Historic Inspiration vs. Historic Accuracy

So I figured that I should talk about my historically inspired wedding given that I've started a blog about such things. Our wedding is Medieval/Renaissance/fantasy inspired. Why so general? Why didn't I zero in on a particular time period? Why aren't I emphasizing accuracy? Although I've read about weddings that do just that and were both beautiful and successful, I had to really think about what was important to my future husband (FH) and me. I also had to take into account what my friends and family would be willing and able to do. If I insisted on having a Tudor era Elizabethan court wedding where everyone in attendance was requested to wear garb in accordance to the sumptuary laws, it would not have gone over well. Those sort of outfits are very complicated and expensive. It wouldn't have worked for my budget nor that of my family and friends'. At the same time, I don't want to dress like a peasant. I pretty much do that every summer at the Sterling Renaissance Festival. Shouldn't I be allowed to feel like a queen, princess, or at least a duchess at least once in my life? In regards to guests, my FH and I feel that it is more important to have our friends and family there to celebrate with us than to have them all adhere to a very strict dress code. At the same time we want to encourage people to dress up because the costumes are very much part of the decor.

We decided to take a majority of inspiration from the Renaissance Festival. Although Sterling's is "set" in Elizabethan England, people come dressed from all periods and countries. Some come dressed as fairies, elves, Captain Jack Sparrows, gypsies, and even samurai. Not necessarily historically accurate, but they're trying and having fun while learning a little bit about history. That's what's most fun and important to the FH and me at the faires. I wanted to share that atmosphere with my wedding guests.


Oh, and also... I really like to dance to modern music. Making the wedding historically inspired rather than accurate allows for that. ;)

So this will be the first of several posts in regards to my own wedding. I hope this one didn't ostracize or offend those brides and grooms planning a period-specific, historically accurate wedding. Those are awesome too, especially when they work for your wants, budget, and guests.

Plague Doctors and Medieval Music!

Ah, the plague doctors, or beak doctors as they were also known... What an oddity of history.

And yet, my future brother-in-law wants to dress as one for my upcoming Medieval/Renaissance wedding. At first I wasn't fond of the idea. He is in the wedding party after all. Then I decided that, as long as the mask stayed off for the ceremony, I didn't much care. The main point in getting people to dress up is to have fun, after all. At least that's become my opinion. :P

A friend recently showed me this amazing plague doctor costume. How cool is that? My brother to be is hoping to experiment with leather for his mask. If his plans work out, I will post the results for the world to see!


I also want to share a website I found about musical instruments used in early music. I don't know about you, but, while listening to pieces of Medieval or Renaissance music for wedding ideas, I often wonder what certain instruments are. Of course, many of us are very familiar with the harp, the lute, the bagpipes, and the dulcimer. But what about the lizard? The rauschpfeife? The psaltery? Or the haunting gemshorn? Many of the instruments come with sound clips and sometimes whole songs. You can even see what the inside of a hurdy-gurdy looks like! This site is an excellent resource for anyone concerned with period music!