Hi Liz:
Having just planned a wedding last July, I would suggest browsing some of
the various wedding planning websites such as:
www.ultimatewedding.com
www.weddingchannel.com
www.indiebride.com
www.theknot.com
Many of those sites have regional sections, so you may be able to find some
Ohio brides to talk to about these traditions.
Being from Connecticut, I have to say I'm not familiar with cookie tables
and such -- though it sounds yummy!
Best of luck,
Suzi (Dorko) Fonda
---
Suzi Fonda
Project Coordinator, Teaching American History Grant
Maxwell Library, Room 312
Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater, MA 02325
508.531.2166
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-----Original Message-----
From: Liz Jones [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2003 2:57 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museum in Youngstown needs your help!
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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