07/09/2026
Come see where The Wedding of the Century took place!
Have your special day with us, where the history is written in the walls.
๐๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐
July 3, 2026 - ๐ป๐๐๐'๐ ๐ช๐๐๐!
๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท
๐ผ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ... (Jan. 27, 1922)
"๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐"
Fritz Salmen was the founder and owner of Salmen Brothers Industries in Slidell. Salmen Brothers was one of the largest businesses in the South at the time. Salmen Brothers consisted of brickyards, brickworks, several lumber mills and lumberyards across the southern states and in foreign countries. They also operated their own railroad company, and their own shipbuilding facility in Slidell. The Salmenโs were building their own ships to send around the world to bring back resources and materials for their Slidell facilities.
๐๐ง ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฒ, ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐, ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐.๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง. The wedding was a national media event and reported around the country as โThe Wedding of the Century.โ Around 5,000 guests attended the wedding ceremony and reception.
For the grand event, renovations to the home [the historic Salmen-Fritchie House] incorporated the first three indoor bathrooms with running water in the home. Private trains arrived carrying the robber-barons and millionaires of the day. Trains arrived from the US Capital bringing dignitaries and politicians. Railroad companies added extra trains to and from Slidell that day, to handle the large numbers of wedding guests arriving from around the country. The groom, Col. Sullivan, paid the transportation expenses for many of the guests.
There were three ministers that officiated the ceremony. The wedding cake stood more than four feet tall, topped by exquisite French dolls of the bride and groom. Bands from New Orleans played for the crowd, while leading chefs prepared tons of food served on long banquet tables under a one-acre tent (think circus tent). One train, chartered from New Orleans, arrived carrying 140 waiters just to serve the guests.
The Mayor of New Orleans and the Asst. Secretary of the Navy could be seen rubbing elbows with laborers from the Salmen Brick & Lumber Company, and millhands from the Great Southern Lumber Company. Both branches of the Goodyear family were represented. So many guests participated that the ceremony was performed twice. First, a dress rehearsal for all the cameramen and movie photographers, then another ceremony with all the cameras moved out of the way.
The wedding presents filled a railroad boxcar. Other gifts included a grand baby piano and a luxury limousine. Fritz Salmen commented, โ๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ก ๐ข๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐คโ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.โ
Later, a small private wedding supper (for a mere handful of a couple-hundred close friends) was held at the Grunewald Hotel in New Orleans. The popular cabaret called "The Cave,โ was taken over at the expense of the groom for the wedding finale. A floor show from New York provided entertainment as the guests wined, dined, and danced.
On Saturday, the bride and groom were shown movies of the wedding before departing in a private railroad car, put at their disposal by Congar Goodyear, president of the Southern Lumber Company. Soon after the wedding, movie theaters across the country presented the film to public audiences.
Colonel William Sullivan, known for his showmanship, with his finesse at its best, had staged perhaps his greatest show.
[สส Gสแดษขแดสส Sแดแดแดแด, Sสษชแด
แดสส Mแดsแดแดแด, Jแดษด. 2026]
