Regency Weddings
This article was born out of a grand response to a newsletter. For a contest, I gave readers the chance to ask a question about Regency weddings–and they flooded in! I had so many entries, which led to a lot of great discussions, so I decided to turn them all into an article for everyone to share.
The Hardwicke Marriage Act of 1753
The passage of this law set forth the rules that we have become familiar with in our Regency era tales. Parental consent became required for anyone under the age of 21 to marry.
Banns
After this law, a couple had to arrange the reading of the banns in both of their respective parish churches. They had to be read for three weeks before a marriage could take place.
Here’s the wording of the banns:
“I publish the Banns of marriage between [Groom's Name] of [his local parish] and [Bride's Name] of [her local parish]. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is the first [second, third] time of asking.”
If there was no objection, the couple could then be married. The ceremony had to take place in the parish church of one of the pair and it had to occur between 8am and Noon.
St. George’s in Hanover Street was the parish church for much of Mayfair, which is why you see so many weddings take place there in Regency Romance.
If the wedding didn’t take place within 3 months of the final reading, then they had to be read again.
Bishop’s License or Common License
If they did not wish to wait, a couple could spend 10 shillings and get a Common License from any bishop or archbishop. They had to provide parental/guardian consent and swear that there was no impediment to the marriage. The couple could then marry, but only in the church of a parish where one of them had lived for at least 4 weeks. The license was valid for 30 days.
Special License
This was an option mainly for the wealthy, as a Special License had to be obtained from the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Doctors Commons in London. It cost 4 or 5 British pounds, depending on the year. Again, they had to swear to parental consent and that there was no impediment to the marriage. Names had to be filled in, not left blank. But it allowed the couple to marry at any convenient place or time of day.
Quite a few Regency historical figures went this route and married at home. Some did not want a society wedding, some wished to avoid the mobs that could gather outside. Lord Byron and Princess Charlotte both had small ceremonies in someone’s home.
Engagements
Some sources say that Regency brides did not receive engagement rings. Others maintain that, especially in the case of a long engagement, the girl might receive a ring as a token of affection and promise.
Engagements were much shorter in the Regency as compared to now. Couples often married as soon as the banns were finished, within a month of becoming betrothed.
Engagement parties were sometimes held. I had quite a few questions about wedding planning. There were some things to get accomplished! The groom and the bride’s father would hash out the marriage contracts. The bride might shop for a trousseau. She might buy a special new gown for the wedding, but it would not necessarily be white. They would write out the invitations–they were not printed– and arrange for the banns to be called. A wedding breakfast was often arranged for after the ceremony, and a bridal trip was sometimes planned, often to visit family who could not make the wedding. Not quite the hoopla we deal with now, but still a lot of work!
Marriage Settlements
The law transferred all of a new wife’s property and wealth to her husband, which is why the marriage settlements were so important. They saw to the transfer of her dowry, but also to the amount of ‘pin money’ the wife would be allotted during a year. They would address what inheritances her children would receive (children other than the heir, of course) and made provisions for the wife in the event of her husband’s death.
The Wedding Dress
The white, lacy wedding dress we think of became popular after the Regency. Queen Victoria started the tradition when she wore a dress of heavy silk and lace when she married her Albert. A Regency bride might simply wear her best dress when she married. She might commission a new one for the occasion, but it would then become her best dress and would be worn again later, for special occasions.
A lot of people asked me if the “Something borrowed, Something blue” rhyme was in effect. The first article that custom is mentioned in is dated in the Victorian era, and it was popular then. But, the article also called it an ancient verse, so I believe it could have been used in the Regency, but I haven’t seen any direct source.
The Ceremony
Regency weddings were small and simpler than what we expect today. Guests were few. Family did not travel to attend, usually. A bride’s father did walk her down the aisle. The words of the ceremony are very similar to the traditional ceremony we think of today. The bride received a ring, but not the groom. There is mention of bridal attendants standing up with the married pair, but they would not have been in matching outfits or had specific wedding related duties.
The Wedding Breakfast
I also had many questions about the Wedding Breakfast. People wondered: Why a breakfast? Well, if you’ve read the above, you’ll see that most weddings took place between 8am and Noon–and suddenly it makes sense!
The wedding breakfast could be a small, short affair or a large celebration lasting much of the day. The food would vary too. They often did have cake, but it would not be a large, tiered white cake like we think of, nor was there a cake cutting ceremony. Most likely it would have been a fruit cake, symbolizing fertility.
Honeymoon?
Many people wrote asking if a Regency couple would take a honeymoon. And the answer is…maybe. Depending on their circumstances, a newly wedded couple might dive straight into their normal married life. Or starting in the early 1800s they began to take a page from Indian culture and take a few days to spend visiting family who could not make the wedding. Gradually the idea of the extended ‘bridal trip’ grew, which could be something as elaborate as a months long trip through Europe.
