Medieval Wedding Ceremony and Reception Sites
One of the most difficult aspects of having a medieval wedding in our modern world is finding a suitable location. Look for old, gothic type churches, historical buildings, Tudor style homes or large open park areas or gardens. With some clever decorating, you can make almost any location have the look and feel of a medieval castle or garden, without actually having to be in one.
Here are several ideas on where to hold your medieval theme wedding and reception. Make sure to keep a list of sites you look at, taking note of their good and bad points and list ideas that you can incorporate into your medieval scheme:
- Churches – Many Victorian churches are built from stone and have a historical look and feel to them. A nice setting would be at a local country church in the area. You will need to speak to the clergy at several churches to see if they are willing to officiate at a medieval wedding. This could be a problem, however, as most will want to stick to a traditional type of wedding.
- Renaissance Festival or Fair – Many areas hold Medieval or Renaissance fairs, especially in the fall. Most conduct wedding ceremonies during the fair, or will allow you to arrange your wedding ceremony to take place at their fair. The only drawback to this is that it might not be a private ceremony. If you have it at a festival, they might insist that your wedding be part of the festival.
- Historical or Victorian Homes – Check your neighborhood or nearby town for historical homes in the gothic or Tudor style. Sometimes, you can rent out these historical homes in your community.
- Chalets and Inns – Consider having your wedding and reception at a Country Inn or Chalet in the mountains. Most will have a kitchen for catering and a dining room.
- Hotels – A popular spot for wedding receptions are local hotels. They have plenty of room, and your guests can stay right in the hotel. A draw back to this location is that in many cases the room you are reserving may be in use the night before and you won’t be able to get in to set up until early morning, the day of the wedding. Also, even if you can get in to set up the day before, you may be charged for booking the room for two days, instead of for one.
- Medieval Castles – If you live in an area with a castle in the vicinity, you are very lucky. Find out who owns it and see if they are willing to allow you to use their castle for your medieval wedding. If you are willing to travel, there are a number of castles in Europe who book out to wedding parties. If you dig deeply enough, you may be able to find replica type castles in the United States and Canada as well.
- Backyard – A backyard setting can be lovely for an outdoors medieval wedding, especially if it has a beautiful garden. Make sure the site has mature trees, lots of flowers, benches, and enough room to accommodate your guests.
- Local Wooded Park or Botanical Gardens – If you have park areas that are filled with trees and pathways, with some open field space; this would be a great location for a medieval wedding.
Use your imagination when searching for a location for your medieval theme wedding. You may be surprised as to what’s out there that you could use to capture the spirit of you theme.
