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This area is still under construction. I will finish it as soon as possible.
(Created December 22, 2003)
Author's Note: A friend of mine, Qaylah, insists that there are people out there who would be interested in pictures of my wedding. She continues that a description of what we did would also be interesting. Her husband, Basil, agrees with her. So, here it is. If you find it interesting, you should thank them. If you don't, it is my fault because I listened to them.
When my fiance and I were first beginning to make wedding plans, we decided that we wanted to have a Renaissance wedding in place of a regular wedding. After we made that decision, we next decided to have our wedding at an event because it would make it easier and less expensive for our SCA friends from all over the Kingdom of Meridies to attend the event.
The next decision was fairly easy to make. We decided that we would hold the event at our local group because the site was close enough for family to be able to attend as part of a daytrip. There would also be plenty of camping for friends and family.
Our next major decision involved money. How much did we want to spend? We came to the conclusion that neither of us wanted to spend a lot of money on things that would not last beyond the wedding ceremony itself. That was part of the reason we decided on a medieval wedding. Both of use would have nice court garb after the wedding was done. Any friends who participated in the ceremony would have nice court garb also.
On that premise, we looked at garb until we found a style that we liked. We chose Italian Renaissance. Now, that we knew the time and place of our medieval wedding everything else centered on that decision. While we did some things that weren't period at all, most of it was within the Medieval or Renaissance time periods.
Regular wedding invitations are extremely expensive and we didn't want to spend that kind of money. So, Shaltar drew the central motif, our devices inside interlocking rings. It is not a period design; however, we both liked it and it had the right flair. We then had the local office supply store photocopy the design onto nice parchment-like paper and put the resulting invitations in card envelopes. Those can by purchased by the box at most office supply stores.
As any SCA event, Viking Raids normally has a selection of activities. Viking Raids 2000 saw fighting, feasting, dancing, and an Arts and Science Competition. Our wedding was held at Viking Raids 2000 but not as an official part of the activities. Because of SCA rules, our wedding was listed as a private affair but everyone knew that they were invited to the wedding if they wanted to attend.
There were two reasons that we chose to have our wedding at Viking Raids. First, the weather would be cool enough to wear heavy Renaissance outfits. The wedding would have to be outside and the temperature was an important consideration. Second, we would be able to use the castle front as a backdrop. The fighting at Viking Raids normally centers around a Castle Front. After the fighting, it is not used for anything at all. Shaltar and I both thought that the castle would make a nice backdrop for the wedding. That was the first reason that we chose to have our wedding at Viking Raids. The second reason was that it would be cool enough to wear heavy Renaissance outfits without broiling in the heat.
As I mentioned earlier, we wanted our friends to have nice garb after the wedding was done. Everyone was able to choose their preferred color of dress and make clothing from that style. We only asked that they make certain the style was consistent with Renaissance Italy. We had been told that color themes and white wedding dresses were a Victorian creation. My research, which stated that both the bride and the groom wore their best clothes for the matrimonial ceremony, confirmed that fact that those ideas were not appropriate.
We also asked attending family members to wear garb. Most of our family members were thrilled by the opportunity to dress up and play with us. A few were concerned that they would feel out of place in garb. We reassured them that they would feel out of place in regular street clothes.
When planning to involved family at an SCA event with garb, the garb discussion goes much smoother if there are pictures available to show everyone how things look. Some women are concerned that they may not look right in garb because of their weight. Help them choose an apporpriate style and reassure them that most period garb is very flattering to all figures. It is only a matter of matching the right dress to the right woman. My father was still hesistant about a cotehardie until I explained that it was once a military garmet. This thrilled my father, who was retired Air Force, and he agreed. I even made his cotehardie out of a nice blue brocade. For those that needed, I reserved time to help them cut and sew. For those who could sew, I was available for consultation when needed.
I was a little concerned about how the many different fabrics and colors would look together at the wedding. I had not realized that the overall effect would be very rich and sumptuous. It reminds me of paintings that show the nobility processing or socializing in a garden.