The Hardwicke Marriage Act of 1753
The passage of this law set forth the rules that we have become familiar with in our Regency era tales. Parental consent became required for anyone under the age of 21 to marry.
Banns
After this law, a couple had to arrange the reading of the banns in both of their respective parish churches. They had to be read for three weeks before a marriage could take place.
Here’s the wording of the banns:
“I publish the Banns of marriage between [Groom's Name] of [his local parish] and [Bride's Name] of [her local parish]. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is the first [second, third] time of asking.”
If there was no objection, the couple could then be married. The ceremony had to take place in the parish church of one of the pair and it had to occur between 8am and Noon.
St. George’s in Hanover Street was the parish church for much of Mayfair, which is why you see so many weddings take place there in Regency Romance.
If the wedding didn’t take place within 3 months of the final reading, then they had to be read again.
Bishop’s License or Common License
If they did not wish to wait, a couple could spend 10 shillings and get a Common License from any bishop or archbishop. They had to provide parental/guardian consent and swear that there was no impediment to the marriage. The couple could then marry, but only in the church of a parish where one of them had lived for at least 4 weeks. The license was valid for 30 days.
Special License
This was an option mainly for the wealthy, as a Special License had to be obtained from the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Doctors Commons in London. It cost 4 or 5 British pounds, depending on the year. Again, they had to swear to parental consent and that there was no impediment to the marriage. Names had to be filled in, not left blank. But it allowed the couple to marry at any convenient place or time of day.
Quite a few Regency historical figures went this route and married at home. Some did not want a society wedding, some wished to avoid the mobs that could gather outside. Lord Byron and Princess Charlotte both had small ceremonies in someone’s home.
Engagements
Some sources say that Regency brides did not receive engagement rings. Others maintain that, especially in the case of a long engagement, the girl might receive a ring as a token of affection and promise.
Engagements were much shorter in the Regency as compared to now. Couples often married as soon as the banns were finished, within a month of becoming betrothed.
Engagement parties were sometimes held. I had quite a few questions about wedding planning. There were some things to get accomplished! The groom and the bride’s father would hash out the marriage contracts. The bride might shop for a trousseau. She might buy a special new gown for the wedding, but it would not necessarily be white. They would write out the invitations–they were not printed– and arrange for the banns to be called. A wedding breakfast was often arranged for after the ceremony, and a bridal trip was sometimes planned, often to visit family who could not make the wedding. Not quite the hoopla we deal with now, but still a lot of work!
Marriage Settlements
The law transferred all of a new wife’s property and wealth to her husband, which is why the marriage settlements were so important. They saw to the transfer of her dowry, but also to the amount of ‘pin money’ the wife would be allotted during a year. They would address what inheritances her children would receive (children other than the heir, of course) and made provisions for the wife in the event of her husband’s death.
The Wedding Dress
The white, lacy wedding dress we think of became popular after the Regency. Queen Victoria started the tradition when she wore a dress of heavy silk and lace when she married her Albert. A Regency bride might simply wear her best dress when she married. She might commission a new one for the occasion, but it would then become her best dress and would be worn again later, for special occasions.
A lot of people asked me if the “Something borrowed, Something blue” rhyme was in effect. The first article that custom is mentioned in is dated in the Victorian era, and it was popular then. But, the article also called it an ancient verse, so I believe it could have been used in the Regency, but I haven’t seen any direct source.
The Ceremony
Regency weddings were small and simpler than what we expect today. Guests were few. Family did not travel to attend, usually. A bride’s father did walk her down the aisle. The words of the ceremony are very similar to the traditional ceremony we think of today. The bride received a ring, but not the groom. There is mention of bridal attendants standing up with the married pair, but they would not have been in matching outfits or had specific wedding related duties.
The Wedding Breakfast
I also had many questions about the Wedding Breakfast. People wondered: Why a breakfast? Well, if you’ve read the above, you’ll see that most weddings took place between 8am and Noon–and suddenly it makes sense!
The wedding breakfast could be a small, short affair or a large celebration lasting much of the day. The food would vary too. They often did have cake, but it would not be a large, tiered white cake like we think of, nor was there a cake cutting ceremony. Most likely it would have been a fruit cake, symbolizing fertility.
Honeymoon?
Many people wrote asking if a Regency couple would take a honeymoon. And the answer is…maybe. Depending on their circumstances, a newly wedded couple might dive straight into their normal married life. Or starting in the early 1800s they began to take a page from Indian culture and take a few days to spend visiting family who could not make the wedding. Gradually the idea of the extended ‘bridal trip’ grew, which could be something as elaborate as a months long trip through Europe.