Where to celebrate a wedding
The ideal place for a wedding in a medieval style would be a real medieval castle. Where can I get it, you ask? If you have the desire and financial capabilities, you will always find a castle!
This could be one of the beautiful castles in the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine or other countries.
Many of them provide medieval-style wedding services.
The castles have everything you need to create the right atmosphere: antique goblets, real knight's armor, heavy medieval candlesticks, tapestries, thrones for the newlyweds and much more.
Based on the number of invited guests, one of the castle halls can become a venue for a wedding feast.
The banquet can be held in the courtyard with a beautiful view of the majestic castle.
And what spectacular wedding photos the newlyweds can take against the backdrop of the ancient castle and its surroundings!
If you can’t afford to rent a castle for a wedding, you can create a medieval ambiance in a restaurant, the interior of which at least slightly echoes the medieval theme.
To create a medieval atmosphere, long wooden tables that do not necessarily need to be covered with a tablecloth, benches or chairs with high backs would be appropriate. Rough stone or brick walls can be decorated with shiny armor, weapons, and coats of arms.
The interior in this theme will be complemented by various “medieval” features: lots of candles, massive candelabra, goblets, homemade thrones for the newlyweds and, of course, beautiful ancient music.
Medicine in the Middle Ages
Doctors and healers of that time were convinced that the cause of diseases associated with mental imbalance were 4 fluids in the human body: yellow and black bile, lymph, blood. Galen later developed and continued this theory by relating them to temperaments. So, if lymph dominates in the blood, one could say that he is a phlegmatic person, black bile is a melancholic person, yellow bile is a choleric person, and the blood is a sanguine person. If a person managed to achieve a balance between all four temperaments, then this led to complete recovery. Doctors prescribed diuretics and emetics, and often resorted to bloodletting. Believing that this will renew the body.
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Many medications now seem very strange, as do the methods of treatment. But in those days they turned out to be effective and were widely used in practice. For example, English students decided to conduct an experiment and repeated an ancient recipe for treating barley. They needed: wine, garlic, ox bile and onions. The mixture should be mixed and left for 9 days in a copper bowl. After the specified time, the infusion was filtered and foam was applied to the wound. It turned out that such a drug is quite suitable for combating Staphylococcus aureus, like an antibiotic.
Groom image
At a wedding in a medieval style, it is desirable that the newlyweds’ outfits match the chosen theme. The easiest way to rent such costumes is in a specialized salon or store. The groom's outfit can imitate knight's armor.
Armor varied quite widely in different regions in shape and design. So there are many options.
A lighter version of the clothing of a knight of the early Middle Ages includes a tunic, as well as narrow or tight-fitting trousers and stockings (chauss). A cloak was worn on top.
The men's suit consisted of two tunics: the lower one, the kameez, and the upper one, the cotta. The lower tunic most often had long sleeves. The top one was made of expensive fabric, decorated with embroidery and always belted. The longer the cotta, the higher the status. Over the cotta one could wear a surcoat - a more voluminous robe, most often a ceremonial one. The surcoat was not belted.
However, you should not strictly adhere to the historical accuracy of the costumes. And in most such weddings, the very concept of a given historical period is very vague. We can say that this is rather a unifying motive.
The most important thing is that your wedding day becomes one of the brightest and happiest moments of your life.
If for some reason you can’t get an outfit stylized in the Middle Ages, don’t despair. A classic men's suit would be quite appropriate for the groom.
End of marriage
Until about the end of the 14th century, the concept of a "widower" did not exist. A man could get married as soon as his wife died. This rule did not apply to women. The term "widow", on the contrary, appears in a number of documents. It is also known that the widow had to wait a year before being able to start a family again. This was due to the fact that during this time she could have a child, a direct heir to the property of the deceased spouse.
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History has preserved information that in order to recognize a marriage as dissolved or ended (as was customary to say in those days), it was enough to declare that there was no intimacy between the spouses on the first wedding night. This is what King Felipe II of France did with his second wife Ingeborg of Denmark (1193). He threw her into prison because she refused to leave France. In 1200, she was restored to her marital rights, but this did not stop the king from marrying for the third time and acquiring three heirs.
Bride's image
You can try to find a bride’s dress for a “medieval” wedding in wedding salons, but the most beautiful dresses, as a rule, are made to order.
A wedding dress in a medieval style should be closed, with a long hem and sleeves. Often the dress was further lengthened by a train. It was believed that the longer the train of a dress, the more noble its owner. Dresses were tied together with lacing, since darts did not yet exist.
The sleeves of the dress were also elongated; they could be either flared or narrow.
In the Middle Ages, dresses of bright and dark colors were chosen as wedding attire: red, purple, blue, green.
For a wedding in a medieval style, it is not at all necessary to wear an exact copy of a medieval outfit.
This could very well be a medieval style wedding dress.
Such dresses may have a rather deep neckline, and the shoulders may even be open.
At a wedding stylized in the Middle Ages, the bride can wear a classic wedding dress. After all, the main thing is the general atmosphere, and the rest is just pleasant scenery.
In the Middle Ages, women did not show their hair, carefully hiding it under their headdresses, but considering that this is only stylization, you can show the beauty of your hair. It is advisable to keep makeup to a minimum.
Marriage registration
In the old days there were no regulations regarding marriage and family. In order for the marriage to be considered concluded, it was enough to put the ring on the ring finger. There was no documentary evidence. Consequently, there was no concept of divorce. The only way to dissolve the marriage bond was to declare it illegal. There had to be good reasons for this: adultery or one of the spouses belonging to a faith other than Christian. It was also possible to end a marriage if a man or woman married a second time. This didn’t happen often, but it did happen.
