wed-recept-FAQ

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wed-recept-FAQ - 3/18/96

Medieval & Renaissance Theme Wedding FAQ: Questions about the Reception

NOTE: See also the files: weddings-msg, p-weddings-bib, wed-FAQ, p-marriage-msg,

Ger-marriage-msg, Scot-marriage-msg, beadwork-msg, silk-msg.

************************************************************************

NOTICE -

This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set

of files, called Stefan’s Florilegium.

These files are available on the Internet at:

http://www.florilegium.org

While the author will likely give permission for this work to be

reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first

or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.

Thank you,

Mark S. Harris

AKA: Stefan li Rous

stefan at florilegium.org

************************************************************************

Medieval & Renaissance Theme Wedding FAQ: Questions about

the Reception

***************************************************************

by and is maintained and copyrighted by Barbara J. Kuehl. All

suggestions and additions should be emailed to her at

bj at csd.uwm.edu. This document may be freely redistributed

without modification provided that the copyright notice is not

removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in

commercial documents without the written permission of the

holder.

****************************************************************

5.1: Can you give me some ideas of where we might hold our

medieval wedding reception?

From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)

Look for buildings in stone, half-timbered wood, brick, or very

rural. Find out about historic homes in your area, especially

those with a Tudor or English cottage or castle look. Outdoors

settings are perfect for a spring/summer Medieval wedding. If

you have the space, a big white tent would be nice & could be

decked out with banners & garlands.

-------------------------

From: "John A. Resotko" <Resotko at ahdlms.cvm.msu.edu>

Some possibilities we've considered:

1) Renting the Special Events pavilion at a Renaissance Faire

and holding the ceremony and reception there.

2) Finding a replica castle, keep, or gatehouse for the wedding

and catering the reception at a nearby hall (there are many

places scattered throughout the U.S. where people have created

their own castles, keeps, and medieval-looking buildings.)

3) Finding a particularly gothic church for the ceremony and

catering the reception at a nearby hall.

-------------------------

From bj at alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Barbara Jean Kuehl)

Although we wound up having our reception in the Executive

Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, we first considered having

it on the wooded grounds of a rural church. Had we done that,

we were visualizing a ceremony under the trees, followed by a

pigroast, picnic and dancing in the grass. Another place we

considered was a 15th century chapel transported from France and

erected on the Marquette University campus here in Milwaukee,

but it was too small for our ceremony much less our reception.

-------------------------

From: Patricia D. Mooney

We were married in the manor-like HyeHolde Restaurant, amid

tapestries and wood beams and candles. Perfect for setting the

tone.

-------------------------

From: byrdie at serv.net (Renee Ann Byrd)

A 1993 wedding I attended had a bit of medieval flavor to it.

The Episcopalian wedding was held in a well-hidden replica of a

14th century Scottish chapel.

-------------------------

From: michelle.campbell at stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Miche)

A couple of years ago I attended a medieval-style wedding which

was held in a scout hall.

-------------------------

From: june at netcom.com (June Petersen)

We had the wedding at an historic adobe in Milpitas (Higuera

Adobe) outdoors. We rented tables and chairs and had my friend,

a florist, put up and decorate an arch for the "altar".

-------------------------

From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)

After a couple of research trips to Santa Barbara, CA, we

settled on an outdoor location in Scofield Park in the hills

above the Santa Barbara Mission. Scofield has several green

fields surrounded by hills and trees with virtually no buildings

visible from the park. We were able to rent two adjacent 'Group

Sites' for $100. We used the more wooded one for the wedding,

and the other more open field for the reception area. We used

the picnic tables for the reception. We set two across one end

for the 'head table' and two rows leading away from the head

table like the arrangement in an old English manor house. That

left a 'playing' area in-between the rows of tables for the

entertainment.

-------------------------

From: ???????????????

I have done several renaissance weddings and am planning another

for my daughter. She will be getting married in a CASTLE! The

ceremony will be at night -- by candlelight -- and AFTER the

reception instead of before. We will party for a day, do the

rehearsal, then end the weekend with the candlelight wedding.

-------------------------

From: Guinevere1 at aol.com:

My fiance and I are having our medieval wedding at a place

called The Mansion in Pearl River, New York. It is modeled after

an Irish castle, complete with authentic stone work, oak

paneling, and stained glass windows. The manager, when asked if

we could have a medieval wedding, replied, "Why not? We've done

it before!"

