There was a Medieval Village in the Canton of Wealdlake lovingly nicknamed "Balloonadoon" that magically appeared one weekend each year in the month of June in the city of Howell at the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest. In the summer of 2006, a real Medieval Wedding was planned for Saturday afternoon and was widely advertised by the Balloonfest coordinators. Three weeks before the event, for reasons that are not relevant to this introduction, the couple to be married cancelled the wedding at Balloonadoon. Wealdlake, the hosts of this very large and very public demonstration were now short one wedding.

It just so happened that my husband and I were to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary in July of that year.  We had planned to renew our vows; he wanted a medieval renewal and I wanted a real-life one.  I guess some things are just meant to be.  We volunteered to renew our vows the Saturday of Balloonadoon, in front of the masses of Balloonfest patrons, in place of the original wedding. 

So, in less than three weeks, I researched, sewed, planned, organized, crafted, and put on a public medieval wedding. 

Note: This was my first foray into research in the SCA. I had no goals or expectations 

beyond planning and executing a medieval wedding for hundreds of witnesses in less than one month.

The information obtained for this purpose was of a very general nature and not extensively researched or verified. It was not done for an A&S Competition, class, or anything else. It was, once again, done very quickly. But it was interesting and there are potentially many viable research rabbits holes, if one is interested in a medieval wedding or renewal. 

I found as many different variations of medieval weddings as there were variations of medieval couples.  Some aspects of the process varied by culture, location, and era, but some aspects of weddings and marriages remain surprisingly unchanged.  Keep in mind this presentation encompasses mainly western European and Christian history, is very basic in its content, and does not focus on specific cultural, regional, or ethnic variations unless specifically noted. 

In the early Middle Ages all it required for a couple to wed was a personal and private agreement.  As you might imagine, this could easily result in a “He said - She said,” dispute requiring intervention. On the other hand, marriage often occurred by arrangement and was a formal contract between two families. One of the earliest Marriage Contracts in existence is believed to be from approximately 5 BCE. Marriage Contracts existed in almost all cultures and most of what we know about marriage in any age comes from the descriptions found in these contracts. They were legal, binding documents and were seriously negotiated prior to the wedding. 

In some areas and times, girls and boys were generally considered to be marriageable at 12 and 14 years of age, respectively.  Among the nobility, marriages would sometimes be arranged when the future bride or groom was much younger, 5-10 years old.  In first marriages, brides and groom were often of similar age; in subsequent marriages, grooms were generally older than their brides. 

Betrothal ceremonies in the Middle Ages were more like today’s weddings, with the actual marriage more like an afterthought.  Betrothal or wedding ceremonies took place in castle great halls, courtyards, private homes, village squares, or anywhere that was convenient.  

In 1076 the Council of Westminster declared “no man shall give his daughter or female relative to anyone without priestly blessing.”

The Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 proclaimed it necessary for marriage to be blessed and witnessed by clergy. It also required the publication of Marriage Banns. Marriage Banns are a public announcement of the intent of two people to marry. They ask for testimony of consanguinity (degree of relatedness) and eligibility (availability, age). Contrary to their own proclamations, the church continued to recognize “clandestine marriages” (those made without benefit of clergy) as late as the 18th century. Prior to the Lateran Council, the presence of clergy at weddings was rare.

During the Reformation, Martin Luther argued that marriage was “a worldly business” where “we clergy ought not to meddle.” He did, however, agree that clergy should bless marriage and in 1529 presented the standardized marriage rite for the church which remains mostly unchanged today.

In response to the Reformation, the Council of Trent issued a decision against clandestine marriage in 1563. The Council declared that for a marriage to be recognized by the Church, to be legal, and to be binding it must be 1) public, 2) consensual, and 3) witnessed and blessed by the Church.

During the Middle Ages in Western Europe there were two distinct phases of marriage: the betrothal and the wedding. The betrothal was the far more elaborate part as it involved both families and often more of a ceremony that the actual wedding. The betrothal promises were made “verba de futuro” (e.g., “I will take the to wed” vs “I thee wed”). The purpose of the betrothal was clear; it was a time for the families (translate male relatives) to negotiate the terms of the union thereby solidifying the marriage contract. It was customary for there to be an exchange of property, title, goods, and or services. It was not unusual for one or the other of the betrothed couple to reside with the other’s family for the duration of the betrothal. Marriage was not always the outcome of a betrothal. It was often the case that the betrothal was maintained until the promised bride conceived. "Young people could meet, and even live together while their families were conducting the negotiations: the agreement was often concluded and the marriage celebrated in church when the girl had become pregnant. The husband and his parents thus entered into the contract with the knowledge that the girl they had chosen could provide them with descendants." (Andre Burguiere and Francois Lebrun, "Priest, Prince and Family," The History of the Family [Cambridge: Belknap P, 1996], 2:127).

