By: Kelsey Kusaba-Kusumoto
MARRIAGES
Wedding Clothing
 Blue-Traditional symbol of purity
 Important color-blue
 Blue always worn
 Traditional rhyme “Something blue”
 Garter=good luck
 Garter-essential to wear
 Guaranteed faithfulness if given to his love
 Guest grabbed clothes
 Girls-studded gems
 Stitched with fine embroidery
Marriage Laws
 Open weddings
 Closed weddings=trouble
 No legal divorce
 Could be annulled
 Meant agreements or contracts
 Depended on social class
 16th century-Council of Trent required priests to do ceremony
 1076-Council of Westminster-can’t give daughter or relative to
anyone that’s not priestly blessed
 Priests carry out engagement ceremony
Arrange Marriages
Continued success and wealth
Lord’s property and noble name
Inheritance
Legacy
Chosen from age 10-11
Didn’t meet until 5-6 years later
Husband ordered wife around
Wife obeyed
Churches
 Believed in God, Heaven, and Hell
 Didn’t pay taxes
 Believed failure to pay taxes-souls go to hell
 Control over people
 Thought horrors of hell
 Peasants worked on land
 Terrified to go to hell
 Roman Catholic Church let them go to heaven
 Paid for Baptism of other people
 Liked to donate
Marriage Customs
 Sun-bleached hair
 Cosmetic on face
 Pluck hair line for higher forehead
 Wore perfume
 Made from oil of flowers
 Had hair up
 Bathed a lot
 1200s-hot baths very popular
 1300s-only wealthy people could afford
 Perfume-quick fix for dirty people
Marriage Traditions
Noble women marry age 24
3/4 married before 19
Rare to marry late
Grooms-much older than women
Grooms pay deposit
If man backs out they pay penalty
Matrimony-central to Christians
Maid of honor-began in England
Flowers important
Ceremony
 Wedding march
 Prayer
 Giving away of bride
 Scripture reading
 Move to platform
 Wedding Vows
 Ring vows
 Pronouncement
 Prayer
 Walk back down the aisle
Bishops and Priests
Bishops
 Leaders of church
 Wealthy
 Dressed lavishly
 Wore religious garments
 Owned castle
Priests
 Spreading of alms for poor
 Only people who knew how to write and read
 Village and record keeper
 Collection of church taxes
 Held mass
Weddings
 Rings-not affordable
 Betrothal ceremonies-bride’s house
 Villagers shower couple with seeds and grains of wheat
 Seeds and grains of wheat wish fir large family
 Love matches-frequently peasants
 Lower classes-pregnancy most often
 Arrange marriages were common
 Gifts-wooden utensils
 Not local man-buy drinks for men-”robbed” them of possible wife
 Return-organize a mock serenade
Wedding Feast
 Didn’t care about social class
 Served meat, fruit, and vegetables
 Drank water, ale, mead, beer, milk, and wine
 Up to 6 courses
 Feast were elaborate
 Used spices
 Had salads (sallat)
 Ate with fingers
 Danced at feasts
 Danced “round dance” and/or “carol”
Bibliography
N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://www.medieval-weddings.net/medieval_dresses.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://www.medieval-weddings.net/castle_weddings.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_church.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://www.medieval-weddings.net/marriage_laws.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://www.medieval-weddings.net/medieval_customs.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2010. <http://www.medievalcastles.net/castle_weddings/traditions.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010.
<http://www.foreverwed2.com/religious_Ceremonies/outlineofaweddingceremony.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.library.thinkques.org/10949/fief/logod.html>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://www.medievalweddings.net/country_weddings.htm>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://www.medieval-weddings.net/wedding_feasts.htm>.
Get Ready for the Test
You can use your notes
Questions are fill in the blank and true
or false
Quiz
1.The garter guaranteed _____ if given to his love.
2. In the ____ century the Council of Trent required
priests to do ceremonies.
3.Kids were chosen for arrange marriages at the age of
____.
4.The ______ ______ Church let them go to Heaven.
5.The Maid of Honor began in _______.
Quiz
True or False
6.Bishops were leaders of the church.
7.Priests owned castles.
8.Pregnancy happened most often between upper
class.
9.Arrange marriages were common.
10.They ate with fingers.
Answers
1.Faithfulness
2.16th
3.10-11
4.Roman Catholic
5.England
6.True
7.False
8.False
9.True
10.True