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Dating, Courting, Wedding Traditions and marriage in the 1500's
Created by
Randy Smith and Rachel Viau
Dating
courting
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Wedding Traditions
women's attire
When a bride was getting prepared, she had to put three layers on: undergarments, bodice and skirt and finally a gown. The dress would be full length and cover most of the body, although it was permissible to have a plunging neckline in the addition of a necklace to draw even more attention to the woman's chest. The gowns were, for the nobility, made from velvet, satins and corduroy because they were costly. For most other brides, their gowns were generally made from flax, cotton or wool, ranging in a variety of colors such as red, blue, green, yellow, white, gray, black, orange and tan. The gown was most likely not white because getting married in a white wedding dress only became popular when Queen Victoria wore a white gown for her wedding in 1840. The neck and cuffs were often decorated with silk or linen. Flowers were also central to the gown and hair. Unmarried girls were permitted to wear their hair loose but once married, they had to wear a bonnet. Wealthy brides added jewels and gold and silver thread to their garments. The bridesmaids would be similarly attired. Some colors were associated with a meaning such as blue with chastity and yellow with mourning.
Men's attire
The groom also wore his best clothes(a doublet, breeches, hose, box pleated neck ruff, a cod piece and sometimes a cloak). These items were once again made of velvet, satins or corduroy for the nobility and came in red, blue, green, yellow, white, grey, black, orange and tan.
offering
Although the middle and upper class often times married to better their families, its not to say that people didn't marry for love. It was most often peasants, merchants and others of the lower class that married for love or at the least compatibility because possessions and social standings didn't matter as much to them.
When a marriage was arranged, the groom was presented with two things by the bride's father a dowry prior to the wedding was, in many cases but not all, the reason for the wedding. A dowry was not necessarily money but also could be land or goods. It is said to be illegal to pay a "bride price". The dowry was more or less considered a wedding gift. By doing this the families were not technically breaking the law.
age of consent
It was legal to marry at 21 but with the permission of the child's parents, boys were legally permitted to marry at 14 and girls at 12.
arrangements
Regardless of the womans social standing, they most always got married. Those who did not marry would be labelled as witches by their neighbors. Sometimes marriages would be arranged immediately following a child birth.
the 1500's vs today
Weddings in the 1500's were very similar to those of today. An Elizabethan wedding had bridesmaids, wedding rings and the exchange of wedding vows. They would even carry bouquets made of herbs and/or flowers.
ceremony
A bridal procession would commence at the families home and then move to the church. As this event would be festive, they would be accompanied by musicians. Once they made their way to the church, the ceremony would be solemn.
Back then there were no pews. The people attending the ceremony where forced to remain standing. When the ceremony was over, the couple's families would head for wherever they had chosen for the wedding feast.
Courting is allot like dating but mostly heard of among christians. There are to different ways to begin a courtship. The woman did not get to chose her husband in this case. It was the parents who chose her suitor. They were not allowed to have physical contact until marriage so that emotions and insecurities didn't get in the way. If the parents saw that the two were compatible they arranged a marriage.
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