Here Comes the Bride

Traditionally Wagner's Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride), is played when the bride enters the church. I think it's a beautiful tune but I have considered what it will sound like outside a church in the idyllic setting for our ceremony. I never actually been a fan of organ music and I would like something that sounds a little more like a medieval wedding. So I found Enaid who made this wonderful album Avalon - a Celtic Legend. Especially one of their songs appeals to me. It's cheerful, light and I could see myself walking towards the love of my life to it: Road to Camelot.

There's also a song on the album called The Wedding you might want to listen to. The most important for the entry song is that you like it, don't choose it just because it's medieval. :)

The medieval wedding ceremony



From an amasing wedding posted in
the Londond Evening Standard

It's kind of strange that I have been writing on this blog for over 6 months about medieval weddings but I haven't mentioned the actual ceremony yet, so here it comes.
The Middle Ages was a long period and therefore the cermonial part of the wedding probably changed some over time. The church had great power but it took some time for the Christian ways to beat the older tradtions and form into that solidified ritual we know today.

From what I can gather the medieval ceremony was a very undefined thing. They only thing that was required for a marriage to be legally binding was consent between man and wife followed sooner or later by sex. A secret runaway wedding in the forest without a priest was as binding as the formal one where all guests gathered as witnesses.

From StyleMePretty

The church did prefere the ceremonies involving a priest as it was easier if the couple wanted an annulment when there had been no priest or family there to witness that it actually took place. And divorce was a sin at the time.
In the late Medieval Times the common way to have a ceremony was to walk with all the guests up to the church. Outside the church the couple would declare their consent and the priest would bless their union. Then everyone would go inside and attend mass.


From Facta et dicta memorabilia - second quarter of the 15th century

In Denmark a wedding is called "Bryllup" which derives from the old word Brudhlaup which means: Bridal run. It comes from a tradition where the entire wedding party would walk through the city in a procession. I am not certain if this was a demonstration of the magnitude of the wedding or simply a way to celebrate.

If you want a ceremony that's medieval you can almost make up want you want as there was no specific rules as to how it should be. If you prefere an outdoor wedding it will be as accurate as a wedding in a church. We have some litterary sources of the cermoniel words dating back to the renaissance that probably derives from medieval ceremonies.

If you want to read a little more my source was this article by Sharon L. Krossa

A medieval church

In medieval times the marriage ceremony didn't actually take place inside the church. The bride and groom were wed outside and then they all walked in for mass in the church afterwards. Me and my fiancée are having our ceremony outside, but I thought you might like to see a beautiful medieval church. This one is from Ringsted where I live: Sct Bendt's church.

In 1080 AD a prior church was build in the same spot. The Danish king Valdemar the Victorious chose to build a new and more modern church in 1160-80 where he was later buried and it still stands today. It was amongst the first to be built in bricks. Once every year a medieval fair is held in the park around this beautiful specimen of architecture.

  Couldn't you just imagine walking down that stone floor towards your knight in shining armor? The church is particularly impressive because of the frescos that have been restored in the last couple of years. Just look at those colors and details!
Another little nifty detail is the many shields of arms painted on the walls and ceiling. It adds to the medieval atmosphere and if one needs some inspiration for their own shield of arms it's a good place to go.

Very few churches are pure medieval in their architecture and inventory. Most of them have been rebuild several times and new alter and pulpit added, in Denmark mostly from the renaissance. But there are a few original churches left. :-)

Good luck finding the ceremony location.