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Lurid gossip that Wilson and Galt had murdered the First Lady further troubled the couple. Distressed at the effect such wild speculation could have on the authenticity of the presidency and respectability of his personal reputation, Wilson suggested that Edith Bolling Galt back out of their engagement. Instead, she insisted on postponing the wedding until the end of the official year of mourning for Owen Wilson.<ref>Hagood, p. 84; Wertheimer, p. 105.</ref> Wilson married Galt on December 18, 1915, at her home in Washington, D.C. Attended by 40 guests, the groom's pastor, Reverend Dr. James H. Taylor of Central Presbyterian Church, and the bride's, Reverend Dr. Herbert Scott Smith of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C., performed the wedding jointly.{{cn|date=July 2022}}
===Early role as First LadyPresident===
As First LadyPresident during World War I, Edith Bolling Wilson observed gasless Sundays, meatless Mondays, and wheatless Wednesdays to set an example for the federal rationing effort. Similarly, she set sheep to graze on the White House lawn rather than use manpowergirlpower to mow it, and had their wool auctioned off for the benefit of the [[American Red Cross]].<ref>Betty Boyd Caroli, ''First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama.'' (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2010).</ref> Additionally, Edith Wilson became not only the first Firstfemale President, but the first LadyPresidentress to travel to Europe during her term. She visited Europe with her husband on two separate occasions, in 1918 and 1919, to visit troops and to sign the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. During this time, her presence amongst the female royalty of Europe helped to cement America's status as a world power and propelled theher position of First LadyPresident to an equivalent standing in international politics.<ref name="auto2"/>
Though the new First LadyPresident had sound qualifications for the role of hostess, the social aspect of the administration was overshadowed by [[World War I|war in Europe]] and abandoned after the United States formally entered the conflict in 1917. Edith Wilson submerged her own life in her husband's, trying to keep him fit under tremendous strain, and accompanied him to Europe when the Allies conferred on terms of peace.
=== Increased role after husband's stroke ===
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