Here comes the bride......

We at ERL love nothing more than a wedding, with a member of our team planning her wedding and the country waiting eagerly for the Royal Wedding it all seems that love and romance is in the air.

What a lovely time for family and friends to come together and celebrate with a big party but weddings were not always romantic, about love and wanting to spend eternity with that special someone, does anyone ever wonder about the history of weddings.......?

In the very early years it was all about politics and survival, women would be kidnapped by the groom along with his loyal friends and family, this group of men is now know as the ‘best man’ and ‘groom men’ The bride was thought of as the grooms property, the couple would stay away from their village or their ‘tribe’ as long as possible to avoid any backlash this time over the years has now become to be known as the ‘honeymoon’.

If a bride wasn’t being kidnapped by her groom she would have been used as an object to bring villages, tribes or high ranking families together they would have also been to sell for livestock or land, this  changed in medieval times when the laws changed women were no longer allowed to be sold or exchanged.

We are not saying marriages for love didnt happen this was mainly the case with lower classes as possessions and social standing were not so important.

It was during Elizabethan times that weddings became more like the ones we attend today, even though these were happy with the fairy tale ending most marriages were still arranged.

In Victorian times as soon as a woman left school she would come out this time was exciting and very important for victorian ladies as they had been groomed all their life for marriage, men still saw it as more business than pleasure. It was still very much about land, money and social standing. Love was generally not an issue and it was still considered a business transaction, as both women and men had a a say in victorian weddings they wouldnt have married unless they were a little fond of each other.

Oh, how things have evolved over the years, we can safely say that nowadays the majority of weddings take place with lots of love and happiness.

If you are getting married this year or anytime soon, Good luck and forever happiness from ERLxxxxx

Elizabethian Wedding Dress