"A wedding has, from the beginning of the world, been celebrated as an occasion of joy and festivity; and among our forefathers the rule was to suffer no exception, although circumstances gave their impress to the rejoicing. Quoting once more from the author [Doddridge]: 'A description of a wedding from the beginning to end will serve to show the manners of our forefathers, and mark the grade of civilization which has succeeded to their rude state of society in a few years...In the first years of the settlement of this country, a wedding engaged the attention of a whole neighborhood; and the frolic was anticipated by old and young with eager expectation. This is not to be wondered at, when it is told that a wedding was almost the only gathering which was not accompanied with the labor of reaping, log-rolling, building a cabin, or planning some scout or campaign.

'In the morning of the wedding-day the groom and his attendants assembled at the house of his father for the purpose of reaching the mansion of his bride by noon, which was the usual time for celebrating the nuptials, which for certain must take place before dinner. Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people, without a store, tailor or mantuamaker [huh?] within a hundred miles, and an assemblage of horses, without a blacksmith or saddler within an equal distance. The gentlemen, dressed in shoepacks, moccasins, leather breeches, leggins, linsey hunting-shirts, and all home-made; the ladies dressed in linsey petticoats and linsey or linen bedgowns, coarse shoes, stockings, handkerchiefs and buckskin gloves, if any. If there were any buckles, rings, buttons or ruffles, they were relics of old times - family pieces from parents or grandparents. The horses were caparisoned with old saddles, old bridles or halters, and packsaddles, with a bag or blanket thrown over them; a rope or string as often constituted the girth as a piece of leather. 'The march, in double file, was often interrupted by the narrowness and obstruction of our horsepaths, as they were called, for we had no roads; and these difficulties were often increased, sometimes by the good and sometimes by the ill will of the neighbors, by falling trees and tying grapevines across the way. Sometimes an ambuscade was laid by the wayside, and an unexpected discharge of several guns took place, so as to cover the wedding party with smoke.   Let the reader imagine the scene which followed this discharge; the sudden spring of horses, the shrieks of the girls, and the chivalric bustle of their partners to save them from falling...

'Another ceremony commonly took place before the party reached the house of the bride, after the practice of making whisky began, which was at an early period. When the party were about a mile from the place of their destination two young men would single out to run for the bottle; the worse the path, the more logs, brush and deep hollows the better, as these obstacles afforded for the greater display of intrepidity and horsemanship.  The start was announced by an Indian yell; logs, brush, muddy hollows, hill and glen were speedily passed by the rival ponies. The bottle was always filled for the occasion, so that there was no use for judges; for the first who reached the door was presented the prize, with which he returned in triumph to the company.  On approaching them he announced his victory over his rival by a shrill whoop. At the head of the troop he gave the bottle first to the groom and his attendants, and then to each pair in succession to the rear of the line, giving each a dram; and then, putting the bottle in the bosom of his hunting-shirt, took his station in the company.

The ceremony always preceded the dinner. During the dinner the greatest hilarity always prevailed , although the table might be a large slab of timber, hewed out with a broadax, supported by four sticks set in auger-holes, and the furniture some old pewter dishes and plates; the rest, wooden bowls and trenchers; a few pewter spoons, much battered about the edges, were to be seen at some tables. The rest were made of horns. If knives were scarce the deficiency was made up by the scalping-knives, which were carried in sheaths suspended from the belt of the hunting-shirt.  After dinner the dancing commenced, and generally lasted till the next morning.'"