-------------------------

From: Gwalhafed <ajc1019 at cus.cam.ac.uk> (Andrew)

For those getting married in Europe, have the wedding in a

Castle. Many of the more intact castles in the UK hire out their

banquet halls for functions. Some of the very intact ones hold

their own banquets regularly. A couple of friends just had a

high medieval Arthurian wedding at Caerphilly castle in south

Wales. It is worth bearing in mind that you have to book a long

way in advance and many castles that are open to the public are

only available in the evenings (though you will usually be able

to use the kitchens all day). Last time I was involved in

booking Caerphilly it cost 500 pounds to hire from 5.30 till

midnight with use of the kitchens all day. In the UK the best

people to contact if you don't have a particular castle in mind

would be English, Scottish or Cadw (welsh) heritage. For those

who can't use a real castle you can do wonders with some ivy,

candles, a few shields and some banners.

-------------------------

From: jthaman at interserv.com (John)

My lady and I have reserved the Great Stone Castle in which to

hold our wedding next year. The GreatStone Castle resides in

Sidney, Ohio and was constructed in 1895. It is complete with

turrents and a full wrap around porch. Inside it is richly

finished with all types of exotic hardwoods from around the

world. It is 4 stories of approximately 8000 sq. ft. The entire

upper level is reserved as the ballroom. Unfortunately this is

being renovated and will not be ready for our occassion. Our

wedding will be held in the front living area on the first floor

in front of a large fireplace. This will give my lady (Peg) the

opportunity to descend the grand staircase and make quite an

entrance. The castle sits atop a hill overlooking the downtown

area of Sidney. The grounds are very well kept with gardens and

shaded by many 100+ year old oak trees. There is a long winding

drive approaching from the rear of the castle, a great place for

a sendoff(?!!).

-------------------------

From: magda at gramercy.ios.com (magda)

I'm having my wedding at a beautiful woman's club that will be

decorated in a medieval way. We WERE going to have it either at

the Tarrytown Castle or the Lyndhurst Castle in Tarrytown, NY,

but decided to stay in NJ. There's also a cool historical place

in Ho-Ho-kus, NJ called the Hermitage. People should call their

town halls for historical info. Also they should try their

state's own bridal magazines. New Jersey Brides provided me

with my consultant, caterer, hall and musicians.

-------------------------

From: Leigh Ann (laschlorff at aol.com (LASCHLORFF)

I used the Boston Wedding Directory which lists many area

reception sites. It lists in all price ranges and is sectioned

by areas like Boston, Greater Boston, Northshore, etc.

-------------------------

From: Gretchen (gwade at oeb.harvard.edu)

If you go to the Massachusetts State House Bookstore, they can

sell you a booklet called "Historic places for historic parties"

for $4.00 (I think). I was amazed at what is available for

party rental. Everything from the Aquarium to historic homes.

I used it to find my site.

-------------------------

From: aam0709 at is.nyu.edu (Aliesha A. Murray)

We're having our wedding at the Medieval Times in New Jersey.

They have a jousting show with a huge meal (you eat with your

hands), and the price per head was actually cheaper than what

I'd be able to get for an equivalent amount of food (hors

d'oeuvres buffet, sit down dinner, fruit with the cake) in my

area. The price they quoted us was $68.50/person, and we're

getting an hors d'oeuvres buffet before the show, the standard

Medieval times dinner and show, fruit, open beer, wine and soda

with a champagne toast. They're even making the cake to look

exactly like the Medieval Times castle! They also have private

rooms (and semi-private areas for small parties like ours), and

most of the decorations are already done for you. Since they do

weddings a lot, the party manager is really helpful, and they

have locations all over the country.

-------------------------

From: rgray at csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Charatae)

My fiance are planning a Mediaeval/Celtic wedding ceremony to be

done in my parents front yard between two trees. As the "altar"

we are driving my fiance's 6 foot Claymore sword into the

ground.

-------------------------

From: ojid.wbst845 at xerox.com (Orilee Ireland-Delfs)

When my protege got married, the wedding was outside in her

sister's backyard with pavilions set up to provide shade for the

wedding itself, the cooks, and for the guests to dine under.

The main pavilion was decorated with large baskets of flowers

and an aisle was created with flowered garlands on poles and

large standing wooden candle holders.

-------------------------

From: andrade at kristina.az.com (L. Andrade)

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the bride's

parents' home. This saved Dee considerable money and also

allowed for plenty of time to decorate the house and backyard.

