Wedding

Jani Silberman,
2468 Webb Avenue,
Bronx, New York 63, N, Y.
October 13, 1950.

Mummy Darling, 

Well, here comes the well-deserved first full-length Ietter from your Frau Tochter. I hardly know where to start, because I fully realise that I have not spoiled you with letters recently , but I know that you will have understood: non the less, I know  too much about waiting for letters and can imagine your impatience. It seems that Father has substituted for me and has written you a long essay about the festivities of October 5th. I wished that  I had seen that letter! I only know, that he used the dictionary to find the word "corsage" when he came to the description of the spray of six yellow rose buds that Henry gave me to wear. Non the less, I think I'll  also give you a brief account in my own words. As you know, the last night before my wedding at the parent 's, we had kept Henry's room until the end of that week. I got there at about 5 on Wednesday afternoon, after having put our apartment in order as far as possible for I did not know whether I would be able to come back with Henry, and wanted him to find it in a liveable-in state. I had even painted part of the kitchen the day before. Once at the parents, I started preparing myself for the role of bride by the usual means such as manicure, hair-wash and bath. On the great morning I was up early, and when I came into the parents; room at 7,30 there was Father busily preparing Kartoffelsalat [German: potato salad], a job he had started a full hour before. It was a lovely day, sunny but not so hot any more as it had been at the beginning of the week. Well, Henry duly arrived at the appointed hour, looking a bit pale and rather excited, if the truth were only known, he didn't admit it, of course. When he had thrown himself in his bridegroom's outfit, complete with white carnation, we all four set out in Götz (That's how we finally christened our car[2]), who had been given a thorough wash to mark the occasion and accordingly strahlte [German: beamed] all over. The drive was lovely too, all along the Hudson on the Express Highway right down to the south of Manhattan to the City Hall, opposite the Woolworth Building. As we passed the docks, the Queen Elizabeth was in port and waved to me! We met our witnesses down there and the ceremony was very short, but nevertheless it did not lack dignity. Only I night have spoilt it almost when a strong urge to burst out in laughter overcame me as our witness Lise Witten was called as Lise Witzen! When we had been duly married, made our promises, had signed on the dotted line, and the groom had obeyed the order to"kiss his bride", we just caught a glimpse of the couple who started their journey into matrimony immediately after us: you would have never believed that anything like that was possible! She wore a crimson short-sleeved old pullover and a green plaid shirt and some yellow flowers stuck on her voluminous bosom, and he very baggy, dirty grey flannels and a washed-out green sweat-shirt. An amazing couple !

However, it's the Silbermans you are interested in. Well the Silbermans and their witnesses returned to the Mashlers, where the Hochzeitsschmaus[3] awaited them.  I dare say Father has done justice to that part of the day in his letter. After that, Henry and I drove into town again, because I wanted to get my new passport, but unfortunately we made the trip for nothing, for it was too late when we got there, and the consul couldn't do it any more on that day, As it turned out later it đid not really matter at, but we couldn't know that at the time. Incidentally, I had got int touch with Ira Fay née Mirsky to ask her to take our photo and she had agreed but then suddenly she remembered that her camera was in repair for several weeks yet and so she could not do it after all! We did not manage to make arrangement s with another photographer in the terribly limited time at our disposal (we were married at 11:56 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) and so we must just hope that the snaps have come out. On the way back from the City Hall  we stopped at Lise's for Champagne, and Lise and I đrank Schwesterschaft, i.e., we are per Du now. Finally, we got Götz all the way up to the hospital, the only place where Henry can park him, then we returned to the parents' to have dinner p\=ith four female cousins, three Hamburger and one Levy, to pack , and to finally make our adieus and leave for the station, where we luckily picked up a sleeper, a Pullman "bedroom", quite an elegant affair and really comfortable. So, this gets us to Montreal. There we started a visit to the consulate, the American, got an officer who took a fancy to us, called Henry "Doc'" and me by my with Christian name and made us come back Tuesday. So time was ours, we spent the evening with Ivrys and left for the Laurentian Mountains by bus the next morning. The hotel, called Palomino Lodge[4] after the kind of horses they keep there, was lovely,  new,  clean, everything smelled of wood, and beautifully situated near a little lake surrounded by hills covered with Mischwald [German: mixed forest], all in gorgeous autumn colours. The weather could not have been better, especially on Monday it was really hot, warmer than in England in summer. We got back to Montreal on Monday night and proceeded to the consul on Tuesday. There no inquiry or any thing like that was held after all, but we were asked to put up a 500 dollar bond. In the evening we were invited at the Langs and Justin immediately offered to put up the bond for us, offer we very gratefully accepted. The evening at Lang's was altogether very pleasant, we were there for dinner and afterwards they had other people there, among then Ruth Wolfe. So Henry met her too, but I don't think he was too impressed, he says he does not like career women like that. Tuesday then was a very hectic day with visits to banks, Bonding Co., Justin's office, consulate, etc. In between we managed to meet the Bảrtschis for lunch. They are very nice people and it was really a pity that we could not have seen more of them. It was also the first time I was addressed as "Frau Doktor"! I got the blouse, which is really pretty and the broch, which is simply a very small golden needle with a little pearl. We did not get home till after 5 and then I had to pack everything. I left my big trunk in storage again, but took a lot  of things with me,  so that I am very well equipped this time. I am sorry I had to leave all my bedding behind, because now  I have to borrow here; but I did manage to take at least the silver.

About our apartment, wedding presents (not too many but all of the useful kind) another time. Tiofa sent letter and roses! Please, thank her in the meantime until I can write. Henry is at home this weekend and the parents are coming here on Sunday! [Handwritten, some hard to read:] I had a lovely letter from Edith, but I can't answer it just yet either. Just in case you shouldn't know, I am incredibly happy. Didn't even have assistance this time! I'd love to write more, especially about your problems, too (congrats to Russian class at High School, and how is Polish?), but have no time. As soon as possible more. Million kisses. Love from both of us. Yours Jani.