How to Create a Medieval Wedding Theme

It's your wedding day. Ever wanted to wear sweeping, gorgeous medieval garments? Get married in a castle? Become a princess and prince for a day? Have feast that will be remembered for years to come? Go medieval! A medieval wedding theme can be memorable and fun. These quick steps will put you on the path to the court of King Arthur while keeping your budget from becoming a royal pain.

Things You'll Need

• Period clothing Blue ribbon Flowers Coins Wooden plates Mulled wine wedding cup

Instructions

Your Medieval Wedding

1. Don't wear white. In medieval times, blue was considered the color of purity, not white--that tradition started in Victorian times. To be true to the era, wear a blue dress, or, like royal couples, tie a blue ribbon tied around your wrist and the wrist of your betrothed.
   Likewise, the modern veil was not in vogue until the Crusades, and medieval brides would often wear period headwear or weave flowers into their hair. Look through medieval costume books for ideas, go to medieval faires and ask for advice from clothiers, or, if you're sold on a traditional wedding dress, ask for drop waists and "princess lines" at bridal shops.

2. Men in the Middle Ages would wear their finest clothing. Men particularly loved fur, belts, and embroidery with gold and silver thread. They wore breeches, tunics, stockings and cloaks. Groomsmen did not necessarily have to match the groom. For ideas, look through costume books or consult medieval clothiers on the Internet.

3. Pick an appropriate backdrop. While many medieval weddings took place in opulent Gothic churches, the church was not necessarily the location of every wedding in the Middle Ages, and royal weddings in particular would often take place in castle halls or courtyards. Peasant weddings took place in village squares, outside houses, and in forests. Choose a hall or church that looks like a castle or a place that has Gothic or Renaissance stylings; a formal garden would also suit, if one is available.
   Don't forget to add flowers everywhere -- with the advance of the Crusades, flowers became an important decoration and symbol in a medieval wedding.

4. Many wedding customs we consider involiable today emerged in the Middle Ages.
   Your guests should throw rice or grains as you exit the church or wedding hall, as many peasant families did to ensure prosperity; during the feast, drink with your new spouse from a single cup of mulled wine, called the "wedding cup"; also, instead of a bouquet, throw the bride's left stocking or give the bride's gloves to a friend, as any part of the bride's clothing was considered lucky.
   For a period favor idea, have the bride step on a number of coins and then give them to guests; any money that came below the bride's shoe was considered lucky.
   Hire a band that includes period instruments, such as viols, lutes, recorders, harps and shawms, and have your guests dance to voltes, rondeaus, and other period dances. Look around your area for someone that teaches "English country dance," and hire them to teach your guests a few quick dances.

5. Serve traditional medieval foods like turkey, venison, lamb, and quail on simple wooden plates -- not glass, porcelain or china, unless you're having a particularly "royal" wedding. Make sure you have a lot of food -- wedding feasts were important in medieval times no matter what your social class, and guests expected to leave stuffed. On the menu at a medieval feast would have been fruits, nuts, bread, custards, and cheese.
   For historically-accurate drinks, serve beer, ale, wine, mead and milk; stay away from liquor.

Tips & Warnings

• The Internet can be a fabulous resource; many Renaissance clothiers have presences here, and they can help you pick period-appropriate clothing.

• Make sure you know the symbolism behind the veil. During the Middle Ages, the veil was meant to shield the bride from "the evil eye" -- and from the eyes of her prospective groom, whom she may have never met. Women were often considered to be property in the Middle Ages. Fathers escorting their daughters down the aisle signified a transfer of power over the woman from the father to the new husband; many modern women are uncomfortable with this tradition, and choose to walk with both parents or alone.