How to Dress for a Medieval or Renaissance Wedding

The costumes chosen for a medieval or Renaissance wedding are perhaps the most important elements in helping to create a period atmosphere.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Parchment Papers
• Wedding Invitations
• Renaissance Outfits
• Bridal Bouquets
• Candleholders
• Fabrics
• Pillar Candles
• Taper Candles
• Wax Seals
• Wooden Candleholders
• Poesy Rings
• Renaissance Music
• Parchment Envelopes
• Computer Fonts Software

1. Choose costumes for the wedding party based on a favorite time period and/or culture. Look through medieval and Renaissance costume books for ideas. Search the Internet under "medieval costume" and "Renaissance costume" as well. Even period movies can serve as inspiration for your choices.

2. Search through books pertaining to the history and art of particular cultures. Though you might not find a book on the clothing of 15th-century Spain, you'll find pictures of costumes from that era in books about Spanish history and Spanish painters.

3. Find a local seamstress who has experience in sewing period costumes. The process of fitting and refitting the wedding attire will be made much easier if the seamstress is local to the members of the wedding party. Make arrangements for costumes 8 to 12 months in advance of the wedding date.

4. Sew the wedding costumes yourself if you have sewing experience. Find patterns on the Internet, in period costume books or in the pattern section of fabric stores. Some of the major pattern companies have begun producing a wide range of beautiful and accurate medieval and Renaissance costume patterns.

5. Choose fabrics such as heavy brocades and velvets in rich, jewel-toned colors for the wedding costumes. Medieval couples wore their best clothing for their weddings. White did not become the traditional color for bridal gowns until the Victorian era.

6. Consider period headwear instead of a modern veil. Do the research yourself or ask your seamstress about appropriate headwear. Medieval brides also either wore their hair loose with no head covering or wore a circlet of flowers.

7. Choose to rent costumes instead of having costumes made. This is a great option for those who do not want to keep their costumes after the wedding or are on a tight budget. Look in the yellow pages under "costume rental" for local rental information.

8. Explore the Medieval and Renaissance Wedding Ring and the League of Renaissance Merchants Web Ring. These Web rings will lead you to hundreds of commercial and personal Web sites that pertain to medieval and Renaissance weddings, music, costumes, accessories and more.

9. Invite guests to wear medieval or Renaissance costumes to the wedding. Provide them with retail, rental and pattern information. You can include this information with the wedding invitations.

Tips & Warnings

• Feel free to mix historical periods when it comes to planning costumes. An Elizabethan bride may have a 10th-century Viking groom. Choose to coordinate colors instead of periods.

• Ask prospective seamstresses for references and ask to see photos of previous work. If forced to choose a long-distance seamstress, be especially vigilant about checking references before sending any deposits.

• Work closely with the seamstress. If you have ideas for your costume, even if they are not historically accurate, tell him or her. Make sure that your ideas are given proper consideration.

• Order an "Alter Years" catalog for one of the most comprehensive listings of period costume books and patterns. You can order one from the Alter Years Web site, at www.alteryears.com.

• See "Make a Child's Easter Bonnet," under Related eHows, for instructions on constructing a floral circlet.