What do historical buildings, enchanting gardens and banquets all have in common? They are all involved in making an unforgettable wedding. Summer is the season of weddings, and with the months approaching, we have been looking into weddings with a medieval twist. Some believe a theme can take away from a wedding but after listing the aspects you need for an unforgettable wedding: historical building, enchanting garden and banquet, you already have the makings of a truly medieval wedding.
YOUR HISTORICAL WEDDING
Themed weddings are popular but it seems at present none so than medieval themed weddings. With all the historical buildings which stand in the UK, there is no shortage of venues to hold a medieval wedding. Some choose to incorporate some medieval element into their wedding, whereas others decide to fully commit to making their wedding a medieval marvel. For those who just want to add a touch of medieval to their wedding, a sword could be used to cut your cake or even an axe like one couple who purchased an axe from The Knight Shop to do just that!
Sarah Elizabeth Roberts and Dave Roberts got married back in April and used The Knight Shop to purchase their very own axe. Sarah said the inspiration came from her now-husband, “My husband was initially looking to buy a sword as we had been to a venue where they offered swords to cut the cake. Before the wedding, he was reading books and watching programmes on Vikings and thought an axe would be better”. “Dave’s mum even made part of our wedding cake to look like a log, so the axe worked perfectly! Everyone thought it was a great and original idea!”
THE SWORD IN THE CAKE
As well as using an axe, a lot of couples are using swords as a more impactful way to cut their cake. Many wedding venues offer swords included in the wedding but at The Knight Shop, we have done one better! If you want to make it personal for you and your future partner, The Knight Shop can create a sword with you and your partner’s coat of arms inside the pommel of the sword! We can create a coat of arms from the individual’s surname and add it to a sword of your choice! This could also make the perfect wedding gift and a memorable token to keep to remember your special day.
YOUR WEDDING DECOR
The biggest part of creating a medieval wedding is making the venue look the part. Our online shop offers a variety of period bunting that can be used to add that extra touch. Every table at a wedding needs a centrepiece, what better than an authentic medieval lantern to decorate your table with! These lanterns can also be opened to place candles inside to create a magical atmosphere.
YOUR WEDDING BREAKFAST
Feasting was a very important part of medieval life, it was a way for kings to lift their own spirits and the people around them. Only the lord’s families, knights and close friends and associates usually attended these medieval banquets, with the finest foods, wines, and ales served in abundance. Create your own medieval banquet by adorning the head table at your wedding with traditional banqueting bowls and medieval hand-made blackened stainless steel cutlery sets from our shop.
YOUR WEDDING RECEPTION
Your guests could also enjoy traditional medieval drinks. It is fair to say that people in the middle ages enjoyed drinking wine and beer but a favourite tipple was Mead. Mead, also known as honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage made from honey and water. Mead is a perfect addition to your wedding as it can be mixed with other spirits or with other flavours such as ginger, raspberry or apricot.
YOUR WEDDING DRESS
The most important part of a woman’s big day is, of course, the dress! In today’s society women wear white gowns for their wedding attire as it is traditionally seen as a symbol of purity, however, in the middle ages, most wedding dresses were blue. The colour blue was a symbol of purity in those times but if the woman did not have a blue dress, she would wear something blue like a ribbon – hence the tradition of ‘something blue’. Hair would be worn loose with a garland of flowers and the bride would carry a sachet of herbs, not a bouquet like today. The finest silks were adorned with gold and silver embroidery. For the groom, men would traditionally wear their finest court attire. Both the bride and groom would be covered in jewellery, fur, and elaborate belts if they were of noble descent.
If you are attending a medieval wedding this, then The Knight Shop supplies an abundance of gift ideas for you such as miniature sword letter openers or gift cards that could be used later on our online shop.