In the 6th century in Germany, the betrothal ceremony consisted of the groom-to-be bestowing upon his bride-to-be a ring, a kiss, and a pair of slippers.

During the same period in France the couple would share a cup of wine or eat a piece of fruit “in the name of Marriage.”

Diamond rings were first used in Italy to signify betrothals because the Italians believed diamonds were formed “by the fires of love.”

Banns are announcements. Wedding banns were posted locally. If the bride and groom were from different locations, banns were posted in both hometowns. The purpose of banns was to announce the intention of the couple to wed and asked if any reason existed that might preclude the marriage from taking place (e.g., too closely related, already betrothed or married, age, insanity). Since most of the general population was unable to read, the banns were often read aloud in church or cried in the town square or market. The banns had to be proclaimed three times on three consecutive Sundays.  An example of banns are included below.

Hark! I publish the Banns of Marriage between (bride) and (groom).

If any know cause or just impediment why these two should not wed, declare it now or henceforth be still.

This is the 1st / 2nd / 3rd time of asking.

The Groom often had a more active role in the wedding than he does today. In some areas, the groom and his family were solely responsible for the wedding celebration. If available woman were in short supply the groom might have to pay a compensatory fee to the other single men, especially if he himself was not local. The groom, whether noble or not would wear his best clothing for this special day and would most likely be armed.

Groomsmen today they are generally thought to be close friends or family members of the groom in attendance to support him with good wishes and sometimes bad humor. Medieval groomsmen were often close friends or family there to support him. However, the support they offered might well be of a physical and confrontational manner should the groom need to rescue his intended from some other man who got there first. They would protect the couple until the vows were complete.  

The Bride would often wear a special gown, but would only wear white to signify poverty and that she came to her marriage with nothing, not even debts.  She would also avoid wearing a yellow gown or carrying yellow flowers because yellow, in many cultures, signified jealousy.  “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” held sway even then.  Brides would often trim a gown in blue or sew a blue thread into the hem.  

Bride’s Maids or Maids of Honor, like modern bridal attendants, supported the bride in any way needed as she prepared for the wedding. They helped with hair, cosmetics, flowers, perfume, gifts, and they dressed identically -- identically to the bride in order to confuse and distract evil spirits looking to take advantage of ruining the wedding or marriage.

Flower Girls scattered strongly scented flowers along the bridal path.  Purportedly, such evil spirits as mentioned above, did not like these floral scents and would stay away.  It was also thought that some flowers brought good luck or aided in fertility.

Cup Bearers were young boys who carried the cup from which the Bride and Groom would share a drink.

Often there would be a procession from the house where the bride prepared past the house where the groom waited and ended in front of the church. The size and constitution of the procession was dependent on the wealth of the families involved. The procession could be led by Bridal Stewards who were usually young boys carrying banners. A Cup Bearer would carry the Bridal Cup decorated with colored “riband” and a gilded sprig of rosemary. He would be followed by the Flower Girls strewing their flowers. Next would come the Bride and her Maids carrying the paell, garlands, and Bridal Cakes. Local children would follow with any willing or paid musicians. The Groom came next with his Groomsmen unless the atmosphere surrounding the wedding required they surround the bride and her maids.

Final Objections - Before the actual wedding consents and vows were obtained it was customary to state the banns had been published and ask one last time whether or not there were any recorded objections.  A final request for objections was put forth  and if there were none, the marriage ceremony would proceed. Marriage was and is a civil contract (you get a license and file it from and with local government). Even after the involvement of the church became more organized after the 13th century, the officiant was not necessarily clergy.  The only part the clergy had to play in a wedding was to bless the marriage and to provide mass following the ceremony.  

Consents - Even though marriages were often arranged (especially for those of higher birth) consent was always an essential part of marriage and still is a major element in modern weddings. “Who gives this woman?” “Do you (groom) take (bride) as your lawful wife?” “Do you (bride) take (groom) as your lawful husband?” These are all elements of consents and have changed little over time.