Ordinary people got married without any pompous ceremonies. Only rich people and kings could afford to organize a holiday. To add more significance, some couples took vows of love and fidelity at the gates of churches. They believed that in this way their marriage would be blessed by heaven. Only in 1543-1563 did the Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church in Trento (Spain) decide that if a couple decided to tie the knot, then a priest must be present. However, few followed this rule.
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Invitations
A wedding in a medieval style should be permeated with the romantic atmosphere of a medieval fairy tale. And for this it is important to provide for every detail: let's start with invitations for guests. For a wedding in a medieval style, it is best to make invitations in the form of scrolls made of aged paper.
You can try writing the invitation text yourself with real pen and ink or use wedding calligraphy services.
Creating a medieval atmosphere
An ideal option for celebrating a wedding in a medieval style would be a real castle or a restaurant stylized for this era. The banquet hall for a wedding celebration should be decorated in such a way that once there, guests can immediately be transported to the mysterious and fascinating era of the Middle Ages.
But you can recreate the medieval surroundings with the help of small details. You should start with the design of the walls. The best decoration of the hall will be images of coats of arms and other knightly heraldry.
To create a truly historical and romantic atmosphere, you can use the rental services of fake weapons, shields, swords, and knightly armor. Make the room dimly lit. The atmosphere of Gothic mystery is well emphasized by candles in massive candlesticks.
Set up a makeshift throne for the newlyweds.
Entertainment
A wedding in a medieval style must be filled with interesting events. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the scenario and entertainment in advance.
Bride ransom can be turned into a real feat of chivalry. The groom, in order to win the heart of a beautiful lady, will need to fight with the best knights of the kingdom.
After the bride's ransom comes the official part of the wedding celebration - marriage registration. An outdoor medieval ceremony will be very exciting and romantic.
A romantic horseback ride is perfect for a medieval-style wedding.
A horseback ride can be combined with a wedding photo shoot.
Hold a real knightly tournament where you can demonstrate your military prowess. Such a spectacular performance will not leave anyone indifferent.
According to the rules, the tournament began with a duel with spears. Objective: knock the enemy out of the saddle or break your spear against his shield without falling yourself.
It is believed that it was at tournaments that the tradition of a handshake appeared, which the knights exchanged after the battle, as a sign that they did not hold a grudge against each other.
After the equestrian duel there followed a fight between the knights on foot.
At the end of the tournament, the names of the winners were announced and awards were distributed.
For entertainment, you can organize archery competitions.
At a wedding in a medieval style, you simply need to organize a costume photo shoot.
Participation in the photography process itself will be an interesting entertainment for guests and will give a lot of positive emotions. You can use on-site photography services with instant printing of photos, so that all participants in the celebration will have memorable photos.
A wedding in a medieval style should feature live ancient music. It is best to invite a musical ensemble performing medieval music.
The medieval wedding feast was accompanied by dancing, which in many ways still remained improvised. Medieval dances are distinguished by simple steps, which will allow all participants in the wedding celebration to take part in them.
The bride and groom can learn an interesting medieval dance. The music of the newlyweds' first dance should also correspond to the Middle Ages.
Wedding guests can be entertained by dancers.
Mimes, acrobats, jugglers, buffoons, jesters, stilt walkers and other artists of the original genre will decorate such a holiday and give an unforgettable experience to everyone present.
Entertainment may include theatrical skits and productions, in which both invited artists and any interested participants in the wedding celebration can participate.
Treats
The wedding feast should correspond to the medieval style of the holiday. It is necessary to carefully consider all the details, including serving. Of course, you shouldn’t give up plates and cutlery at a wedding for the sake of historical authenticity. Use clay and wooden dishes for table setting: pots, bowls. It is better to pour wines and other drinks into jugs. Instead of glasses and glasses, use different types of cups.
The wedding menu can be quite extensive, because sometimes the feasts of the Middle Ages turned into a true demonstration of culinary skills. Previously, all dishes were served at the same time. Meat, fish, pies and sweets - everything was on one table during the many-hour feast. Then the custom of “changing dishes” appeared.
During the feast, meat was a mandatory treat. Its consumption was also a sign of wealth and social status.
Roasted venison, pig on a spit, baked wild boar, rabbit stew, pork on the bone, legs of lamb with saffron, cutlets, sausages. A variety of birds - chickens, ducks, geese, swans, pigeons, blackbirds. In the Middle Ages they ate a lot of fish. It was most often served boiled, baked with vegetables or stuffed. Vegetables were eaten raw and boiled. There were no tomatoes or potatoes yet. Some of the more popular vegetables include cabbage, turnips, beets, carrots, garlic, and onions.
Pies were served to the table. They were prepared closed and open. Meat, fresh or salted fish, poultry, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, and cheese were used as filling. Wine was consumed diluted with water, honey and spices. Beer (ale) was also a popular drink.
At a wedding in a medieval style, do not forget about the main decoration of the table - the wedding cake. It can be made in the form of a medieval castle or decorated with figurines of knights.
Talented confectioners will be happy to help you create your perfect cake that will fit the overall theme of the celebration.
A wedding in a medieval style will give the bride and groom a unique opportunity to turn their wedding into a real fairy tale, where there is a place for gentle princesses and noble knights, as well as beautiful and endless love... Be happy!
First tips for spouses
Presumably in the 14th century, the first book appeared (by Guy de Montigny) about what a young wife needs to know and how to behave with her husband. The narration came on behalf of the old man who gave advice. It said that a wife should honor and love her husband, always have clean clothes and keep the house clean, be able to cook and select food for the table. And all this so that the man has a constant desire to return home, and not look at other women.
William Langland (a writer born around 1331) in one of his poems said that 3 things can lead to the breakdown of a marriage: a leaking roof, a stubborn woman, a smoking fire. He argued that if a wife does not know the punishment for her tongue, then she can expel her husband from the house.
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