Medieval wedding ideas
It's interesting:"Just as the happy couple wanted, this is a lovely, small, intimate gathering of close friends and family – so could someone please tell me why I’m here. Oh, that’s right, to make a speech, so here goes …"
The medieval period lasted from 1066 to 1485. With its overtones of chivalry and courtly love, using the era as inspiration for a wedding can make the event both memorable and incredibly romantic. The ceremony can either be completely saturated with medieval customs and traditions, or there can just be little touches accenting the event.
Invitations
Prep guests for a medieval-themed wedding by sending invitations on scrolls.
Send customized invitations that are rolled up like scrolls. Order them in cream colors so that they look like vellum. Start the invites with a phrase such as "Here ye, here ye." If the wedding is to take place at night, use e'en, the Middle Ages term for evening. For RSVPs, have guests check off boxes that say "aye" or "nay" and sign off with "Fare thee well." If not sending a scroll have the invitations stamped with castle images or images of ladies in high towers who are looking down on knights in shining armor.
Venue
Try to find a church built in the Gothic architecture style.
The American Wedding website suggests exploring churches with Gothic architecture and churches that are located in mountain areas. Numerous states have annual Renaissance fairs, so another possibility is to have the wedding take place at the fair. Or, have the nuptials at a quaint country inn that can double as a honeymoon location. If possible, have the bride be led to the entrance of the establishment while riding a horse.
Bride
Medieval brides carried bouquets with wheat to ensure fertility.
During the medieval era, brides typically wore blue to symbolize that they were pure. If a modern-day bride wants a white wedding dress, the alternative is to wear blue ribbon either in her hair or on the dress. Other medieval touches are to have sleeves that are tight until they reach the elbows and then flare out so that they are full and draping. The bodice should be snug and the skirt long and diaphanous. Since noblewomen used wedding dresses to flaunt their wealth, many adorned their gowns with precious jewels, velvet and fur. Rhinestones can act as an alternative to gemstones. Medieval brides carried flowers that would ward off evil, according to the lifestyle magazine "Female First." Ivy was to ensure that a couple would be true to each other. Wheat symbolized fertility and orange blossoms promised future happiness. Fragrant herbs such as rosemary were often part of the bouquet.
Decorations
Set up a may pole for both decoration and entertainment.
Since flowers were such an important part of medieval weddings, the couple should walk under an arch made from flowers and ivy when entering the church and reception area. Rent such props as castles and towers and put them on the side of the dance floor. Use sumptuous colors that the nobility favored such as scarlet, purple, sapphire blue, gold, silver and green for tablecloths and to hang on the walls. For a rustic, peasant touch, fill baskets with wildflowers and use them as centerpieces. Since knights would carry shields with the insignia of their lords, a couple should either choose a symbol that stands for love or research their last names. Once they find out what they mean, they can have the images stamped on either small shields that can be used as centerpieces or large shields to hang on a wall. Maypoles were popular during the Middle Ages. Even if a couple's wedding isn't on May Day, they can still set up a maypole on the side of the dance floor for either decoration or for entertainment for the kids.
Feast
Set up a table with spices that guests can sample.
Call the wine "mead" and serve it in goblets. Popular medieval foods for feasts were partridge, quail, cheese, oysters, trenches filled with bread and as many fresh fruits as they could harvest during the time. Common vegetables that even peasants could afford were lettuce, carrots, asparagus and parsley. Spices such as cloves, cinnamon, saffron, ginger and pepper were especially valuable, so a bride and groom should arrange for a "spice table" where guests can sample a variety of seasonings. To really provide the medieval experience, have everyone eat with their fingers.
Toasts
The best man should research medieval era lingo to incorporate in his toast.
The best man should recite a wedding toast that uses medieval vernacular. An example of a speech introduction is "May thee know love, may thee know joy." Bridget Mora, writer for Weddings From A -- Z gives another example: "I wish thee health, I wish thee wealth, I wish thee gold in store, I wish thee heaven upon earth. What could I wish thee more?"
Favors
Give guests goblets with the wedding date on them.
Give guests miniature leather-bound books that contain chivalrous poems and tales steeped in romance. Examples include the tales of King Arthur or love poems written by Petrarch. Since perfumes were highly prized during the era, give bridesmaids bottles of their favorite perfume along with sachets of dried flower petals and herbs. Other options are silver goblets inscribed with the date of the wedding and miniature glass castles. Write a love poem from the era on a scroll, tie it with ribbon and put one at each place setting.
Tags: wish thee, that they, best should, brides carried, colors that, couple should, dance floorSource: www.ehow.com