The house was simply gorgeous (being only two years old,

designed and built by her parents). The backyard was spacious

and had several dozen white rose bushes and other potted plants

that added splashes of color. There was a swimming pool with a

fountain placed in it for the wedding. Fortunately nobody fell

in but I was a bit worried during the reception when people were

dancing around.

================================================================

5.2: Is it possible to have a wedding at a renaissance faire?

From: jazzy at gti.net (JaZzY) (Gwen)

My fiance and I are planning our wedding for next August at the

New York Renaissance Faire in Sterling Forest, NY. We can have

it in a field or on a stage. There is a queen's banquet in the

afternoon which allows for wedding guests at group rates. We

will have the reception there.

-------------------------

From: sjd7901 at tam2000.tamu.edu (Stephen Decovic)

Texas Ren Faire (located 1 hour north of Houston, Tx) does a

wonderful medieval wedding. It includes a ceremony at a wood

beam frame chapel (open to sky and covered in flowering vines),

a wedding parade and food (I think). For more information call

1-800-458-3435.

-------------------------

From: derly2 at ix.netcom.com (Derly N. Ramirez II )

The Texas Renaissance Festival, located in Magnolia, Texas

(about 30 miles north of Houston) does weddings during the run

of the fair. They have several wedding packages and price

ranges. The price includes admission to the fair for the

wedding party and a ride in the Grande Marche for the bride and

groom. Options include wedding performed in the chapel, horse

drawn carriage for the bride. reception in the Italian gardens

(a private dining area), and full catering. The weddings must

be reserved in advance, and last year all but one slot was sold.

Performers attend the wedding adding a nice feel to the

proceedings.

-------------------------

From: w246 at gf001e0 at seag.fingerhut.com (Bruce Albrecht)

There was a wedding at Bristol (WI) RF. I know the Queen was

in attendance.

-------------------------

From: ladyjane at cyberverse.com (Lanfear)

I contacted the business offices of the RPFS and found that they

had an area in the back part of the Faire set aside for

weddings. The cost was $500 and the area was very pretty and

included hay bales for guests to sit on, table to serve the

reception, and a flower-covered arch under which we could have

the wedding. If I recall, the rental paid for 4 hours of use.

-------------------------

From: runyon at crc.ricoh.com

At the RPFN this year, there will be a REAL wedding in complete

period garb and, as much as possible, a complete Elizabethan

type ceremony...with mods to make it 20th century LEGAL.

-------------------------

From: gaswes at aol.com (Wendy Strader)

For those people who attend the RPFI faires, you know that

Deidre in PAD makes reservations for the wedding garden at both

Northern and Southern faires. This year RPFS had an herb garden

as a backround for weddings. Linda Underhill of LHC is a

minister and she also advises as to what would be appropriate

for a "period" wedding. Contact either one of these ladies for

advice. Deidre can be reached at RPFI and Linda can be

contacted at 415-459-5123.

-------------------------

From: Robert Fogle <rmf at cipr.mgh.harvard.edu>

I know King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA does weddings.

-------------------------

From: "Frank Caddeo <FRANK at UMBC2.UMBC.EDU>

The Maryland RenFest does weddings. The wedding takes place at

a small chapel set back in the trees in a shaded part of the

festival. The reception is next door at The Dragon Inn. This

is 3500 Sq Ft of deck. It is a very nice area, also set back in

the woods. They have an extensive costume wardrobe. Food and

drink available to the celebrants include Turkey Legs, Steak on

a Stake, Knave Sandwhiches (Italian Sausage) Popovers, soda,

lemonade, ice tea, and your choice of beer served on the

grounds. Generally a minstral or two will wander throughout the

wedding.

-------------------------

From: crowesnest at aol.com (Crowesnest)

Part of my job is being the event coordinator for weddings &

special events at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. If you

want info from that perspective, just drop me a line and I'll

try to respond...or you can call me at my office (800) 296-7304.

My name is C.J.

================================================================

5.3: I've been asked to decorate the reception hall for a

friend of mine having a medieval style wedding. Does

anyone know of any herbs/plants/assorted greenery that

would be appropriate? I would appreciate any ideas as to

how to decorate this hall.