A long time ago Sir Shaltar did not want anything to do with a period tent. His household harrassed him about it endlessly until he decided to purchase one. He liked the idea of having a Queen-size poster bed in his tent. Shaltar even went out and bought the legs for the bed. After we started dating, we took his idea and expanded upon it. Once we became engaged and we decided to have a Renaissance wedding, we decided to make our tent an important part of the showcase presentation.
After much discussion, we settled on decorating the tent with blue and burgundy with other accent colors. I had already completed the Noah's Arc Assisi pillow that is laying on the bed. We wanted to be able to hide our hanging clothes behind the bed. I came up with the idea of making an embroidered bed hanging. After some research, I settled on an Elizabethan style that used embroidered slips appliqued to velvet. While it did not go with the Italian Renaissance theme, it was a documentable A&S project. Regardless of bed hanging's origin, it definitely added to the coolness and wow factor that we wanted.
Somewhere along the way, I decided to make an Elizabethan bed hanging using silk slip appliqué. While it did not go with the Italian Renaissance theme, it was part of a different documentable A&S project. It would also definitely add to the coolnes factor. Heraldic motifs were very common for this style and embroideries were often completed to commemorate marriages.
The tent needed a period light source. We didn't want something that could be easily tipped over and cause a fire hazard. So, Shaltar decided to make a chandelier. He created the chandelier pictured here by playing with bits and pieces of metal. While the chandelier may not be documentable, it definitely had the look that we wanted. It also met our safety requirements.
All of our furniture, with the exception of the box, is collapsible. Because everything was intended to travel with us as we go camping, it is important that it break down for travel. The shelving unit is collapsible. The shelves are hinged. They fold upwards and the sides fold inwards. There is a bar to hang the curtain and cover the contents. The bar is slid through two metallic eyes and it bolts on either side. This adds a sturdy brace to the shelves.
The bed box was inspired by the need for on-site storage and travel-storage of the chandelier. In my research, I had read about the cassoni, Italian wedding chests. After reading more about them, Shaltar decided to create our own version that was inspired by the carved wooden cassoni. The carved decorations on the box are actually store-bought motifs from Home Depot. Shaltar stained them and attached them to the front of the box for a quick, but beatiful, box. The belt laying on the box is an Italian Wedding Girdle. For more information, please read my article about Italian Renaissance Weddings.
The queen size poster bed is also collapsible. The legs are connect with angle iron to the sides of the bed to form a 'box.' The slats are laid on an angle irons on both long sides. They are covered with heavy cloth that is thoroughly glued and stapled to the slats. The slates hook at the foot of the bed and a turn-buckle pulls them taught and squares the bed. This produces a hammock-like bed frame into which we place our air mattress. It sleeps fairly comfortably. Plastic bins hold our clothing and slide under the bed and out of vision. The bed skirt is actually three lengths of brocade. The cloths are velcroed to the inside of the bed's frame. This produced a very nice looking 'bedskirt' that folded very compactly and was easy to transport.
After we completed the tent with time to spare, we realized that we would not have adequate shade for our households and our families. So, we saved an purchased a porch. The porch also needed a light source and Shaltar created another chandelier. A table would be handy for many different preparations. So, Shaltar created a collapsible table. The center brace is bolted to the legs. The legs are bolted to the table. The table is hinged down the center. The legs, the brace, and the bolts are all stored on the inside of the folded table.
By this time, our small period tent had become a veritable travelling mansion. Shaltar was looking at a book showing Italian villas from the Renaissance and noticed that our ensemble was lacking in two different ways. First, it needed shrubbery. Realistic looking vines were purchased from a discount floral shop and they were twined around the legs and the crossbeams. Second, it needed statues. Every villa he looked at had dozens and dozens of statues surrounding them. This began the quest for appropriate statuary. We selected Athena and St. George from a garden shop. The mixture of different pantheons was also very common in the villas that Shaltar studied. Shaltar wanted candles to light the statues so he created the fleur-de-lys basis as a ground fire safety measure.
Because what little we knew about Italian Renaissance weddings was mostly second or third-hand information, I spent the summer before our wedding researching Renaissance weddings in general and Italian Renaissance Weddings in specific. The information that I found was very scattered across multiple volumes and I was having a difficult time with understanding the big picture. I began assembling a detailed outline which turned into an article on "Weddings in Renaissance Italy." The research paper did quite well at Kingdom Arts and Science Competition. Many people suggested that I submit it to Tournaments Illuminated who published it in their Autumn 2000 Issue.
