Womenless Weddings

These were plays written to be performed by an all-male cast and they were done throughout the United States as early as the 19th century.

Womanless wedding - Wikipedia A womanless wedding taking place at a Methodist church in Cincinnati, Ohio in the early 20th century.

A womanless wedding is a traditional community "ritual of inversion" performance, popular in the United States in the early 19th century. In this comic ritual, the all-male cast would act out all roles of a traditional wedding party – including those of bridesmaids, flower girls, and the mother of the bride – while dressed in gowns and dresses. The event often raised money for charities, civic organizations, and churches.

The performances were so popular that scripts were developed around the idea, and the do-it-yourself theatrical productions were passed along from city to city. Some of the stagings included impersonations of notable Americans, such as Henry Ford and Charlie Chaplin. The performances were often performed by known groups, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps.

History

Early modern Europe, and American prior to the 19th century, used womanless weddings as a way to safely express social strains between classes. The actors were lower-class; would ridicule the social position of the upper-class through skits for entertainment purposes. The upper-class citizens benevolently approved of these acts as cultural acknowledgement of their status in society.

Womanless weddings were performed throughout the United States, but most prominently in the upper Midwest and the South. Southern towns were already staging burlesque shows, and womanless weddings gave another opportunity to raise funds in the form of an admission fee. Womanless weddings traditionally raised funds for causes and organizations, such as a North Carolina womanless wedding which was attended by more than 1000 people to raise funds for the Parent Teacher Association.

Social implications

A womanless wedding would include a skit of a wedding ceremony, sometimes followed by a reception. The skits would elaborately make fun of gender stereotypes or other gendered qualities that went against the cultural norms of the community. Common themes included opinionated women, premarital pregnancies, males who expressed more feminine qualities than societal standards, racial minorities, and “rural folk.”

Prominent male members of a community would typically be the actors of the womanless performances. Their status would allow for their outlandish performances of stereotypical imitations of the minorities of a community, and the conditions of a community that went against the social norms of the culture in the spirit of entertainment to be accepted by the community with humor, rather than backlash and their masculinity being questioned by a community.

Reprinted with permission from The Daily Courier. Copyright owned by The Daily Courier. November 30, 1922

One of the largest audiences ever gathered together in Cliffside saw a most successful performance of the “Womanless Wedding,” given at Cliffside last Saturday night under the auspices of the Parent-Teachers’ Association. The large auditorium of the new school building was packed to overflowing, and some were turned away. It is estimated that more than 1,000 people saw the “Wedding,” and the proceeds were $205. This amount will go a long way towards filling the needs of the school.

The doors were opened at 6:20 o’clock and by eight, the hour of the “Wedding,” all available standing room was taken.

Promptly at eight o’clock the “wedding party” began to assemble on the stage.

“Following these was the mother, Marcus Martin, weeping as if “her” heart would break. “She” was accompanied by “her” twins, George Thompson and Berry Bland, who were rolled in in a wheelbarrow…”

First came the distinguished guest, Mr. G. K. Moore. Following him down the aisle were the aunt, Mr. R. B. Watkins, and “her” eight children—Willie Hoy, Arthur Carpenter, Charlie Carpenter, Hugh Nanney, Roy Freeman, Hoover Grant, Woodrow Grant, Vernon Wall. Then came the aged grandparents, Mr. T. D. Rudisill, grandfather, and Rev. J. C. Keever, grandmother. Following these was the mother, Marcus Martin, weeping as if “her” heart would break. “She” was accompanied by “her” twins, George Thompson and Berry Bland, who were rolled in in a wheelbarrow, in [the] charge of negro mammies, Broadus Wilson and R. B. McBrayer.

The musicians, D. C. Cole, pianist; B. E. Roach, saxophone soloist; and Hollis M. Owens, soloist, were then ushered on the stage.

Mr. Owens then sang “All the World Will Be Jealous of Me” and “I Love You Truly,” after which Mr. Roach played a saxophone solo “Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms.”

Then to the strains of the “Wedding March,” the bridal party began to assemble. First came the little ribbon girls, Messrs. Charles H. Swofford, D. S. B. Bridges, J. B. Freeman and J. L. Cooper. They formed an aisle on either side for the rest of the party to march through.

Following these came the bride’s maids and the groom’s men in alternate pairs. The bride’s maids were Messrs. Charles H. Haynes, Charles C. Erwin, Lloyd Williamson, G. A. Hines, Bate Wilson, C. D. Hughes, C. C. Tate, T. B. Bland, Martin Mauney, Aubrey Humphries, G. C. Shuford and Claude Grose. The groom’s men were Messrs. Charles F. Moore, W. W. Nanney, P. C. Hawkins, R. V. Bland, Cornelius Martin, C. B. Martin, J. P. Carpenter, W. F. Blanton, Palmer Harrill, R. E. Hollifield, A. R. Wall and Sam Hughes. Following these came the little ring bearer, John Robinson, and the officiating minister, G. K. Moore, Jr.

Then came the groom, Mr. G. C. Haynes, accompanied by his best man, Mr. R. C. Henkler; the dame of honor, Mr. Z. O. Jenkins; matron of honor, Mr. B. P. Caldwell; and maid of honor, Mr. B. D. Wilson.

Finally the blushing bride, Mr. Maurice Hendrick, on the arm of “her” father, Dr. T. L. White, preceded by the little flower girls, Messrs. J. H. Hill and O. L. Womick, who strewed flowers in the pathway of the bride.

The lengthy and binding ceremony proceeded slowly due to objections from the distinguished guest, Mr. G. K. Moore, Sr. and one of the negro mammies, Broadus Wilson, but finally the two young lives were made one, and the wedding party retired from the stage.

Particular mention should be made of the gorgeous costumes worn by the “ladies” of the party and to their magnificent bouquets and their graceful carriage. Also the men of the party were attired in conventional evening attire.

The wedding was under the direction of the Ways and Means Committee of the Parent-Teachers’ Association, which consists of Mesdames B. P. Caldwell, W. H. Haynes, B. D. Wilson, J. S. Rudisill, G. C. Shuford, Misses Marjorie Hord, Evver Bame, Edna Dickson and Mr. Clyde A. Erwin.

To the committee were added Miss Evelyn Pusey and Mrs. M. Hendrick. The wonderful team work and cooperation shown by everyone connected with the “wedding” was remarkable and it was due to this that the even was so successful.

NPR did a report on Womenless Weddings: When 'Womanless Weddings' Were Trendy : NPR History Dept. : NPR

You can obtain a full script of a Womenless Wedding: Full text of "The womanless wedding .." (archive.org)

Below are various photos of Womenless Weddings throughout the US.