Pledging the Troth

It is the middle of the second volume of a book you are writing, and you come to the chapter where the wedding takes place. It starts out something like this, ready, set, go!"Grace was mesmerized. She had seen him from a distance, watched him walk in serene and majestic fluidity beside Clement as they made their way to the chapel house, but she was unprepared for how magnificent he looked up close. The transformation was resplendent. He had gone from incredibly handsome to a true Highlander Scot. The rugged beauty and richness of a heritage he knew little about emanated from every feature of his body and whispered to her soul in conveyances which words could not form, yet were keenly felt. She elevated her arm and slipped her small hand into his, basking in the thrill which ran through her as his hand enveloped hers. The soft but firm grip spoke of complete love, devotion, protection, and honor as he turned to stand by her side, escorting her toward the steps."(From American Dream, The Eagle and the Lion)But not so fast there, ink and quill. This is an 18th-century wedding. Time for research.I have spent over twenty years in the depths of historical research spanning from early Rome to the 1950's. I learned much about daily life, foods they ate, military encounters, culture, and more. What I had never explored, however, were the fine details of the wedding ceremony. Oh, what a ride that was. I absolutely loved it!When we envision the perfect wedding, it is often a traditional approach; white dress symbolizing purity, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, etc. An 18th-century wedding was a different occasion altogether.According to an article in the Daily Mail, The white dress did not become a symbol of purity until Queen Victoria made it popular. Instead, multi-colored or blue gowns were a symbol of purity. The article is key for many genealogy enthusiasts for it reports the availability of London marriage records dating from 1521-1896. These records say a lot about the ceremony, bride and groom, and in some cases their parents as well.An 18th-century wedding reception did not boast of a multi-layered, cake with white icing. Instead, there was a bride's pie made of, "savory meats and sweet mince." There was no bouquet thrown to predict the next in line to get married, but whoever found a glass ring in the pie was sure to be the next to be proposed to! Traditionally only the woman received a ring until a 1950's ad campaign popularized the idea of the exchanging of rings between the bride and groom.There were so many interesting details I stumbled into online, and it was fascinating to see the evolution of marriage ceremony customs throughout the ages. I am posting just one of the sites I went to, which I quoted in this blog, but there are many more sources online. If there are writers of fiction out there who have not engaged in a study of marriage customs of the past, please do! You will not be disappointed!Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...