Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural
National Historic Site
Remembering a White House Wedding
Nearly a century ago, Alice Roosevelt became the sixth bride to be married in the White House. On February 17, 1906, she became the wife of Nicholas Longworth, a dashing congressman from Cincinnati, Ohio. The public's curiosity about the grand event reached the point of frenzy and newspapers featured wedding stories continually, not on the society page as one would expect. The Longworth/Roosevelt nuptials were front page news on almost every newspaper in the country. An astonishing array of wedding gifts poured into the White House - among them a pair of turtle doves - cleverly named Alice and Nick - and a strand of sixty-three perfectly matched pearls from the people of Cuba valued at $30,000!
The ceremony itself was brief - just 15 minutes in the East Room of the White House. One thousand invited guests watched as Alice, attired in more than twenty-six yards of exquisite brocaded and embroidered satin, her pompadour crowned with fresh orange blossoms, was given in marriage by her father, the President. Alice chose not to share the spotlight with anyone else - no bridesmaids were in attendance for this beautiful bride! A joyous wedding breakfast followed, the wedding cake was cut - not with a simple knife, which proved to be too dull to do the job but with a military dress sword - and the happy couple departed for a splendid honeymoon journey. It began at a plantation in Virginia, then on to Key West, Florida and finally to Cuba and San Juan Hill, where her father and his Rough Riders were well remembered for their valiant fight.
To celebrate the centennial of Alice Roosevelt's wedding the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site will present Vintage Memories: Weddings Past. This special exhibit will run from February 24th through the 26th, 2006. A stunning collection of vintage bridal gowns from the Site's Costume Resource Center and breathtaking floral displays by Western New York's premier florists will provide a sentimental journey back in time. Historic photographs and other memorabilia will illustrate the wedding that so captured the attention of our nation, indeed the world, one hundred years ago. Highlights include:
For further information on private tours, or to make reservations, please call 884-0095 and ask for Janice.
Reservations available after January 1st, 2006.
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