From: djheydt at uclink.berkeley.edu (Dorothy J Heydt)

Well, the bad news is--some people in our area were asked this

question a while back and did the research--that it is not

period at all to decorate the interior of a building with vases

of flowers. That is a *Victorian* practice; our people even

came up with the name of the lady who first did it, but I've

forgotten it. The good news is that almost nobody knows this.

You *could* do whatever you think looks nice and you can afford.

I would suggest cutting evergreen branches and decking the

rafters with them, and garlands of flowers for the heads of the

wedding party. The most impressive way to decorate the

reception hall, in my opinion, is to borrow personal banners,

those of your group and neighboring shires, etc., and deck the

walls with those. Lotsa color. For my wedding, we decked the

church (ugly bare concrete) with banners and put garlands on the

heads of the wedding party.

-------------------------

From: amypamy at aol.com (Amypamy)

We had real ivy that I had cut from a friend's yard wrapped

around the tent poles everywhere. We had shields with our

mutual coats of arms painted on and hung above our seats. I

bought burgundy and forest green table runners for the head

tables and ivory table cloths with pansies in baskets as

centerpieces. I can't wait for pictures!!!

-------------------------

From: andrade at kristina.az.com (L. Andrade)

At my friend Dee's medieval wedding (which was held at her

home), there were tapestries hanging on the walls, black iron

candle holders placed throughout the front rooms and on the

walls (she found some of them at a garage sale for 50 cents

each!), and medieval-style flags hanging out in the backyard

from the fenceposts. She also borrowed a hand-made suit of

armour from a member of the SCA. I highly suggest this route if

you want some medieval-ish decorations or clothing. These

people are very proud of their handcrafted work, and most won't

mind showing it off by sharing it with you. She didn't even

remotely know this man and he still freely offered the use of

his armour and a sword, shield, and crossbow as well.

-------------------------

From: bj at csd.uwm.edu (Barbara Jean Kuehl)

I borrowed a suit of armor from a sister-in-law who borrowed it

from a friend-of-a-friend. No matter that the armor was really

a keg in disquise and that, if anyone had lifted the knight's

codpiece, they would have discovered a strategically-placed

spigot! Anyways, that suit of armor was the hit of the evening

as well as the site of many a posed picture! We also borrowed

three banners from some friends who purchased them at a

Renaissance Faire, and we hung them over the buffet table at

the reception.

-------------------------

From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)

Banners can be put together with fusible interfacing or glue

(although sewing looks nicer). All you need is cheap, colorful

fabrics, and maybe a few tassel or fringe trims. You can get

designs from any heraldry book in the library -- use a

photocopier to enlarge the designs. One book I recommend is

"Design Your Own Coat of Arms: An Introduction to Heraldry" by

Chorzempa, Rosemary A. (1987, Dover Publications, Inc.).

Available at art supply stores and bookstores. Lots of design

elements, clearly drawn, perfect for creating decorations that

reflect your interests and heritage.

-------------------------

From: platypus at glue.umd.edu (Amy E. Rottier)

We had a friend draw our coat-of-arms on shields that my fiance

cut out of plywood and sanded just right (with beveled edge and

everything!). She is also making a hanging sign for the house

(where we're having the wedding) out of wood. We're going to

sew up some banners this weekend!

-------------------------

From: Lee Spires <spires at one.net> (Tina Schutte)

We've decided to put hanging banners with my family crest along

the bride's side of the room and his family crest on his side as

well as on the groomsmen's surcoats. We'll also use our

combined crest/shield on a banner to introduce *our* new family.

We may have a couple of the ushers/groomsmen carry a banner on a

post (one of his & one of mine) during the processional and

present them to our fathers as a sign that we're giving them

back their names/households in order to begin one of our own.

-------------------------

From: bj at alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Barbara Jean Kuehl)

You could place the table for the wedding party in front of a

wall and hang your family crest/banners behind the chairs where

you will each sit. Or, if you mounted them on poles or on

trumpets carried by 'heralds', they could lead you to wherever

you are headed, such as the altar, the banquet table, or your

awaiting carriage. Very regal-looking!

-------------------------

From: platypus at glue.umd.edu (Amy E. Rottier)

My MOH had made a styrofoam castle as a centerpiece for our

shower. We cut a slot in the top of it and used it as a card

receptacle.

-------------------------

From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)

You can use flowers and greenery as decorations, particularly in

garlands and swags. Dried flowers are also good. Candlelight

and/or firelight is a nice touch. Baskets decorated with

greenery and dried flowers are also good choices.

