Wedding Photograph of Juan Jose Mazariegos and Polly Wagaman.
By Polly Mazariegos and Myra Riley
June is usually a graduation and wedding month. My wedding was to be a June wedding, but when my
fiancee asked me what I wanted for my April 4th birthday, I said, Why not get married now rather than wait until June? The following is how the wedding got off the ground. The first part is documented by Myra Riley, my mother.
Written by Myra Riley, 20+ years prior to her passing.
Polly and Juan came up to Gettysburg Saturday evening to pick me up after I got off work at 11:00 pm. They arrived at 11:30 pm and Juan fell asleep on the sofa until Polly was ready to leave. Polly rested her eyes for about 15 minutes while I took my things out of her car and filled her gas tank. We left about 12:00 midnight and arrived at Polly’s about 2:00 am Sunday morning. Till we got ready for bed, it was about 3:00 am. Then we got up at 8:00 am Sunday and Polly took me out to a park called Ft. Hunt where they were having a pre-wedding picnic.
Juan’s mother and father stayed at Polly’s, too. Polly and I had the bed and Juan’s mother and father each shared a sofa and Juan slept on a sofa mattress on the floor. After a hour drive we came to Ft Hunt and Polly left me there to save the picnic table under a roof, as it was first come first get, and we thought if it rains we wanted to be under a roof.
When we left Polly’s, it was fairly warm so I did not wear my coat. It turned windy and cold at the park while Polly left to go back after Juan’s mother and father who were going to make the food on grills. It got so cold and I had to sit there about 3 hours, so I had to wrap a tablecloth around me. Then Polly came and brought my coat and Juan’s mother and father and we started up the grills and started dinner.
Polly and Juan had to go back home to wait for the rest of their friends who were going to meet there, because they did not know how to get to the park. Well, I can’t talk Spanish and they can’t talk English, so we still were like being alone.
I put the chickens on the grill and watched them till they were done, about 100 pieces. And Juan’s mother and father watched what they were making. I kept watching for someone else to come, but no one else came and it was 1:00 o’clock. Then 2:00 o’clock. Finally, Ellen and Joe, some friends of Polly’s came. Then, at least, I wasn’t alone. About hour later, Barbara came. Still no Polly and Juan. About 4:30 Polly and Juan and the rest of their friends and family came. Well, we all finally sat down to eat and drink and had to keep watching for the park rangers, as we had no license to allow drinking of alcohol beverages.
I didn’t see what happened, but one of the men punched another one in the mouth for kissing his wife and then he punched his wife and they took her to the hospital.
About 6:30 we left to take Juan’s mother and father home to Washington and a couple car loads followed us so they wouldn’t get lost. When we got to Juan’s mothers place, he told us to stay in the car and he would talk to his friends who were drunk to let him take them home. We sat for one hour and finally they came out to the car. We followed them so we could bring Juan home. Somehow, in the traffic, we lost them, so we went to where the friend lives and waited 15 minutes, but no one came, so we went home.
Polly and I were hungry, so we went for something to eat. While we were gone, Juan and his friend came to the house and saw that we had been there, but were gone now, so they left, too. When we came back, we knew Juan was there because he turned off the lights that Polly left lit.
Well, we waited for him to come back and finally Polly called the friends wife to see if they had come home there. Well, they hadn’t, so of course Polly was worried. Here Juan had taken his friend back to his mothers and left him asleep.
In the meantime, Juan called the man’s wife and told her where they were and she said you better call Polly, she is worried. So he called about 1:00 am and said he was taking him home and then he would be back. About 3:00 am he came home. Polly made him something to eat and I went to bed. Got up Monday morning at 8:00 o’clock am again. About 9:00 o’clock, after breakfast, Ellen, Polly’s friend, came over to go along to buy the rings, as Juan had waited until the last minute to buy them. Then he told Polly to buy something that would be good enough till later and he would buy her real good ones.
Juan left to go into Washington to get his mother and step-father, and we figured we had enough time to run to a Jewelry store for the rings before they were to be at the court house at 10:00 o’clock. We got back to the house about 10:30 and Juan called and said he was going to have another glass of beer. Polly said she knew how long it took for him to drink a glass of beer, so she and Ellen would go get a cake for the reception.
It was already too late to go to the courthouse for a morning wedding, so they had until 4:30 before the place for the blood closed.
