Brompton, Kensington, London, England, British Isles

On 21st February 1933 Charles Francis Sweeny (age 23) and Margaret Whigham (age 20) were married at the Brompton Oratory, Kensington.

Barbara "Baba" Beaton (age 21) and Bridget Poulet (age 21) were bridesmaids.

Hartford Courant:

Miss Margaret Whigham, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Hay Whifham of Ascot, England, was married in London Tuesday to Mr. Charles Sweeney, young American golfer, in Brompton Oratory. This famous Catholic church was thronged with fashionable guests. Outside another crowd, composed largely of women eager to see the brlde, was so large that forty policemen had great difficulty in maintaining traffic lines.

The bride arrived few minutes late. She wore a pearl white satin gown embroidered with pearls. The eighteen-foot train was edged with cloud-like layers or pearl-embroidered silk net. Her veil or tulle, fitted closely like a cap, was held with a narrow filet of pearl leaves interwoven with orange blossoms. She carried a bouquet or white lilies.

There were nine bridesmaids. All dressed in whitc with wreaths or red flowers. They were Lady Bridget Poulett and Miss Shelia Berry, Miss Jeanne Stourton, Miss Margaret Livingstone-Learmouth, Miss Baba Beaton, Miss Angela Brett, Miss Dawn Gold, Miss Molly Vaughan and Miss Pamela Nicholl. The ushers included the Earl of Birkenhead (age 25) and Mr. Randolph Churchill (age 21).

The bride was given by her father, who is connected with an American business firm. The best man was Mr. Robert Sweeney, brother of the bridegroom. Mrs. Whigham, who has a home at 55 Princeiss Gate, gave the wedding reception. The couple then departed for Paris. Later they will cruise in the West Indies.

Among the many wedding presents were a pair of gold cuff links for the bridegroom from the Prlnce of Wales, who last year selected Mr. Sweeney, then captain of the Oxford University golf team, as his partner in the Navy and Royal Marines golf tournament. Mr. Sweeney first played golf here as an American schoolboy in the boys amateur golf championship, which he was runner-up. His brother also attended Oxford and frequently was his golf partner.

The Times. 28th January 1937. The Duke Of Norfolk And Miss Strutt.

Princess Alice Countess of Athlone (age 53) and Major-General the Earl of Athlone (age 63), and Prince Arthur of Connaught (age 54) were present yesterday afternoon at the marriage at Brompton Oratory of the Duke of Norfolk, Premier Peer and Hereditary Earl Marshal of England, and the Hon. Lavinia Mary Strutt (age 20), only daughter of Lord Belper (age 53) and the Countess of Rosebery (age 44).

Princess Alice wore a mink coat over a dress of burgundy-red crepe, with a small red hat to match.

The Oratory was decorated with four large stands of flowers, placed at the chancel steps. They were in mixed shades of red and included amaryllis lilies, poinsettia, anthuriums, roses, carnations, and red leaves. While the guests were arriving the organist played Mendelssohn's Allegretto from the Fourth Sonata, Elgar's Allegro Maestoso from the First Sonata, and the prelude and fugue in E flat, and the organ choral "Mortify us by Thy Goodness" by J. S. Bach.

The bride arrived with her father, Lord Belper, and was loudly cheered by the crowd outside the Oratory, who broke through the police cordon. She walked up the nave to Handel's March from the Occasional Oratorio, and was met by Father Talbot and Father John Cuddon. Miss Strutt wore a classically simple dress of silver lame, cut on straight sheath lines with long tight sleeves and a high round roll collar. The skirt just touched the ground and was continued at the back to form a long square train. She wore a girdle of silver cord knotted in front. Her long veil of white tulle fell from a simple coronet of orange-blossom and green leaves, and she carried a sheaf of arum lilies. She was followed by six little pages-Robin Herbert, Timothy Hunloke, Bob McCreery, John Scrope, George Vivian-Smith, and Michael Watt; and by six bridesmaids-Lady Katharine (age 25) and Lady Winefride Howard (age 23) (sisters of the bridegroom), Lady Anne Bridgeman (age 23), the Hon. Pamela Digby (age 16), Miss Gillian Drummond, and Miss Nancy Malcolmnson. The bridegroom's (age 28) racing colours, pale blue and scarlet, were introduced into the dresses and suits of the attendants. The pages were in pale blue satin suits piped with scarlet, and the bridesmaids wore dresses of sky-blue corded crepe, with touches of scarlet at the waistline. They had high rounded necklines with long bell sleeves and their headdresses of red bavardia were massed in front. They carried bouquets of red flowers, including tulips, amaryllis lilies, carnations, and euphorbia. The bridegroom gave them brooches showing his and his bride's initials in rubies and diamonds. The Earl of Eldon (age 37) was best man.

The marriage service was very short and non-choral, as the bride is not a Roman Catholic. After they had plighted their troth Father Ronald Knox gave an address from the centre of the transept. The bride and bridegroom remained kneeling at the chancel steps, facing the altar. They then went in procession to the vestry, where the registrar, Mr. J. P. Bond, conducted the civil ceremony.

Afterwards the bride and bridegroom left for 38, Mayfair (the residence of the Earl of Rosebery (age 55)), where the Countess of Rosebery held a reception. The bride went away for the honeymoon in a dress of black and red shot silk taffeta, under a broadtail coat with a fur cap to match.

Among those present at the Oratory were:

The Earl and Countess of Rosebery.

The Duchess of Norfolk (age 60).

Lady Rachel Howard (age 32).

Lady Belper.

the Hon. Alexander (age 24) and the Hon. Michael Strutt (age 23), the Hon. Mrs. Parry-Evans. Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Vernon Malcolmsonson, Lord and Lady Aberdare, the Hon. Margaret Strutt, the Hon. Mrs. Frank Hormsby, etc.