I have two cousins who were given no middle name.
When they were born, circa 1959, these beautiful baby girls were handed to their smiling parents awaiting the few words which would become their constant companion throughout the rest of their lives.
“Well, she’ll marry of course,” I can hear the conversation going.
“Why give her a name she’ll only drop?”
The idea seems outrageously old-fashioned to me.
As foreign a concept as it may seem, however, once I heard this story I immediately called to mind three women in their early twenties whose parents had also made the decision to only bestow two names upon their daughters for the very same reason: why does she need this name if she’ll have her husband’s?
My cousin was very bothered by her lack of a middle initial as a child. Every embroidered jumpsuit or overnight bag served as reminder of what she didn’t have: a husband? No, a monogram. Now, this cousin of mine has been happily married for over twenty years and is the mother of one of my very best friends. I am not, necessarily, questioning her motives. I merely ask the question would you get married for a monogram?
I recently had embroidered two white linen pillowcases that had been my grandmother’s. My mother handed them to me and said, “Here, for your hope chest.” Speaking of a relatively foreign concept, a hope chest was a collection of household items, usually linens, a young woman accrued through her young years as a sort of “start-up package” for her future home. Since this chest was begun well before a husband was known, the pillow cases and bed sheets and such donned her maiden monogram. And, in homage to mothers past, so do mine. That is only possible of course because I have a third name. So, if I didn’t, would I marry to get one? Would you?
Monograms offer a beautiful option for your wedding program cover design and come for no additional cost. Though they provided inspiration for this blog entry, they do not actually require three names. Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s entry where I discuss those of us who do not intend on changing our names or simply seek a less formal wedding program look.
