What were medieval wedding ceremonies like?
A Medieval wedding procession began with the minstrels. The minstrels played various instruments, including bagpipes, the six-stringed viol, flutes, drums, and trumpets. For brides and grooms of a lower caste, their families might employ family members or friends to lead the procession with instruments and singing.
How did weddings work in medieval times?
Marriages were arranged with a bride’s dowry in mind, which would be given to the groom by the bride’s family after the ceremony had taken place. Men were permitted to keep the dowry forever-even if the couple were later separated. To announce a wedding, a notice was placed on the front door of the church.
What happens at a Viking wedding?
Viking wedding ceremony The groom would present an ancestral sword to his bride, with the intention for it to be passed on to future sons. The bride would also gift the groom an ancestral sword to symbolise the transfer of a father’s protection of a bride to the husband.
Did Vikings have dowries?
In Iceland the minimum payment was 8 ounces of silver; in Norway it was 12. In return, the bride’s father promised to hand over her dowry at the wedding. Both the bride-price and the dowry remained the property of the bride after the wedding.
What age did girls marry in medieval times?
age 12
Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex in the medieval period, and as a result Christians were allowed to marry from puberty onwards, generally seen at the time as age 12 for women and 14 for men.
Who performed marriage ceremonies in the Middle Ages?
It wasn’t until around the 16th century that marriages were required to be performed by a priest. For the nobility, it wasn’t required to get married in a church as long as the wedding was blessed by a priest.
Did medieval peasants marry for love?
Only among the lower classes did people marry consistently for reasons of love or sexual desire. In general, however, peasant marriages were not common, as there was little need for a formal exchange of property among the poor.
What is a Celtic wedding?
What is a Celtic Wedding? A Celtic wedding simply incorporates Celtic traditions into a wedding. Each couple can choose the traditions they want to honor in their own ceremony. Some of the traditions that many brides and grooms choose are: Celtic wedding circle, which honors nature with candles and natural elements.
What was the marriage age for girls in the Middle Ages?
twelve for
Among the aristocracy in the early Middle Ages there are occasional references that suggest girls might marry in their mid teens. The legal age for marriage set by canon law was twelve for girls and fourteen for boys.