This wedding card from 1933 is trending over Social Media

The 1920s are often remembered for the roaring 20s and 30s during Prohibition, but they also saw an explosion in cultural and societal change. Women had more rights, and there was much more emphasis on marriage in the home. You could even say that marriage at this time became more important than it does today. Before World War II, most of us saw our future families as we did our own. As a result, many were married by their parents’ late twenties, although some married young and others waited until their mid-teens. Then, after WW2, marriage rates continued to rise. According to recent data from Pew Research Center, the percentage of persons in the U.S. who are unmarried was 10 percent in 1960, 12 percent in 1970, 16 percent in 1976, 21 percent in 1980, 28 percent in 1990, and 31 percent in 2000. Now, according to the United Nations Population Division, the age at which people have sex is getting lower. In fact, according to the agency’s current survey, fewer than one-fifth of all people ages 15 to 59 have sex outside a relationship in contrast with 60 percent or more of those between the ages of 18 and 24. However, the rate of divorce has been increasing since the early 1990s. More and more couples choose to get married later in life. But what about when the perfect couple comes together? This marriage card from 33 years ago that recently popped up on Pinterest is quite popular so far, drawing comparisons to how younger generations see marriage. It appears to be a pretty standard marriage proposal card today, with flowers and heartfelt words.

Here is the original post by photographer James Lassiter, originally posted on Instagram in 2018, showing him shooting his first picture of his wife while having dinner together at her aunt’s house.

The caption reads “My beautiful woman. I couldn’t be happier.” Photo by James Lassiter, Flickr

It’s worth noting that these cards from several decades ago could still apply in modern times. We’re lucky that today, the concept of marrying for love is not only fashionable, but rather a requirement. If you want to marry someone, you’ll need to wait at least two decades before turning away. That kind of waiting allows your partner to find you worthy enough to consider giving them a chance, rather than forcing things to happen at speed. (We are lucky because even though today’s dating culture is based on instant gratification, marriage requires patience.) Also, marriages are very different from traditional unions, wherein the father of the family must provide financial support. In other words, a man can’t just “borrow” a woman’s ring. Instead, he will need to buy her a gift of any kind, from engagement rings to champagne, all the way down to a trip to Paris. While some traditions may have loosened over the last decades, such as the practice of bridesmaid dresses at weddings, they remain largely intact in many ways, including at the altar. The average bride and groom may expect a wedding ceremony to include a formal ball reception, dance, readings, band, cake cutting (if it’s allowed), lunch, drinks, a caterer, flower girl, maid of honor, valet, dancing troupe, florist, a photographer, photographers, venue designers, musicians, DJs, musicians, dancers, bands, tuxedos at the end. A bride and a groom have to spend thousands of dollars on their honeymoon—sometimes tens of thousands! There will also be photographers, hairdressers, florists, makeup artists, bridesmaids, dressmakers, hair stylists, tailors, electricians, plumbers, drivers, landscapers, architects, construction workers, painters, painters. For instance, George Lucas bought a $8 million apartment across the street from Star Wars creator George Miller’s mansion in 1977 for his honeymoon. He paid $10,000 for each room, which included a private cinema, bar, gym, pool, tennis court, and a massage therapist. It seems like an absolute bargain—but then again, this sounds exactly like how middle-class America lived pre-social media; the poor in 1930s America paid little attention to the idea of “going out” to work to do something else than simply take care of oneself. Just three days before Christmas, my mother wrote me a piece of advice: “Marry someone! Don’t smoke!” Well, she wasn’t expecting my response, but I’m glad she didn’t tell me it would take four to six months before my husband and myself moved into the same place. After moving into my brother’s childhood bedroom, my sister and her significant other started dating after high school (their college sweethearts were now married) and were finally engaged and married just before graduation. My mother’s advice had no effect on me. No matter where she went, we never left each other’s side. Because every day we met again, spent days together in different states, and met for weekends in various cities, we learned more about each other each day. When we fell asleep at night (after watching horror movies or visiting the museum), we dreamed about the next day. Our souls knew we would wake up the following morning ready to start anew, and when we woke up to make breakfast, we smiled at each other from the couch. One Sunday morning, she came home tired and hungover, and told me that although she didn’t feel well on Monday morning, she was happy to see me when she got home. She told me: “Everything feels alright.” She added, “I’m going to go back to sleep.” At my first job, she took over management of everyone, including coworkers. Even though she had a difficult first year at the company, she managed to convince her supervisors that they should give her a promotion. Eventually, she won a small position in charge of marketing, and a larger management role as director. She always loved being bossy; she felt really good at making sure everything ran smoothly, and when people came to talk about a problem, she had the courage to speak straight up. And my mother’s advice about marriage, well, this thing is really easy to remember: I thought about our relationship in detail when I got into our hotel room. Sometimes I talked to her about my career, sometimes she spoke about me, sometimes I spoke about our life together. I talked to her every night of the week. The best gift I got when I was working abroad was the opportunity to spend time together. To think that we could spend so much time together when we traveled makes it even easier. I’ve seen my mom cry on numerous occasions, but each time, it made me feel stronger. When we were alone, we talked about our feelings, talked about what our lives were like, talked about our dreams, our hopes and ambitions. At certain points, she said things that made me chuckle. These are just some of the things she said and did. Sometimes, it didn’t seem like we were spending hours a day together, but when we talked, we’d sit down anywhere, look at each other and laugh. Many of them used humor to keep things light and fun; most of all, they were able to connect with one another. On Saturday nights, we were listening to music, watching comedy shows, playing games, laughing, drinking wine. All of these things helped us bond. Looking back, I realize that my mom didn’t want to let anyone down, and she encouraged me to trust me for my own sake. With my own head, I was able to see my mom as a whole person. The funny thing is that I didn’t know she was depressed, because she was actually a wonderful person in spite of her health issues. Although she had a tough experience in an accident when she was a teenager, afterward, she worked hard to help other adults with disabilities. People loved her because she was caring, generous, and humble. If I wasn’t her daughter, I would be proud to be called Mrs. Lassiter; that would mean she would be calling me Mr. Lassiter, and I wouldn’t mind. It is better to love someone, respect them, accept them for who they are, and then have a deep relationship. But if the relationship has deteriorated too much, don’t run away! Try looking for other people with whom everyone can talk about themselves or the subject at hand. Finally, try loving yourself again, whether or not you’ve found the right person. Let us never forget how amazing love is!