The Hope Evangelical church of Chadwick was the scene of a pretty wedding Saturday afternoon when Miss Anita Jane Rahn, only child of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar H. Rahn, became the bride of Carroll Edward Brauer, quartermaster, first class, of the United States Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brauer of Baltimore, Md. The single ring ceremony was performed at 3 o’clock by the Rev. T. R. Moritz, pastor of the Evangelical church. The background at the altar was three large candelabra, each lighted with seven long white tapers and the altar was banked with green pines and large baskets of white pompon chrysanthemums and stevias. White ribbon bows set off the seats reserved for relatives. Preceding the ceremony was a program of nuptial music played by Mrs. Lottie Rahn, an aunt of the bride, and Miss Rosemary Nangle of Paw Paw, a former college classmate, sang “Oh promise Me,” “For You,” and “Because.” At the sound of the strains of the “Bridal Chorus” from “Lohengrin” by Wagner, the bridal party, preceded by two little flower girls, Lynette Spealman and Elizabeth Mary Quest, and the ring bearer, Kenneth Rahn, approached the altar.

The attractive young bride wore a two-piece white virgin wool street length dress trimmed with gold sequins and a white feather hat with a shoulder length veil. She carried a bouquet of three lavender hybrid orchids. Her only jewelry was a pendant set with diamonds. Her attendants, Miss Beatrice Horst of Bloomington, and Miss Maida Spencer of Chadwick, both girl friends of the bride, wore suits; one a pastel rose and the other a pastel blue, small black velvet hats with shoulder length veils, and shoulder corsages of pompon chrysanthemums in colors harmonizing with the pastel shades. The flower girls were dressed in blue and white, with matching sweet peas in their hair and carrying baskets of white pompon chrysanthemums. The bride’s mother wore an Alice blue dress trimmed with colored sequins and black accessories. Anita walked down the aisle on the arm of her father and standing at the altar with the bridegroom were Rev. Hilka Green of Garrett Bible Institute, Evanston, Ill., and William Zugschwerdt of Chadwick. The recessional was Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” Robert Spealman, Kenneth Senneff, Delmar Lang, Reynold Bloyer and Clifton Spencer ushered. The bride was graduated from the Chadwick Community high school; was a member of the Glee club and high school band and entered a number of state contests with her clarinet and was prominent in all school activities. She attended Illinois Wesleyan university at Bloomington, from which she received her master’s degree in music in 1942 and was a member of the Delta Omicron national music sorority. She has been instructor in music for the past two years in the high school at Ridge Farm, Ill. Qm. Brauer has been with the U. S. navy for six years.

A reception of 190 guests was held in the church parlors and the decorations were carried out in blue and white. The long reception tables carried out a navy motif with a lighted lighthouse at one end and a white ship with sails at the other end and a three-tiered bride’s cake as the centerpiece and all placed on blue crepe paper to represent water. For the receiving line was an archway decorated with white bells and blue lights. Mrs. H. E. Zugschwerdt, Mrs. Kathryn Rahn, and Mrs. Charles Woy, served. Mrs. Hazel Brand of Rockford, an aunt of the bride, and Mrs. H. B. Senneff, poured. The guest book was in charge of Mrs. Kenneth Senneff. Here from away for the wedding were: Mrs. William Traum, Miss Ann Dial, and Mrs. Hazel Brand of Rockford; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Livengood and Mrs. Ray Polhill of Milledgeville; Miss Anna Towert, Mrs. Clarence VanBuskirk and Miss Kate Rahn of Mt. Carroll; Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Senneff and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Schreiner of Sterling; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lego, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds Bloyer, Mr. and Mrs. George Hammond and daughter Jean of Lanark; Rev. and Mrs. S. G. Eberly, Mrs. C. Roland Clothier and Mildred, Patricia and Donald Clothier of Polo; Mr. and Mrs. Howard Gillispis and Mrs. Mary Diehl of Savanna; Mrs. W. E. Price of Industry. Mr. and Mrs. Bauer left the evening for Farm Ridge where Mrs. Bauer will resume her teaching. The bridegroom reports for duty Tuesday morning in New York city.

Contributed by Larry Reynolds - The Sterling Daily Gazette, December 6, 1943, page 9, column 1