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from www.theknot.com
If you have a passion for the medieval or renaissance period, why not make your wedding a grand historical production? From the clothes to the food, take your guests back in time. Here are some wonderful ways to proclaim your predilection for the Middle Ages.
What we're calling the "Medieval Era" is huge, stretching from 450 to 1600 A.D. The period includes:
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The borderline ancient/medieval period (mid- to late 400s A.D.), when Attila the Hun ruled.
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The early medieval period (500 to 1050 A.D.), when knights sat at the round table, Prince Valiant was valiant, and Excalibur was lodged in that big stone.
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The Middle Ages (1050 to 1450 A.D.), when the Crusades were in progress, William Wallace (aka Mel Gibson in Braveheart) was taking back Scotland, and Robin Hood was taking from the rich to give to the poor.
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The Renaissance (1450 to 1600 A.D.), when Columbus sailed to the New World and Henry VIII reigned in England.
Look for stone buildings in rural areas. Find out about historic homes in your area, especially those with a Tudor, English-cottage, or castle look (local historical societies can help). Search for castle, keep, or gatehouse replicas near you (there aren't many real castles in the U.S. but there are some! To find them, check out the PBS video, America's Castles). Outdoor settings are perfect for a spring or summer wedding. If you have the space, raise a big white tent adorned with banners and garlands. Rent the special-events pavilion at a renaissance faire or medieval joust for your ceremony and reception -- you can find these re-enactments nationwide. Have the ceremony at a Gothic-style church -- big stones and pointy arches, with a foreboding yet romantic look (ala Billy Idol's "White Wedding" video) -- and hold the reception at a nearby hall. Rent a manor house decorated with tapestries, wooden beams, and candles.
Medieval attire is the most visible way to tout your theme -- your pictures will be unforgettable! Browse historical costume books at the library. Try Margot Lister's Costume: An Illustrated Survey from... (Plays Inc., 1968) or What People Wore: 1,800 Illustrations... (Dover Publications, 1994). Period costume catalogs are also available: The Amazon Drygoods (800) 798-7979, Ravensmoon Replicas, and Museum Replicas Ltd. (800) 883-8838 will all be useful.
Basic medieval attire can consist of:
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Royalty: the era's most over-the-top, formal clothes
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Merchant: pretty but not showy, indicating modest prosperity
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Peasant: casual, carefree, outdoorsy, and largely unembellished
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Classic medieval: women in long, slim-fitting gowns; men in tights and tunics
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Classic renaissance: women in tight bodices and full skirts; men in tights, breeches, pirate shirts, and lace vests
Remember that simple styles will be most comfortable -- some formal medieval clothes are heavy and confining. You two might want to be completely decked out, with simpler clothes for the wedding party. Where to find the clothes? Order them from catalogs, have them custom-made, or rent them from local costume shops.
Print invitations on heavy parchment in calligraphic type (or real calligraphy). Theme-appropriate motifs include simple flowers, fancy scrolls, heraldic symbols, and metallic embossing. Rich jewel-tone colors look very medieval, especially when combined with gold or silver -- think of illuminated texts. Look for parchment stock at a local printer-supply company and add a period border from a clip art book. A local printer can set text in a calligraphic style and print the invitations; you can color the border to suit your tastes. Fold each invitation in thirds and tie with a satin ribbon. Browse mail-order catalogs such as the American Wedding Album, Camelot, Ann's, Rexcraft, and Dawn for invitations depicting castles.
The Medieval Wedding Guide by Vanessa Hand suggests this wording for invitations and announcements:
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
The honour of thy presence
is hereby requested
at the marriage of
[bride's name]
and
[groom's name]
on [day and date]
in a medieval wedding ceremony
at half-past the seventh hour
in the eventide.
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
Let it be known that on the 11th day of June
in the year of our Lord two thousand and one
the house of [bride's last name] pledged its firstborn daughter
[name]
to the house of [groom's last name] in marriage to the firstborn son
[name]
at
[name of church]
City, State
In olden days, letters were sealed with wax, often with a family seal imprinted on it. Today, the post office frowns on sealing outer envelopes with wax. When they get run through the stamping machine -- which is hot -- the wax melts. Save the wax for inside envelopes or reception favors.
Tie the knot with this meaningful touch from The Medieval Wedding Guide: Medieval brides believed knots symbolized good luck, hope, and steadfastness, so they tied their bouquets with numerous knots. During your vows, you might want to symbolize this tradition: Ask your officiant or an honored friend to bind your hands together with ribbon.
Medieval wedding guests feasted on mutton (sheep), roast peacock (served with tail feathers!), quail, pheasant, squab, venison, boar, eels, bread, eggs, and cheese. Fowl was very popular in the fifteenth century. Spices like cinnamon, cloves, mace, saffron, and especially pepper were savored. Feasters also enjoyed ginger, anise, and nutmeg, along with many common (and uncommon) herbs such as parsley, basil, galingale, rosemary (mentioned in Shakespeare's Hamlet), and thyme. Braised lettuces, leeks, shallots, parsnips, turnips, apples, and plums were a standard part of the menu. If historic accuracy is your goal, avoid squash, pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, and chocolate (well, maybe you can cheat a little). These are New World foods that European medievals would never have recognized. Medieval party animals drank mead, a thick, fermented beverage made of honey, malt, and yeast. Also called honey wine, mead can still be found in a few specialty liquor stores but most of what's labeled as mead is really grape or other fruit wine with honey in it. (The medieval types weren't yet into champagne, though wine was fine as a mead substitute!). Borrow or rent brass, silver, pewter, or wooden place settings. Pewter goblets are a great touch -- at the very least, get a pair for yourselves so you can toast each other in style!
According to the Medieval Wedding Guide, old-time weddings were often adorned with dried flowers. The bouquet, usually given to the bride by her mother, had great significance. For example, wheat was included to wish the bride fertility in family matters and with crops. If you want to include a meaningful medieval custom, select bouquet (or boutonniere or centerpiece) flowers that are native to the bride's and groom's hometown(s), plus a flower from their future locale. Medieval peasants did this to symbolize the couple's union in lieu of expensive rings. The ancients used herbs in bouquets to deter evil spirits (they especially liked garlic, which we don't recommend!). If a bride carried sage (the herb of wisdom), she became wise. Rosemary represented remembrance. In Tudor England, brides carried marigolds dipped in rosewater and ate them afterward as they were thought to be aphrodisiacs! Centuries later, flowers replaced herbs and took on meanings.
Knot Note: Check out Victorian Weddings to learn about the meaning of flowers.
In the world of chivalry, a lady often gave her lover a favor -- a scarf or handkerchief -- before he went into a battle or joust. At renaissance faires, you can buy small pendants, ribbons, rosettes, tassels, or other wearable trinkets, which were often used as favors by nobility. Additional ideas:
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Parchment scrolls printed with a favorite poem and tied with velvet ribbon
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Miniature wreaths of dried flowers and herbs
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Quill pens with a clever note attached
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Velvet pouches filled with potpourri
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Small flasks of mead or fruit wine
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Tickets to a local renaissance faire (you might get a group rate)
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Little brass bells tied with ribbons imprinted with your names. People can ring them to get you to kiss, instead of clanging their glasses
Resources:
The Medieval Wedding Guide by Vanessa Hand
(email House Drakstonne to purchase a copy of this planning resource, full of great tips and additional contacts)
The Society for Creative Anachronism (800) 789-7486, a medieval recreation group that holds medieval and renaissance faires around the county, will send you tons of information and put you in touch with a local chapter.
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