Regency Weddings
Regency weddings were very different in Jane Austen's day. They weren't the overly expensive extravagant white wedding that we know today. They were mostly private family events and held in the parish in which one of the couple resided. The very rich could purchase a special license to get married in the family drawing room if they wished.
Both bride and groom had to be 21 years old or have the consent of a parent in order to marry according to the Marriage Act of 1753. As with today's weddings there had to be two witnesses present to be legal. As with today's weddings, the groom would place a ring on the woman's fourth finger, and the ring was usually made of gold. However, the groom did not wear or receive a ring. Most weddings took place in the morning, unless the couple had a special license, after the banns of marriage. These were the public announcement in a Christian parish church of an impending marriage to allow anyone to raise any impediment to the marriage to prevent invalid marriages. Whereas these days it is generally accepted that there will be a reception or evening do after the wedding, in Georgian/Regency times this was not always the case. Indeed in Pride and Prejudice, Mr & Mrs Collins set off straight to Kent from the church! There would sometimes be a wedding breakfast after with close family and friends before the couple set off for their honeymoon (if they could afford one). Wedding cakes did exist at the time as one features in Emma at Miss Taylor's wedding to Mr Weston. It's unclear how common they were at the time.
It is unknown just how common the white wedding dress was during the period. Jane's niece wore a “a dress of fine white muslin, and over it a soft silk shawl, white shot with primrose, with embossed white-satin flowers, and very handsome fringe.” It was usually standard for the lady to wear her best dress and this could be of any colour. The dress could then be worn at special occasions thereafter or used as Sunday best. Lace was expensive so many brides could not afford to have a veil. Veils became popular later in the Century. Most brides wore a cap or put flowers in their hair. Queen Victoria later made fashionable many wedding traditions, such as the white wedding dress and all flower bouquet. Herbs were sometimes used in Regency bouquets as well as flowers and greenery that were in season. The rich could afford flowers not in season from a hot house. Weddings would usually be announced in the local paper. Jane noted about one wedding in her letters: "I have never seen it in the papers, and one may as well be single if the wedding is not to be in print". *I hope to gather more information in future about Georgian/Regency weddings and expand on this post.
