Thomas and Susan’s wedding — Photo essay

This is a photo essay of my parents’ wedding on 30th December 1953. My father, Don Thomas Jayasinghe, was an aspiring young man and a self-improver. He, at 27, married my mother, Mary Susan Jayawardane, who was 20 years old. Susan was the eldest daughter of a learned man and a retired school principal, renowned for his leadership and moral values in their village, some 15 kilometres from Colombo. The great combination of my parents changed a generation beyond them, and this is an essay to capture that beautiful event in 1953. I am their eldest son, I was fortunate to be brought up as a free thinker and a protagonist thanks to that union. This essay is crafted in gratitude and celebration of my awesome set of parents.

Wedding Photo closeup of Don Thomas Jayasinghe (27) and Mary Susan Jayawardane (20). Thomas hailed from Dalugama Kelaniya, while Susan hailed from Eldeniya Kadawatha in Sri Lanka.

The wedding ceremony was held at the Catholic Church, Eldeniya Kadawatha. Susan chose to walk to the church for the ceremony in her wedding saree. Villagers flocked to the road to see her. It was a simple way of exercising her happy day. It was rumoured that Susan was the prettiest girl in her village. The woman at the back of the photo is Juliet Saram, Thomas’s first cousin and my godmother-to-be.

A photo of the newly wedded couple at the entrance to the church. Father Vincent Depp celebrated the wedding mass.

The wedded couple at the church foyer. In the middle is Juliet Saram. On to Susan’s left is her eldest aunt from Batagama, Kandana. Her name was Hendalage Dona Angelia.

Thomas and Susan at the church grounds after the wedding service

Susan and Thomas getting into their car

The wedded couple leaving the church ground after the ceremony, in a British made Triumph Mayflower

A close up of the newly wedded couple existing the church grounds in their car.

Thomas’s best man, Francis Jayawardane and his first cousin Arthur De Saram at the church grounds

From left Arthur De Saram, Thomas’s first cousin, Francis Jayawardane, Thomas’s best man, Joseph Perera, my father’s best mate and the best man, Thomas and unnamed child. Location at the entrance of Susan’s ancestral church at Eldeniya, Kadawatha Sri Lanka. Joseph was to become Thomas’s firstborn, Denzil’s godfather.

Thomas and Susan’s wedding portrait, Taken at Donald’s Studio in Maradana, Colombo

Wedding Group Photo — From left Francis Jayawardane, Miss Cabral, Unidentified page boy, Thomas Jayasinghe, Susan Jayawardane, Joseph Perera, Rita Brigette Saram — flower girl and Mary Margaret, Susan’s first cousin

Thomas and Susan with Thomas’s first cousins. Juliet Saram and Arthur De Saram on either side.

Handwritten card and gift from Joseph Perera to Thomas and Susan — cover page of the card

Inside of the card handwritten by Joseph Perera. Joseph narrated how Thomas and Susan met each other. This handwritten card contained poems, advice, past stories, artwork, personally handcrafted by Joseph, Thomas’s best man, best friend and subsequent godfather to his firstborn’s. In this booklet, is a chapter titled ‘Pre Nuptial Secrets’ handwritten by him, which is quoted at the bottom of this story. At the end of this photo essay you will find an easy to read version of the above content.

Thomas and Susan on their honeymoon

Thomas and Susan arriving at Thomas’s homecoming at 68, Kandy Road, Dalugama Kelaniya

Thomas was kissed by his mother, Barbara Saram on his homecoming day as he entered his ancestral home at 68, Kandy Road, Dalugama Kelaniya

Weddings were announced in the local newspapers back in the day. This is a press cutting dated 24th January 1954 announcing Thomas Jayasinghe of Kotte Urban Council marrying Mary Susan Jayawardane of Eldeniya Kadawatha. Announcing the groom’s position and place of work was an important part of the announcement back in the day in 1950s.

Thomas and Susan in their front garden, a few days after their marriage

Content from Joseph Perera’s card is reproduced with its original text.

One fine evening two lads were ascending a hill on their bicycles. The road they were travelling along lay through a hamlet a few miles off historical Kelaniya. The lads were going on their Sunday excursion. In the morning, they met each other at the church after the mass. Immediately after the mass was over, they came out and took their place near the side entrance to the church. There they used to discuss the ‘Sunday Programme’ as they called it. Simultaneously they watched the moving crowd, which is no novelty at a church, especially on a Sunday. The excursion, too, was arranged at the church on that particular Sunday.

Now the time was about half-past four. At this time, they were going along a branch road. One asked the other, ‘Which way shall we go?’, for they were nearing a junction. The other replied, ‘This way. This question was repeated invariably every time a junction was ahead. One outstanding feature in the area they had reached by this time was that all around, there were very small hillocks. The roads, as a result, were far from satisfactory. The houses were very few. By about five o’clock, they stopped their bicycles by the roadside near a house that faces a huge granite rock. A man was standing in the verandah with a cigar in his mouth, shouting ‘Hello, Mr so and so’ when he saw the lads, ‘Come in, Come in’. They then ascended the steps and parked the bicycles in the compound.

Subsequently, they conducted themselves to the verandah towards the man who was eagerly looking at them. They took their seats facing the road while the man sat facing them. The man who was residing in the house was said to be one whose occupation was connected with the army. That afternoon the lads spent about two hours chatting with him, who was not very bad in the art of talking. Finally, a talk began concerning the lad who was the senior. ‘Yes,’ the man said, ‘she is the most beautiful girl in the locality. The engagement was announced shortly afterwards, and the marriage took place today.

The man the above story refers to was Don Caithan Martin, aka Mabima Seeya. Don Caithan was my mother’s maternal uncle. The two lads were my father, Thomas and his best friend, Joseph. The senior lad, as described, was Thomas, for Joseph was younger. The house referred to was Mabima Seeya’s home which is still standing. Both lads had cycled to Mabima on that day on a Sunday excursion.

The beautiful girl described was my mother. Mabima Seeya then arranged the marriage proposal of Thomas to my grandfather, Lewis, as was the custom. It was the tradition then among young men to approach the father of the woman with a partner proposal.

A chance encounter coupled with adult matchmaking allowed my father to meet my mother. I am a fortunate son.

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