-------------------------

From: Guinevere1 at aol.com:

I ordered (from Past Times catalog) beautiful hunter green

candles with gold Fleur de Lys on them and what they call

Medieval candles, which are white with an ornate design on them.

We also purchased banners at the New York Renaissance Fair to

hang on the walls. I picked up a book called "Heraldry: A

Pictorial Archive For Artists and Designers" by Arthur Charles

Fox-Davies, which we will use to make plywood shields to be

displayed.

-------------------------

From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)

We designed several banners that I sewed together, and we ringed

the site [in a park] with rope with strips of cloth tied-on

every foot or so. I also put together three grapevine arches

festooned with ribbons. We had a vine arch at the entrance to

the wedding field, one behind the wedding itself, and one at the

entrance to the reception field.) Vine arches are a symbol of

growth, fertility, and renewal. Also, when you pass through an

arch it is an entrance to a new world.

================================================================

5.4: Can you recommend any activities, besides dancing, for our

reception?

From: ojid.wbst845 at xerox.com (Orilee Ireland-Delfs)

The afternoon activities at a wedding I attended consisted of a

tournament for the bride's garter (the winner of the tourney won

her garter), a fencing tournament, archery, and a small court

conducted by the bride and groom before they left.

-------------------------

From: Ann.J.Welborne.2 at nd.edu (Anna Welborne)

My husband was dressed like Henry VIII, and in that famous

portrait (hands on hips), Henry is wearing two garters. So, at

the reception, I threw my bouquet, and he threw _his_ garter!

It was such a hoot!

-------------------------

From: Patricia D. Mooney

Between courses at the meal, we invited guests to entertain with

stories, juggling, poetry, etc. -- our medieval cookbook had

mentioned entertainment between courses, we liked the idea. And

it sure beats the normal sobby wedding toasts (we couldn't

completely avoid them, though!).

-------------------------

From: bj at alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Barbara Jean Kuehl)

To entertain people, we had jugglers and devil-stickers. You

might also consider 3 or 4 strolling minstrels, either playing

together or each playing to separate tables.

-------------------------

From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)

During the reception, two of the musicians suprised us by

binding our hands with a flowered band and singing a song about

love to us. Very nice. Binding the hands of the bride and groom

symbolizes the joining of the bride and groom into a new family.

-------------------------

From: ??????????

We're thinking of including a maypole dance in the festivities.

Our thought was to use different coloured ribbons to represent

each family name and have them woven together to represent the

bonding of both families.

-------------------------

From: chaos at shred.ugcs.caltech.edu (Tien-Yee Chiu)

I, er, do hope that you are, um...*aware* of what a Maypole

symbolizes and that it's probably a powerful fertility blessing.

The Maypole is essentially a large ritual phallus--check

virtually any book on old English customs. There's speculation

that the ribbon-weaving dance was originally a form of elaborate

foreplay, with the men and women getting much, much *much*

closer to each other as the ribbons were woven...Since May Day

is/was the pagan holiday sacred to sexual desire, this doesn't

seem all that unlikely. (The female correspondent to the

Maypole was the May basket (womb), carried by women and filled

with flowers that day. The May basket seems to have fallen out

of favor, though...leaving just the Maypole.) That being said,

it sounds like a marvelous "uniting" ceremony. You just might

want to be aware of the sexual overtones--if any of your guests

are aware of pagan tradition, they may have a hard time avoiding

ROTFL!

-------------------------

From: amypamy at aol.com (Amypamy)

We painted a natural gas tank that was in the [reception] area

green and put a dragon head and tail on it. We asked folks to

name the dragon. We read all the names, picked the ones we

liked best, then had a "clapping of hands" response to the

names. The winner won two tickets to the Renaissance Festival!

-------------------------

From hamilton at adi.com

Some friends of mine had a Renaissance-style wedding a couple of

years ago. The reception was themed as a masked ball (so the

family and friends could wear any costume they wanted). There

were enough masks on each table that everyone could wear one and

take it home as a keepsake. The wearing of masks was prevalent

throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, especially during the

Carnival season. The film "Much Ado About Nothing" (the Branagh

version) has a very nice masked party. The Liz Taylor-Richard

Burton version of Taming of the Shrew has a Carnival procession

wandering through Padua. And of course, there's Zefirelli's

Romeo and Juliet, where R&J meet at a masked party.

