According to superstition, it’s unlucky if the bride and groom see each other on their wedding day, prior to the ceremony. With this in mind, Ralph pulled up in front of the Mesa Arizona Temple(1) and tried to stay in his car and out of the potential site of Ella and her parents, who were walking to the temple from their house. His plan worked! It was March 5, 1953. After 9 months of nurturing a long-distance relationship (Ralph in Wilmington, CA, and Ella in Mesa, AZ), the big day had finally arrived for them to be married.
They were married at the temple that was literally a couple of blocks from their homes. And this was also the same temple where Ella’s parents (George and Kate Findlay), Ralph’s mother and stepfather (Juanita and Lester Johnson), and Ralph’s maternal grandparents (Bertha and Earl Inglish) were sealed, all of whom were in attendance at the ceremony. Three generations had been sealed there. Also present at Ralph and Ella’s wedding were Ella’s sister Ina, and Ralph’s best man, Lee Johnson.
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| The Bride and Groom with Their Parents |
Kneeling at the altar of the temple, their hands clasped, the officiator said, “Do you, Ralph Eugene Mitchell take Isabella Bruce Findlay…” “Who???” Ralph thought? Ella gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Despite having dated her for two years, Ralph had only ever known her as Ella! Who was Isabella Bruce? :)
Ralph’s cousins who was in the floral business) were pink rosebuds and white gardenias; the rosebuds because Ella was fond of them, and the gardenias for their fragrance their color symbolizing purity.
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| Polaroid Land Camera from 1953. (Image Source) |
After the wedding, they took pictures on the grounds with the latest in photography technology at the time: Ella’s father had just bought a Polaroid Land camera, and he was taking snapshots and developing them right on the spot.
That evening was their reception, held in the cultural hall of the (at the time) Mesa 5th Ward chapel, on LeSueur street. This chapel was across the street from Ralph’s grandmother’s house (Bertha Inglish) and was the chapel that Ralph and Ella both went to while they were in high school.
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| Mesa 5th Ward Chapel. |
Something unique about their reception was that it was a full evening affair with a complete program of singing, speakers, jokes, and tributes.(2) (It seems ironic, now, that it didn’t feature kilts, tartans, or bagpipes, but they hadn’t considered it at the time.) John Freestone, the former missionary who was influential in the conversion of Ella’s parents in Scotland 20 years earlier and their sponsor when they emigrated, was the emcee of the reception. Ralph’s scoutmaster was one of the speakers, and the sister of Ella’s dear friend Faye sang their favorite song, “No Other Love” by Jo Stafford. That’s still their song today!
The reception also featured the familiar tradition of cutting the cake together and feeding eachother the first slice. Their cake was a fruit cake, a typical flavor of wedding cakes in Scotland and was made by a friend of theirs whose husband served a mission in Scotland. They saved a slice of cake, stowing it away in the tiny ice-cube freezer of their first apartment’s small refrigerator and eating it on their first anniversary.
As the evening reception wrapped up, they headed out to their car to find that friends decorated it with white shoe polish and put rocks in the hubcaps so they’d “clang-clang” as they drove away. Also amusing: Ralph recalls: “I remember, we got ready to go, and my cousin … wanted a ride someplace. He climbed in the back seat (the bride was still in her wedding dress even!) and asked us to drop him off.“
Where to for the honeymoon? Ralph didn’t have much time off from work, nor did they have much money, so the honeymoon mostly consisted of the drive back to Wilmington, CA, with a couple of stops in between, including San Diego and San Juan Capistrano. They brought some of their gifts in their car, and Ralph’s parents brought the others back with them when they drove back.
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| (Image Source) |
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This past March, Ralph and Ella celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. Sixty-two years of marriage! What advice do they have for the younger generations for how to have a strong marriage?
“If I could talk to the guys, I would say that the best way to end an argument is to say, ‘You’re right dear!’” [Chuckles, and Ella says in the background, “Hahaha...oh my gosh!”]
“It’s a give and take thing. Nobody’s right all the time, nobody’s wrong all the time, but you’re together all the time. We’ve just enjoyed being together, sharing the same things. ”
“Don’t let an ego get in the way, or pride or anything like that, but be ready to accept each other the way that you are.”
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Notes:
Ralph was driving his blue Pontiac Coup, rust removed, repainted, reupholstered, and ready for a getaway. Ella could hardly recognize it!
1939 Pontiac Coupe (Image Source) - Their seminary principal, Max Cox, recorded their entire wedding reception program (audio). Ralph thinks they still have it!
Sources:
- Mostly from a phone conversation with Ralph and Ella on 22 March 2015, but also from a video filmed on 9 February 2014 and a phone conversation on 13 January 2015.
Would love to add:
- Photos taken on the grounds and from the reception.
