
"Elaborate precautions for the safety both of the guests and the thousands of wedding presents" have been made by the local police. State troopers and private detectives.

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