For some general and possibly specific wedding history information, look at
http://www.corneliapowell.com/ I know she has done talks about wedding
history and may be able to be of some help or point you to others.

Elizabeth Walton
www.clotheslinejournal.com


At 02:57 PM 3/25/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi All! I hope you will take a minute to read this e-mail and respond. You
>may even be a little entertained by it. I know its long, but I would
>appreciate your help. This fall, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society,
>which operates the Arms Family Museum of Local History in Youngstown, Ohio,
>will open a new exhibit on wedding traditions. We are trying to research
>wedding traditions outside of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania and
>thought that this listserv would be the perfect place to begin. In the
>exhibit, we will not only look at commonly known and practiced wedding
>customs, we will also look at traditions that seem to be common only to the
>Mahoning Valley (area includes Youngstown and surrounding counties.)
>
>We need your help and input desperately. We are trying to find out if some
>of our local customs are really local. The following customs appear to be
>Youngstown phenomena:
>
>#1. The Youngstown Wedding Buffet: When you come to a wedding reception in
>Youngstown, you are generally served buffet-style. Recently, sit-down and
>family style dinners are more popular, but the buffet seems to be the norm.
>The menu is almost always: Roast beef au jus; pasta (usually rigatoni and
>meatballs); green beans almondine; baby red skin or white potatoes in a
>butter/parsley sauce; some form of chicken, usually roasted; salad drenched
>in Italian dressing; and a dinner roll. I have only been to a few weddings
>that have served different things.
>
>#2. The Youngstown "Cookie Table": I have had some people who have come in
>for weddings and have commented that this is a little bizarre. I have never
>been to a Youngstown wedding without a cookie table. This table (or tables)
>is usually overflowing with homemade cookies lovingly prepared by friends
>and family. For our family weddings, each of my sisters and mom bake upwards
>of 10-12 dozen cookies (EACH!). Popular varieties include the Buckeye (of
>course), pizzelles, clothespins, and little Italian iced tea cookies. To
>give you an idea of what these tables look like. . .Imagine 6 8-foot (what
>my sister had) tables piled extremely high and end to end with cookies. The
>most recent thing is to provide cute little bags that guests can fill for
>enjoyment later. I once went to a wedding in West Virginia where they only
>had punch, cakes and pies. No cookies.
>
>#3. Wedding Soup--This soup, supposedly from Tuscany, is made locally with
>greens (usually escarole), meatballs, chicken, and little pastine (acini de
>pepe). Some Italian women put egg in the soup, and others add carrots and
>onions. When I have seen this outside of the Youngstown/Cleveland/Pittsburgh
>area (where it seems to be most common) it looks completely different than
>the soup described above. It is often served at holidays in Italian homes
>(though everyone regardless of background eats it), at local restaurants,
>and at sit-down wedding receptions. Campbell soup even sells it now.
>
>#4. The gargantuan wedding reception--600-800 guests can be a common thing
>here, though the usual number seems to be around 400. This might not be such
>a Youngstown Thing though.
>
>I am not sure if these are just regional customs. I can tell you that
>Youngstown suffers from a poor internal self-image. Recently, public service
>announcements on the radio have been directed at raising community pride.
>They site the cookie table and wedding soup as two great reasons to love
>living in Youngstown!
>
>So, here are my questions. . .Have you seen cookie tables anywhere outside
>of the area? We would love to hear about how your wedding receptions/customs
>differ. Have you seen wedding soup, and is it the same as the recipe
>described above? What about the menu at Youngstown receptions? Have you seen
>similar buffets at wedding receptions you have attended? What do people
>usually serve in your area? Do receptions in your area usually have a
>regional feel? When you have visited other cities for weddings, what have
>you observed? We could really use your help. Any and all information would
>be appreciated.
>
>Thanks!
>
>Elizabeth Nohra
>Assistant Director
>Mahoning Valley Historical Society
>648 Wick Avenue
>Youngstown, OH 44502
>330-743-2589
>
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