-------------------------

From: Jason_L at pop.com (Jason L)

Three people from SCA did a sword 'fight' concerning the meaning

of "Love" as part of the entertainment.

-------------------------

From: BlkKnightI at aol.com

My brother and I engaged in a sword fight (covering our sibling

rivalry through the years). Alas, an excess of mead was taken

on both parts and his hand was broken, which I feared would

place a damper on the festivities but lo' he was of good humor

that day and I escaped intact with my beautious bride!

================================================================

5.5: If you have an interesting idea for favors for my medieval

wedding reception, please tell me!

From: q2usa at aol.com (Q2 USA)

In my experience, favors at weddings are a relatively recent

addition. They probably became popular because people got tired

of the common personalized matches (with the social climate

becoming smoke-prohibitive, especially). I don't think that

these matchbooks were even meant as favors originally- they were

just a nice touch for the smoking guests to use at the wedding.

______________________

From: selene at eskimo.com (Selene Herself)

Remember, favors are not required at all. They are more

meaningful to people if they see a connection to you somehow.

______________________

From: fishcat at hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass)

In the world of chivalry, a favor was often a lady's scarf or

handkerchief, which she gave to her lover before he went into a

battle or joust. At Renaissance faires, favors are small

pendants, ribbons, rosettes, tassels, or other wearable trinkets

often given by the nobility. These favors represent the esteem

and affection of the giver for the recipient. Some other favor

ideas:

Parchment scrolls printed with a favorite poem and tied

with velvet ribbon

Miniature wreaths of dried flowers and herbs

Quill pens with a clever note attached

Velvet pouches filled with potpourri

Small flasks of mead or fruit wine

Tickets to a local Ren. faire (you might get a group rate)

______________________

From: ez052439 at bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu (Kris Jachens)

How 'bout ribbon rosettes? I'd think any of the things that

people wear and give each other as friendship tokens at Faire

would be appropriate. I like the rosettes because they can be

as simple or as ornate as you like, can be made pretty easily,

and could be relatively inexpensive if you can catch sales at

craft fabric stores.

______________________

From: bcarter at prairienet.org (Barbara J. Carter)

* You could buy flower seeds (in bulk) and have a print shop

print up medieval-looking envelopes for the seeds, maybe with

your SCA arms or a picture of a happy couple in medieval dress.

* You could print up parchment scrolls, maybe with a love sonnet

or just a medieval-sounding "hear-ye" kind of announcement.

Roll up and tie with ribbons.

* Gold-foil-wrapped chocolate "coins", custom imprinted with a

suitably medieval-looking phrase.

* For the sewing-machine set, you could make miniature (or

full-sized) "jester's caps" out of parti-colored fabric in the

wedding colors. Jingle bells on the tips add a special touch,

and then the guests can ring their bells to get the newlyweds to

kiss (instead of tapping their glasses). You could even require

that someone "cut a caper" or tell a joke in order to get you to

kiss.

* For those more interested in fantasy stuff: glass hand-blown

unicorns or other little figurines of glass or pewter (elves,

wizards, etc) can be fun little keepsakes, though this might get

expensive.

______________________

From: Ulrika O'Brien <ulrika at aol.com>

How about hand-made pomanders? Take a small citrus fruit

(tangerine, perhaps), tie it up with appropriate ribbons, and,

with a bow at the top, also make a wrist loop of ribbon so that

wedding attendants can wear the pomander if they wish, then

pierce the skin of the fruit that's still exposed between the

ribbons with whole cloves to cover. The pomander should dry out

over time to make a keepsake, and they smell wonderful fresh.

A bit expensive to do for more than the main wedding party,

though, unless it's a small wedding (it takes a lot of cloves).

______________________

From: Dawn Marie Neuhart <dn1g+ at andrew.cmu.edu>

We are having little brass bells. They are about 3 inches high

and are really cute. We're putting ribbons in our colors (one

thermographed with our names on one end and the date on the

other) on them as well. We thought that people could ring them

instead of clanging their glasses. They were very inexpensive

too, the bells were $1 each, and the ribbon was .50 for 8 yards,

and the thermography was $12 for 50 of them.

______________________

From: Jeneen Burton <jburton at sac.st-aug.edu>

I did a little thank you scroll and rolled it up with a gold

ring around it. I bought some parchment paper to print it on

and used my laser printer.

______________________

From: Barbara Jean Kuehl <bj>

We set up a table at the entrance to the reception room and

placed on it small parchment scrolls tied with green ribbons.

