In honor of election week, we thought we’d share a few snippets from one of our favorite presidential love stories, the love story between Harry Truman and Bess Wallace. Harry fell in love with Bess the moment he saw her. They were in Sunday school; he was six, and she was five. In 1910, more than a decade later, he penned his first love letter to her, officially beginning their courtship and starting one of the greatest collections of love letters ever written. A year later, Bess turned down Harry’s first offer of marriage, but he didn’t give up. Bess was quite the athlete, and in an attempt to win her over, Harry built her a tennis court. Sadly, even that failed to impress her, much to Harry’s dismay, but he was persistent. The two were finally married after a nine-year courtship on a late June day in 1919. The ceremony was held at the Trinity Episcopal Church in their hometown of Independence. The church was decorated with pastel-hued garden flowers, including daises, pink hollyhock, and pale blue larkspur. The bride wore a white georgette gown and carried Aaron Ward roses.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
What a delightful reminder of times past, detailed down to the wedding bouquet. Clever title and story line…..enchanting.