1932: Wedding

About two weeks before the wedding, Milda was working at a neighbour’s at milling when she got a cold. She had a fever but we went to Riga to buy the wedding rings, wedding dress, a coat, and an evening suit for me.  Milda was taking all sorts of powders. Her temperature would go down immediately but later would be even higher. When we got home she went to bed and the doctor advised that the wedding had to be postponed for a month, which we did.  (A: She had rheumatic fever, which damaged a heart valve and caused problems for the rest of her life).  We had to notify all of our friends and relatives.  Even a month later she was not very fit, so I hired a car-taxi as I was afraid she would catch a cold again.  The car drove very slowly so that the horse carriages could follow, there were about 10.  Along the route there was a number of honour arches, which was a custom in the country (a house high arch was constructed and covered with foliage and flowers). We had to stop at these arches and leave a bottle of drink.

It was a big wedding with 60-80 guests. The wedding was given by Milda’s parents, but I bought Milda’s wedding dress and the rings. My friend Grinvalds arranged a free brass band from Aizpute with 12 players who arrived at Ingas the evening before on Saturday. The distant guests from Saldus also arrived the Saturday evening. When the band got playing it really raised the roof at Ingas.  I was happy and sad at the same time, good-bye to my bachelor days and the start of a new life.  The wedding was conducted at Snepele church, which was a big event for the quiet district. The band also played in church, two church songs and then they had to hurry to Ingas, 8 kilometres away where they had to play the wedding march for the couple to pass through the honour arch at the house. The wedding went on for three days and nights, which was usual for a big wedding. A special cook was engaged to manage the food, which involved a lot of cooking. The beer we brewed ourselves, Konstance and I.

I was disappointed that two of my brothers did not come to the wedding, Arturs and Alberts, especially since I had been sending them money every month from my wages for their schooling at Ciravas forestry school. Apparently it was my fault for not marrying someone much richer. I believed that Milda was a good and beautiful country girl, which was an advantage.