Each scroll had the name of a specific guest (or couple) on it.

The message on the scroll thanked them for sharing our wedding

with us, invited them to eat, drink and be merry, and informed

them discretely that drinks were 'on the manor'.

______________________

From: hthistle at bbnplanet.com (none)

Scrolls for weddings are usually about 4" by 6" and are rolled

up and held together with fake gold/silver bands or rings that

you can purchase at just about any craft store.

______________________

From: Lisa R Kouvolo <kouvolo+ at andrew.cmu.edu>

I think that a parchment scroll done in Canterbury font (like

the old-style block printing done when the monks first started

making printed books) would be nice.

______________________

From: "'Jherek' W. Swanger" <jswanger at u.washington.edu>

In the late Renaissance and Elizabethan periods, one gave

leather gloves to all the guests. Nosegays might be an idea

too. (I've seen many, many references to rosemary being carried

at late period weddings.)

______________________

From: Dawn Marie Neuhart <dn1g+ at andrew.cmu.edu>

I saw some little plastic "glass" slippers in the craft store.

[For people having a medieval fantasy wedding] you could fill

them up with Hershey's kisses or something.

______________________

From: chrisanthony at eworld.com (ChrisAnthony)

My favors are going to be small (4 inch diameter) grapevine

wreaths decorated with dried flowers. I'm putting the place

cards in the center so they will do double-duty.

______________________

From: "D. Peters" <dpeters at panix.com>

I would suggest bags of confits (hard candies popular among the

Elizabethans). "Dining with William Shakespeare" discusses the

Elizabethan fondness for these goodies (ever wonder why QEI had

black teeth?) and mentions, if I remember correctly, that bags

of confits might be given out at the end of a feast or exchanged

amongst friends.

______________________

From: welborne.2 at nd.edu (Anna Welborne)

We used ribbons to define the alliances of families. For

example, those of the bride's side wore small ribbons of pink

and white. Those of the groom's wore green and cream. Many have

told me they have kept the ribbons as Christmas ornaments - just

tiny streamers. It was neat for our families. One would see to

which side they belonged & then inquire about the relationship.

We distributed the ribbons at the guest register. One person was

totally responsible for explaining the tradition and helping to

pin the ribbons on. We got the idea from the fact that brides

were sometimes stripped at the altar by the men getting favors.

We found a picture of a girl worshipping the Virgin Mary

(presumably before her nuptials), and her sleeves and bodice

were totally be-ribboned to avoid being stripped.

______________________

From: Lisa R Kouvolo <kouvolo+ at andrew.cmu.edu>

I've seen Christmas decorations shaped like lutes that could be

decorated in one's wedding colors. They could be purchased at

an after-Christmas sale from one of those all-Christmas stores.

______________________

From: Lisa Livingston <procyon at icon.net>

I was perusing a book called Crafting with Lace and it spoke

about the history of Lace making and just how valuable lace was

during the time of Catherine of Aragon, Catherine de Medici,

Elizabeth I, etc. It then occured to me that favors made with

lace would not then be out of character for a Medieval wedding.

So, lace "pockets" filled with Chocolate (for a Medieval Spain

themed wedding) would work or Potpourri for an Tudor English

wedding. Anything trimmed with lace would also work, like

handkerchiefs or scarves. The more lace you could afford to

give away, the wealthier you would be in those times...so lace

makes a nice gift for wedding guests.

______________________

From: Lisa Livingston <procyon at icon.net>

You could make chocolate favors in the shape of dragons or

castles, though you might need to cast the molds for these

yourself...which is going to be the tricky part. Some rubber

stamps have dragons etc on them which can serve as a template,

but you would have to make a mold from it that would be

chocolate resistant.

______________________

From: Lisa Livingston <procyon at icon.net>

There are several small ribbon embroidery kits with dragons and

castles as are there books with Celtic designs. With ingenuity,

a bookmark or some small keepsake could be made from these.

Handkerchiefs would be appropriate, too. Put the family coat of

arms (or something) on it and make your guests swear fealty to

you. BTW, if you go the embroidery route, best leave a lot of

time or hold the guest list down.

______________________

From: panewman at uxmail.ust.hk (NEWMAN MARY)

My friend had bookmarks made to give to guests. She had a friend

who's a graphic designer create a logo for their wedding. A bit

over the top for me, personally, but it added a sort of unified

theme to the celebration and all the printed material (program,

invites, thank yous).

