The wedding doesn’t make the marriage
Love often leads to marriage, if the couple can withstand the wedding planning. Wayne and Susie Spitler are proof that regardless of the hurdles that rise up during the planning of events and the wedding day, marriage can rise above them all. So much planning goes into making a wedding just perfect. Each little detail monopolizes the bride’s mind but rarely the grooms. The day quickly comes and goes; however, the wedding doesn’t make the marriage. The Spitler’s didn’t let the wedding troubles weaken their vows. Over the years they have only grown stronger, tackling each setback together, one at a time, just like on their wedding day. Susie recalls the obstacles that occurred leading up to their special day.
Susie Spitler’s story:
This is our wedding story - there were a number of mix-ups and mishaps. Here is an account of what happened.
Our wedding took place on February 22, 1964, in the Tipp City Methodist Church. I was a member and attended Richard Long's college-age class. The ceremony was performed by Reverend Allen Richard Teller.
A number of friends and relatives were married within a year or two of each other, most of whom went to Rike's in downtown Dayton (where the Schuster Center is now located) for all their wedding needs. But I decided to go someplace smaller, for a more "personal touch". So, I chose Thal's, just a few blocks south of Rike's. I also wanted to get as many things locally as possible, so I ordered my flowers from Nies Greenhouse, which was located behind their home on N. Third St. at that time, later moved to west of town on St. Rt. 571.
Mrs. Rose Timmer and Mrs. Dorothy Hiegel were in charge of the church receptions. We got along well other than one bone of contention about the number of plates to be set out and some food items to be prepared. Mrs. Timmer and Mrs. Hiegel suggested that I order less than the number of invitations indicated, as they believed that everyone invited didn't usually attend. I said no, we had to plan on as many as were invited as I didn't want to run out of anything. Even though they were more experienced and were trying to help me out, against their better judgement they prepared for the number I gave them.
For my attendant's dresses I chose red brocade for the red and white wedding colors. They didn't have all the sizes in stock so they had to be ordered. Their satin shoes had to be dyed to match, which was the custom. The store called me a couple of weeks before the wedding to say the girl's dresses were ready and for them to come try them on. When we got to the store, they did not have the third dress, only the material. It couldn't be ordered, and Thal's did not make dresses. What a fix! After discussing what to do, my friend took the material to Mrs. Snell (the "log cabin" on the comer of Hyatt and Dow). Bless her heart, she made an identical dress, with no patter, just matching it to the other dresses.
When the shoes came in my mom and I went down to pick them up. Well, they were a streaked and blotchy mess! When I complained, they said red was the hardest color and that no one could do them any better. I took all four pairs to the Baker's Shoe Store next door to Thal's to try them. I ordered four pairs of new shoes and a few days later they called to say they were ready. Wayne picked them up after work and brought them to me. The shoes were beautiful. So much for "no one could do them any better".
Thal's called to say my dress was ready and would be delivered to the church on Friday, Feb. 21. They also told me if no one was at the church to sign for it they would return it to the store and not make another trip. I called Alice Francis (the church secretary for many years) and she put it in her book. I thought everything was under control and all I had to do was wait.
That Friday I was a little anxious, so just before lunch I called the church to see if the dress had been delivered. I took Mrs. Francis by surprise as she had forgotten about it and had made an appointment. The dress had not been delivered yet, she was leaving for lunch, and she was not coming back the rest of the day. She was beside herself. I was a little beside myself as I couldn't leave my job at Dr. Lorms’ office to go wait for it. Mrs. Francis told me she would see what she could do. She called back to say that Tom Timmer, a trustee, was at the church and would be glad to wait on the dress.
Bless his heart. He called later to tell me it had arrived.
By this time my dad had decided not to go to Indianapolis with Aeroproducts/Allison (as so many in Tipp City men did). He took a job in Springfield and they moved southwest of New Carlisle. Because I worked in Tipp City for Dr. Lorms, and I had sold my "56 Chevy convertible to David Giesseman, I moved in with my grandma, Edna Messick, on the northwest comer of First and Dow Streets so I could walk to work.
I had to work until noon because, at that time, Saturday was a busy day at a dental office, (we normally would have worked until 5:00). My folks were supposed to pick me up and take me to the church around 5:30 P.M. I waited and waited until finally, my Aunt Reda Mae, whose family had come from Columbus and were also staying at my grandma's house, took me to the church. I found out later that my dad had come to Tipp City, particularly to Waldo Pence's ice house to get "supplies" for the party after the reception, and he was late getting home and then back to Tipp.
At the church, one of the girls helped me get dressed. My dress had numerous buttons down the back. As she was buttoning me up, the material came off of a number of them. We found some glue to repair them and while we were doing that, someone asked where the flowers were. Well, I supposed the florist would bring them and distribute them to everyone. One of the fellows tried to call the florist. The shop was closed and no one answered the home phone. He looked around and finally found them in a refrigerator in the basement. I found out later they were going out of town for the weekend and had brought them to the church on Friday - but didn't tell me.
My mom arrived and attempted to get dressed. She had bought her dress quite a while before the wedding and had evidently put on some weight as she couldn't get in it. We managed to squeeze her into it just before time for her to be escorted down the aisle. She told me later that when she was escorted to her seat and sat down, her legs flew up and her pointy-toed shoes banged loudly into the bottom of the pew in front of her. It was a little embarrassing since the church was full.
After the wedding, everyone went to the basement for the reception and the traditional cake cutting and tasting. However, Wayne and I, along with the wedding party, had to retum to the sanctuary for pictures. In those days, the groom was not to see the bride until she walked down the aisle.
When we returned to the reception to have our cake and to open presents (another custom that has gone by the wayside), there were only crumbs left from our cake. The very top layer was saved to put in our freezer and we finally had a full piece of our wedding cake on our first anniversary.
Later we received our pictures and the photo with our hands together on our marriage license, which everyone did then, was not in the album, even though the photographer took one. When I asked him about it, he said my rings were on backward in the photograph. It made sense to me that when you become engaged, you put your engagement ring on. Then during the wedding ceremony, you add the wedding ring. Right? Well, no one told me about the order of the rings.
We put the rings on properly and on February 22, 2024 we will celebrate sixty years of marriage. I hope you enjoyed remembering along with me, about people and places and events that will always be in my heart.