Ideas for a medieval wedding theme

Whether you’re a fantasy fan or a Middle Ages history buff, a medieval wedding theme offers a fun way to bring a special-to-you unique touch to your wedding. Of course, you’ll have to put aside the fact that most marriages in the middle ages were arranged and just use traditions linked to customs that work for today. The good news is there are plenty of them.

Medieval wedding traditions still practiced today

Medieval wedding traditions still practiced today include wedding vows (much of the same wording is still utilized today), the bride still stands on the left and groom on the right (a tradition tied to the history of the best man), the ring exchange and the fact that the ring is still placed on the fourth finger of the left hand – all these are basically the same as during the Middle Ages. And then there is the large feast and a time for music and dancing following the wedding ceremony.

This foundation of rituals gives brides and grooms plenty to work with, and if you’re a creative couple, the following medieval wedding practices can provide the artistic fodder needed to make your day original and special. Think medieval wedding decorations, a venue such as a castle wedding, dressing in period clothing, and coming up with a medieval menu for your feast.

Peasant weddings were often held in a barn or outdoors.

Medieval marriage facts

The first question to ask yourself is: Do you want a peasant marriage from the middle ages or something more like the marriage of a noble or even a royal? Here's what you need to know:

• Peasant marriage in the middle ages: Peasant women had the most freedom when it came to marriage because those of the lower class were free to marry for love though many took place more because of need. You see, because they were poor, peasants were often needed to help with family work. As a result, they often married later and the ceremony was simple and they held their feast in a barn or outdoors.
• Medieval royal wedding traditions: While royal weddings in the Middle Ages were filled with pomp they were most often political in nature and never amounted to more than that for the bride and groom.
• Noble marriage in the middle ages: Nobel marriages were for the most part more of a contract than a celebration as we think of a wedding today. Husbands and wife were often promised at birth and didn’t even know each other. Weddings could take place once the girl reached puberty and it was common for nobility to hold a wedding ball.

Medieval wedding decorations

In Medieval times, tapestries decorated the walls. A raised table would be located at one end of the hall to seat the lord and his family plus any distinguished guests. On the main floor, two tables seated the rest of the guests who were seated on stools on only one side of the table so they could see the lord. 

 

The medieval wedding feast

The medieval wedding feast included family and friends. The menu offered things like fruit, soup or stew, roasts, tarts and other pastries including pies. The meal often ended with cracker-like wafers, cheese, and candied fruits. The couple drank wine and were entertained with love songs and poems performed by minstrels. (Picture a DJ dressed as a minstrel.) The medieval wedding cake was nothing like what we have today, so if you want to do something medieval, you’d serve an unsweetened loaf of bread. And you might even crumble it over the head of the bride and let guests gather up crumbs for good luck. Here are a few other historical facts that could make things memorable:

• Forks hadn’t been invented yet, so no forks and guests were required to bring their own spoon and knife and stoup to drink from. These drinking vessels were commonly crafted of wood or clay.
• 3-7 courses would be served but back then each course could include a mix of appetizers, main courses or desserts.
• Guests were numbered in groups (called a “mess”) of 2-6 people who would “share” the food set before them.
• Between courses as the tables were cleared, guests were provided with entertainment. Think jugglers, musicians, court jester.

Medieval Celebrations: How to Plan Holidays, Weddings, and Feasts with Recipes, Customs and Costumes

Medieval wedding game

For fun, instead of clinking glasses, in medieval times guests stacked buns as high as they could in front of the newlyweds. Back then, the belief was that this brought prosperity IF the bride and groom could kiss each other while standing on opposite sides of the stack.

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

Thanks for reading!

Photo credits: wikimedia, Wikimedia, wikimedia

Guess what ancient Viking brides focused on instead of the dress

In the West, many brides-to-be go on the hunt for the perfect wedding dress for their big day and spare no expense, but this wasn’t the case for ancient Viking brides. When it came to Viking wedding clothes, the focus wasn’t on the wedding gown but on the bride’s hair and the bridal headpiece – a wedding crown.

Viking bridal hairstyles

 

In the Viking culture, women wore long hair. In fact, the longer the hair the better because it represented their sexual appeal. Blonde hair was the most valued and brunette women often chose to bleach their hair using soap which contained lye to give them red or golden blond hair. Before marriage, women wore their hair loose and long or sometimes braided in two braids hanging past their ears and so bridal hairstyles for Viking brides were basic and very simple.

 

Long hair symbolized the bride's sexual appeal -- the longer the better.

 

Viking bridal crown

Before marriage, a medieval Scandinavian woman wore a kransen, a gilt circlet, as a symbol of their virginity. This kransen was removed (but kept for the bride’s future daughter) in preparation for the wedding along with all her clothing and anything that represented she was single as she prepared to enter her life together with her husband.

During the wedding ceremony, a bridal crown replaced the kransen. This Viking bridal crown was most often an heirloom and commonly crafted of silver. The novelist Sigrid Unset, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, described a Viking wedding crown in her trilogy, Kristin Lavransdatter, as a headpiece crafted of silver with points culminating in crosses and clover leaves by turns. It was decorated with rock-crystal and festooned with red and green silk cords.

Bridal Wedding Crown and Tiara with Crystals

 

Wedding crowns today

Today, some brides still choose to wear a wedding crown in this tradition with something as simple as woven straw decorated with flowers, or for something more elaborate a full crown or bridal tiara can be purchased for a reasonable price through a bridal store. These crowns can be worn in tandem with a veil or by themselves.

* * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

Thank you for reading.

Photo Credits: Wikimedia, Wikimedia