______________________

From combust at telerama.lm.com

How about lavendar stems shaped into a heart shape? I like this

idea because lavendar is a symbol of luck, and if you pack it

away with your winter clothes, it is supposed to keep the bugs

away.

______________________

From: Guinevere1 at aol.com

My fiance and I checked out a place called "The Sequin Garden"

located in Carlstadt, NJ. They do personalized favors. If you

go there with a unusual or specific idea, they will check their

sources and make up something for you. Right now they're in the

process of checking on medieval-looking ornaments for us to give

out as favors. When we were there last time, they showed us an

ornament they made for Christmas (approximately $6.50). It was a

gold cherub with dried flowers glued to it.

______________________

From hamilton at adi.com

At my friend's Renaissance-style wedding, the reception was

themed as a masked ball (so the family and friends could wear

any costume they wanted). There were enough masks on each table

that everyone could wear one and take it home as a keepsake.

______________________

From: ???????????????????

I have friends who are potters and threw 250 mugs for their

favors. I was lucky enough to get some of the leftovers, which I

use everyday for my morning tea. Obviously not everyone can do

this, but I thought it was a neat, off beat idea.

______________________

From: rachel at cs.oberlin.edu (Rachel Goodstein)

We're hopefully going to have mugs with our names and the

wedding date on it. i figure mugs are something people can use.

DO NOT get them from an invitations specialist 'cause they are a

LOT more money..we are going through a business for companies.

______________________

From: whh at PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)

Lord Iulstan Sigewealding and his lady, Juturna the Musical,

were married at the end of June. As a very nice touch for the

wedding feast, they got a lot of wooden plates for the feast and

then gifted them to the wedding guests afterwards.

______________________

From: sarkes at tnpubs.enet.dec.com ()

The best idea I've seen so far is a nicely decorated bushel

basket full of different color and scent votive candles,

stationed by the table with the guest book and place cards.

Guests can take a candle as they enter or leave the reception.

______________________

From Beth (bp2f at virginia.edu)

My sister made the favors. She started with small candles (6"

tapers). Each candle had a piece of lace wrapped around it and

tied into a bow. A small piece of baby's breath was tied into

the bow. These were done in my wedding colors (pink candles

with white lace). They looked very nice and were quick to make.

______________________

From: elnat at netcom.com (Los Trancos Systems)

We are both crazy about candles and even have some candle making

equipment. Hence, we are going to make small candles in a

meaningful shape to give as favors. Can make them months in

advance.

______________________

From: petersen at math.umass.edu (Chris Petersen)

For my wedding this June, my mom is making the favors. We came

up with small, ivory. beeswax candles tied with a purple ribbon

and an attached card that has our names and the date. The

candles are easy to make and apparently not expensive. The wax

is available in all sorts of colors at craft shops in sheets

that you cut to whatever size you want and roll around the wick

to make a candle. Mom says they're really quick to make; she's

making them about 4" tall, and we're tying them in pairs, both

on the same wick to symbolize the unity of the marriage.

______________________

From: shom0004 at gold.tc.umn.edu ()

I bought 70 kazoos and to each one affixed a small label that

said: Mike and Nirah - March 25th 1995 (The labels were mailing

return address labels, printed on clear plastic. There are

several companies that will gleefully print these up for you

(they cost about $5 for a couple of hundred) that regularly

advertise in the coupon sections of the Sunday paper) I am

handing these out instead of rice after the ceremony. I would

much rather be serenaded than pelted with grain.

______________________

From bab2 at nestor.cc.bellcore.com (barter,elizabeth)

I went to a wedding once where the favors were personalized

kazoos, yo-yos and spinning tops (I think the groom's brother

owned a toy business). It was great fun, especially when one of

the tables seranaded the B&G on the kazoos.

______________________

From: turner at reed.edu (Johanna Turner)

For the favors, we're going to print up small booklets of the

recipes we used. This solves many problems: People will remember

the wedding whenever they make anything from our recipe booklet.

And if we print them at the college print shop, it shouldn't

cost more than 50 cents each, maybe a little more depending on

how many pages we have. Printing is 5 cents per page. And it

will give me something to play with in the last few weeks before

the wedding to keep me out of trouble. And I'll have a record of

all the food we used.

****************************************************************_

Stefan's Florilegium

wed-recept-FAQ