Vows - Like consents, vows have changed very little over time. Passive vows are spoken first by the officiant and then repeated by the bride and groom. These are what we consider “traditional” vows today. Active vows were just as common in the middle ages; composed by the bride and groom and spoken in front of witnesses and in later period clergy.

Rings - It was expected that the groom provide a ring for the bride. It was customary for this ring to be as expensive as the groom could afford in order to show his ability to provide for a wife and meet his contractual obligations. Since men did much traveling either for business or war and he could be gone for long periods of time, the ring was also a form of financial security for the bride. It was less common for the bride to give a ring to the groom, but double ring ceremonies have been recorded.

Which finger received the ring varied from era to era and culture to culture.  Most of the extant records reveal that the 4th finger of the bride’s hand was the most common recipient of the ring.  A 12th century missal from Bury St. Edmonds states the ring was given with the invocation of the Trinity by placing it first upon the bride’s right thumb “in the name of the Father,” then moved to the index finger “in the name of the Son,” then to the middle finger “in the name of the Holy Spirit,” and finally to the ring finger “With this ring, I thee wed; this gold and silver, I thee give; with my body, I thee worship; and with this dowry, I thee endow.”

Clerical Blessings and Mass - While it was not required that clergy perform the marriage rites, it became tradition.  It was required for clergy to witness the consents and bless the marriage (if not the couple).  The blessing could be quite short, but have you ever met a priest or minister willing to let an opportunity to speak at length go unused?  Scripture was quoted often and the content of the blessings could ramble far from the topic of marriage. Even though a blessing may have been given as part of the rites, the couple and the bridal party might also have gone into the church for a bridal mass complete with Eurcharist.

Bride-Ales - Involved feasting, drinking, and entertainment all at the expense of either the bride’s family or the bridegroom depending on when and where you married.

Bridal Cakes - Early Roman weddings report guests pitching grains of wheat at the bride and groom to ensure fertility in the union.  Today we use rice, birdseed, etc. and we generally don’t think about the fertility part. Like all traditions, this one changed over time and eventually it became customary to bring small cakes made from wheat to the wedding. The guests would crumble the cakes over the bride’s head to bring fortune and fertility to the couple. Guests would then scramble to eat these crumbs so they might share in the newlyweds’ good fortune. A bride who baked her own wheat cakes was bound for ill-fortune. By the late middle ages, sweet buns replaced the plain wheat cakes.  The buns would be stacked in a tall mound between the bride and groom and if they were able to share a kiss over the pile without knocking it over, they would be blessed with many children and much prosperity. Historic rumor tells of a 17th century French pastry chef who was disgusted by the toppling of towers of baked goods and so frosted the tower to keep it from falling. Voila! The first Wedding Cake! This version of a wedding cake still survives today in the form of the Croquembouche - a tall pyramid of profiteroles (cream puffs) found at many French weddings.

Throwing the Garter - Legend tells us that in 14th century France, the garter of bride was believed to bring good luck to the man who could obtain it. In their enthusiasm, wedding guests and groomsmen would chase the bride, often tearing off her clothing or injuring her, to get her garters. A rather intelligent young bride, not wanting to mauled in such a manner, removed her garters herself and tossed them to her pursuers, thus beginning an only slightly modified modern custom.

Wedding Nights - The mechanics of the wedding night presumably have not changed. However, customs varied greatly throughout the middle ages and across the continents.  It seems that teasing and harassing of the bride and groom by friends and relatives was par for the course then as now. Witnessing the activities of the wedding night (i.e., the consummation of the marriage) was a custom that is rarely followed any longer.  

Flowers have been ascribed meanings throughout history.  Legend states that roses first turned red as they blushed with shame at Adam’s and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Laurel wreaths were placed upon the heads of Geek Olympians to symbolize victory and glory.  According to Christian legend, carnations grew from the ground where Mary’s tears fell as she wept at the foot of the cross upon which Jesus died.  Carnations have long been associated with undying love.  In ancient Egypt, Cleopatra scattered roses at Marc Anthony’s feet as a symbol of her love.  The list below is by no means complete.  There are also many variations in flower language and not all of these flowers are “medieval.”  Just remember, yellow in flowers and clothing frequently symbolized jealously.

Chrysoprase (Chalcedony) - Virtue Red Jasper - Love

Beryl - Purification Green Jasper - Faith

Amethyst - Christ’s Martyrdom White Jasper - Gentleness

Emerald - Christian Hope Red Onyx - Chastity, Humility

Sapphire - Heaven-Bound Peridot - Heavenly Life