Unfortunately, I ran out of time and did not have the time to research about period flowers. Luckily for me, a friend of mine knew this information. Sir Kytte once ran a flower shop and she knew which flowers were period and which flowers were not. She volunteered to do the flower arrangements for me. The lovely flower wreath and bridal boquet were her work. I've allowed them to dry and they hang on the wall of my sewing room today.
Once I had completed my research, I found myself completely at a loss for what to do with the information. I now knew what was done, when, and why. However, I had no idea at all on how to translate this information into an actual ceremony to be performed.
Luckily, Sir Orlando de Calvacatti, had a passion for things Italian and a love for writing ceremonies. I gave him a copy of my paper to show him what I had learned and he kindly transcribed it for me. Sir Orlando also kindly consented to play the part of the notary and participate in our wedding ceremony.
However, Orlando and Leonora came to expect their first child. (Congrautlaions, again!) As the wedding date grew closer, Leonora's delivery date was also approaching. She was not allowed to travel that close to her delivery date and there was no way either of them could attend the wedding. Mistress Calleja and Genevra stepped into that role and gave a fantastic performance.
During my research on Italian Renaissance Weddings, I found an actual example of a wedding contract. The contract was a legal document and its intent was to define the terms of the relationship. I took the sample and condensed a lot of the 'legalese' out of it. I changed the dates to match the Society's Date and the World's Date.
Shaltar and I asked Mistress Jehanne, a lady whose illumination work we both admired, if she would make a wedding scroll for us. The wonderful thing about the scroll is that she asked us, before we could ask her, if she could make one for us. It is beautiful.
The central motif shows an Italian wedding procession. It is a commonly shown scence on one of the cassoni. Jehanne changed the colors to match those of Shaltar and myself. The scroll is truly beautiful and the images here do not do it any justice. The original picture was a distance shot to photograph the entire scroll. As a result, the scan does not have good detail. At the bottom of the two columns, Jehanne rendered Shaltar's device in gold on the left column. Mine is on the right. 
We had the scroll specially matted and framed. It hangs in our living room above our fire place.
At the appropriate time during the wedding ceremony, Master Saher pulled out the contract scroll and showed it to the watching populace. After it was shown, all involved parties pretended to sign the scroll to make the contract official.
Contract Wording
In the year Anno Societatus 36, being 2000 Gregorian, Saturday, the 30 September, in the Kingdom of Meridies and in the presence of witnesses, Sir Shaltar Grayson does agree to wed Lady Clare de Estepa. The dowry has been delivered and counted out to the groom, receiving six hundred gold ducats of just weight and measure. In the presence of witnesses, the Lady Clare has affirmed willingness to take Sir Shaltar as her husband, according to the requirements of solemn matrimony. And then also in the presence of witnesses, Sir Shaltar has affirmed willingness to take Lady Clare as his wife. After consent of both parties, Sir Shaltar brought forth two gold rings, and with affection took and married his wife, and she likewise married him, each placing a ring on the third finger of the right hand.
Lord Thorgrimm announces the beginning of the wedding and the procession of House Black Lantern and House Muir Tabishe.
Unfortunately, the time of the day had the sun at such an angle that was blindingly bright. If I had realized this ahead of time, I would have constructed a heavy curtain to drape across the castle door. I think that it would have added to the illusion of a real castle but this idea is in retrospect.
To the left of the door are Kytte's lovely flower arrangements, Calleja, and Genevra. Sir Harald as the grooms best man and negotiation representative is present on the right side of the castle front.
My representative was Master Saher. He was my Laurel and the Head of my household, Black Lantern. By impinging on our Households, we were able to allow our family to sit back and enjoy the show. Weddings can often be very stressful for everyone and we wanted our families to be able to relax. My Apprentice-Brother, the Honorable Lord William MacNaughton is holding the household banner.
Master Saher was very intent on playing his role and negotiating to the best of his abilities in the
(Copyright 2003-2004, Katherine Estep Stephenson)