The bride, Elizabeth Case, clad in a beautiful blue robe à la française gown, married Gershom Terry, a local Revolutionary War veteran, at the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church this past Saturday in a reenactment of a Colonial wedding.
Part of the Suffolk 250 slate of events to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, the wedding represented a real local couple who were married before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The event had period music, customs, fashion and food and was organized by the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council and Museums and the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church, with funding from the Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation.
“I was thrilled with the positive community response and the amount of people who attended in Colonial costume,” says Mark MacNish, executive director of the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council and Museums. “There were over 120 people [who attended] and we are so happy the church will be benefiting in a positive way from our collaboration.”
Period music was performed by harpist and pianist Ann Welcome and violinist and organist Sadie Heston. The church was decorated with flowers from the era by Salt Air Farm, and sitting among the attendees that were dressed in Colonial attire, one was transported to another era — the men with tricorner hats, frock coats with brass buttons and buckled shoes; the women with long full skirts, hand fans and bonnets or straw hats decorated with flowers.
As the ceremony began, MacNish welcomed the guests and gave a brief history of the area before and during the Revolution. The bride, played by Meghan MacNish, was escorted down the aisle by her father, Andy Cavanaugh, who gave her away. The groom was played by Kenneth MacNish (the couple is married in real life) and the bride’s mother by Tammy Cavanaugh, who stood with the pastor before the crowd.
Pastor Richie King, the pastor at Cutchogue Presbyterian for 13 years, portrayed the Colonial pastor, reading from the King James Bible and guiding the couple through their period-appropriate vows.
The happy couple received guests outside the church and all proceeded to the basement for a reception, where the bride performed two Revolutionary War-era songs: “A Taxing We Will Go” and “Liberty Song.” Treats like ginger cakes and springerle (traditional mold-pressed German biscuits) made from authentic recipes were provided by Diane Fish, historic cooking expert, while guests watched a dance by the bridal party. Chart Guthrie taught members of the crowd colonial dances — including George Washington’s favorite, the Virginia Reel — while one of Guthrie’s daughters caught the bridal bouquet.
Guests were provided a 12-page program researched and produced by Mark MacNish, with information on Cutchogue’s Revolutionary-era history and the real-life couple Elizabeth Case and Gershom Terry, who were married in 1775 and were both fourth-generation first settlers of Southold Town. The program provided details on the music; courtships, weddings and marriages; flowers; food and fashion of the era.
The bride’s gown was handmade by Merri MacNish and is a representation of a robe à la française style, which was pleated from the shoulders at the front and back and had wide skirts supported by panniers (à la Marie Antoinette). She noted that while it took a couple of weeks to make the dress, “it took a lot more time to do the research” on the appropriate style. The talented seamstress made several of the wedding party’s costumes as well.
“The entire bridal party was [portrayed by] my family, says Mark MacNish. “Even my 89-year-old mother was there in costume.” MacNish family members and Historical Council volunteers worked hard behind the scenes to provide an accurate period event. “Everyone worked together really well to pull it off,” says Mark MacNish.
For upcoming historical-themed events, check the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council and Museum’s website.