At 12:00 o’clock a friend Julio called and said he was coming over for his car that Juan borrowed. Of course, Juan wasn’t even at Polly’s. At 12:15 Juan called to tell Polly he was ready and I had to tell him she wasn’t there because she went after a cake, but I would have her call as soon as she got home. At 12:30 he called again and said he was getting nervous. Well, Polly and Ellen came home a little after 12:30 so she called Juan and he told her where he would meet her.
Before we could leave, this Julio came and took up some time till we could get him to leave. Finally, we got started and had to go to Arlington, VA, to a friend of Juan’s so they could meet us to show Polly where the courthouse is. As it turned out, these friends live in an ally behind the courthouse. We waited about hour for Juan to come with his mother and step-father. All the time it was getting later and later.
Finally we got to the courthouse and they go fill out the application while Juan’s mother, step-father, sister, Ellen and I and other friends, ten in all, wait for them in the lobby. Then they have to go to a lab for their blood tests, which is across the street. When they come back, they say they have to wait one hour, so that would mean by 4:00 o’clock they could pick them up and at 4:30 they close.
Someone said they were getting hungry and everyone agreed to go get something to eat and one of Juan’s friends suggested a nice restaurant down the way. It ended up being two blocks away, and of course, it was raining off and on all the way. Well, we got there and had to wait for service. Almost everyone had a drink first. Some ordered soup and salad or sandwich and light lunch, because we were going to all go out and have a big family supper.
All this time it was getting later and later. I’m watching my watch, because no one else is worrying whether its late or not. Then Juan’s friend, Mario, orders another round of drinks, and his one friend hadn’t touched the second drink when it was 4:00 o’clock. I told Polly to get Juan and go pick up the blue card they needed from the lab, and we would stay there. Juan said he would go get them, Polly didn’t need to go along, and he left.
Everyone had to stay there because he hadn’t paid the bill yet, so they started to try to figure out who was going to pay the bill. Each one said they would and then before anyone got to pay it, Juan was back with the cards. So they settled up and went up to the courthouse and had to swear into everything and finally got the license.
Now it is 4:30. The man who was to marry them is a real estate man and notary and his name is Dr. Maiden. He is a man in his 70s, stooped over shoulder and as funny a man as you could find. Well, right before Juan was to put the ring on Polly’s finger the phone rang and it was a couple calling to make an appointment with him about getting married. Then the man forgot where he stopped at. Well, I tell you, it was the funniest wedding.
After the wedding, we all go back to Polly’s and Polly finds out Juan decided she is going to make the supper. It was to be steak, but he brought home roast. They still had to take me home after everything and it was pouring down rain. And it looked like it was going to be a long night. It was 6:00 o’clock till Polly got the roast even on, so Barb took me out to Falls Church where their new apartment is and wanted to show it to me. When we got back everyone was dancing and drinking while waiting for the supper to be finished.
Finally we ate and then had cake and toasted the bride and groom. Then Polly opened her gifts and we did the dishes and everyone finally left at 11:30 and then Polly and Juan brought me home. It was 2:30 till we got home. We all had a bite to eat and then Polly and Juan left to go home, and I went to bed.
The following version is by Polly Mazariegos on April 4, 1977, the actual wedding day.
Most of what my mother, Myra Riley wrote is correct. I will fill in the blanks.
Juan and I had been talking about getting married in June. When he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said, Let’s get married for my birthday. This required a lot of phone calls. First, I had to tell Mom to get ready for my wedding. She was so surprised. Juan called his best friends, Terry and Mario (can’t remember their last name) to be the best man and the maid of honor. The girl I wanted to be my maid of honor took all the wedding pictures. I told Ellen Vermillion I did not have anyone to take any pictures and this was more important than being my maid of honor.
What Mom (Myra Riley) did not know is Ellen and I had to go to a jewelers for wedding rings in a typical April rainy, down pour, day. We had to rush to get the rings and while exiting the car, the wind blew my hat off and it was floating down the road gutter. We sure must have looked funny chasing a hat in a long gown. We did get it and I put it back on my head. OK, that done we also had to pick up the wedding cake, which we had to take back to the apartment, in Alexandria, VA, for the actual wedding party with dancing and loud Spanish music. We danced a long time way into the night. Then I had to drive Mom back to PA and Juan had to take his parents back to DC. Finally, we were by ourselves.
U.S. Legacies June 2005
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