Regency Era Weddings

I loved researching about Regency Era weddings for A Siege on Her Heart.

Who doesn't love a wedding, right?

But you may not know that Regency Era weddings were quite different from the wedding you're imagining or even some of the portrayals you've seen in period drama films and shows. Many of the wedding traditions that we pay homage to in weddings today were actually started in the Victorian Era, or even later. 

So what did exist in a Regency wedding?

A WEDDING PARTY

-Regency weddings were more of a small family celebrations. There was not much of a "wedding party" sporting tons of bridesmaids and groomsmen. The groom had a best man and the bride had a few bridesmaid/attendants, usually her sisters. And you didn't invite every single acquaintance either. No address forms going out on social media. No "save the dates" being sent in the mail. (Although banns were read and that was a sort of save-the-date but thats another matter entirely)

A VENUE

-Regency weddings usually took place in the local church. If you were one of the Ton, you might have your wedding take place in a more prestigous church in London. And weddings had to be performed inside a church, in the first half of the day, unless you had procured a special license. (Ever heard of one of those? They were quite expensive. Authors like to work them in to cause a little drama)

A PARTY

-Regency weddings usually had a small wedding breakfast for the limited guests invited after. This is partially due to the nature of weddings usually being scheduled in the morning.

A WHITE GOWN

-Most Regency brides actually wore their best gown, regardless of color. If they were well off, they'd have a gown made for the special occasion. The most popular wedding gowns sported floral appliques, lace, fringe, pearl beads, and more. White wedding dresses weren't made widely popular until Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1842. The symbol of white meaning a virtuous bride also became more prevalent during this later time, due to Queen Victoria's emphasis on traditional values.

A VEIL

-Veils weren't common during this time. Most brides would wear a beautifully made bonnet or cap. In A Siege on Her Heart, Ana wears a short, black, lace veil as was tradition in her Spanish culture. That had more to do with ceremonial/traditional clothing than it did a bridal veil.

More weddings coming...

I've also worked a wedding into book 2! It will be drastically different from Ana and Peter's wedding for a lot of reasons. I hope you'll be able to read it soon! Check out my progress on book 2 by going to the "My Books" tab!

Those are just a few short thoughts on Regency era weddings! I'd love to know about your favorite wedding depicted in the Regency era. 

Happy reading!

Jessica