The Free Wedding Dance

While perusing old Texas newspapers looking for information about dance halls, one comes across a lot of interesting, although sometimes extraneous information. One piece seen over and over in the newspapers in several the counties was the “free wedding dance.” Admittedly, I had heard of it before; but I really didn’t know much about the practice. It’s a practice that is hard to imagine happening in modern times.

But what exactly is a “free wedding dance”? Trying to find out a little more, I contacted county historical commissions for more information. I spoke with Caroline Zaskoda, an Austin County commission member, who had been to these dances as a child.

According to Ms. Zaskoda, people often did this to include others in their celebration not included in the wedding itself. Many of the churches in these communities were small, appropriately so, but people’s connections in their communities were far reaching. If both the bride and groom were from the community, the connections and ties would be doubled, making for one large party.

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