Subject: Tom Thumb Wedding

Mock weddings such as this one at Embry A.M.E. Church, circa 1949, were popular dramatizations and fundraisers for churches. The church’s youth played the parts of bride, groom, minister, and wedding party. Embry maintained an active Sunday School, providing a Christian foundation and a social outlet for many children in the community. Embry also was active in the A.M.E. Church’s Potomac District Sunday School Council.

Lakeland schools supplemented academic activities with variety shows that helped children develop performance skills and confidence in public speaking. In 1953, students at Lakeland Elementary School performed a Tom Thumb wedding, inspired by the song “The Wedding of the Painted Doll,” from the 1929 film The Broadway Melody. The school’s presentation included Lakeland boys and girls, as well as those who attended the school from other communities along U.S. Route 1.