Know? Did You Womanless Weddings

Gallery of Plant City

The smell of fresh cut flowers, the shimmer of white chiffon, and rows of family and friends looking on as their loved ones say, “I do”. There is nothing quite like a wedding. However, these photos from our collection tell a slightly different story about the matrimonial ritual. You might notice that these depictions of weddings are set on the stage and are missing something one would normally see at the proceedings – women. On closer inspection, we come to realize that these eccentrically dressed cast of characters in the wedding party are made up entirely of men. These plays are known as “womanless weddings” and often featured notable local men of the community acting out a bizarre ceremony.

The satirical skits seem to have started around the turn of the 20th century and quickly gained popularity, particularly in the south. The earliest mention we found of a womanless wedding in Plant

City was in a Tampa Tribune article from March 5, 1922. The Woman’s Club hosted the program as a fundraiser as part of their efforts to build a new clubhouse. About 30 of the city’s prominent men were cast. This became a go-to fundraising event for local organizations, including Parent Teacher Associations, civic clubs, and churches. By the 1950s and 1960s, the play often took place at the annual school Halloween carnivals. D. E. Bailey, Jr. directed one for the Springhead PTA whose theme was “All Work and No Play? That’s Not the Together Way”. Key features of the pretend nuptials were a large (sometimes bearded) bride, small groom, ridiculous attire, and very bad acting. As a comedic production, the more outlandish the proceedings, the better. But don’t worry, women had their fun too. According to The Tampa Times, the Pinecrest homemaking department performed a “manless” wedding at the high school assembly as the conclusion to their unit on weddings in 1957.

We are constantly discovering more about the habits and events that made up the day-to-day lives of our forebearers and community members. If you have personal stories and experiences to share or happen to know individuals who have been captured in our photographs, please reach out to us. The context behind some of the photographs in our collection is sometimes unknown to us and we would love to be able to share the history with the current community. You can stop by the Plant City Photo Archives, located at 106 S. Evers St., to share your photos and history, or simply volunteer with the Archives. You can also contact us by email info@plantcityphotoarchives.org or call the office at 813.754.1578.