Gunston Hall Docent
Wedding season is coming. In fact, April 4, 2014, is Colonel Mason and Ann Eilbeck Mason’s 264th wedding anniversary! In the spirit of love and the colonial way, read on to learn more about colonial weddings and traditions.
The Season
Most 21st century brides plan their weddings for
May through October, because those months are generally the most pleasant
weather-wise. But the Colonists needed that time to plant, grow, and harvest
their crops, as well as conduct business. November through April were better
months for things like travel and significant celebrations… like weddings. Many
weddings took place close to Christmas time, and particularly during the 12
days of Christmas (December 25-January 6). Instead of a matter of aesthetics,
it was a matter of convenience.
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A Reproduction of Sarah Fairfax Carlyle’s
1747 Wedding Dress at Carlyle House Historic Park.
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Attire
Colonists rarely wore beautiful white dresses to boast of
their purity and chastity, as that tradition came later. So what did brides
wear? Why, their Sunday best, of course! The typical colonial bride wore her
best dress. If she had one made, it would likely be nicer than her others, but
she would definitely be wearing it again, probably to church or a grand ball.
If you happened to be Sarah Fairfax marrying John Carlyle in
1747, you would have been wearing the dress pictured below:
Rings
Well, of course they wore gold wedding bands, just like
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| Thimble that could have been cut. |
Yes, the colonists, particularly those of puritan leanings,
shunned jewelry in general, thinking it vain and unnecessary. Thimbles,
however, were very practical things, and were therefore acceptable. A woman
would receive a thimble in exchange for her hand in marriage, and she would cut
off the wide end to wear around her ring finger. Gentry could afford a thin
metal band, of course, but usually only for the wife. Interestingly, men did
not usually wear wedding bands until World War II, to remind them of their
sweethearts back home.
Young Love
Everyone knows the colonists married very young. Most
couples married at 14 for ladies, and 16 or so for men, right? Not at all! Here
is something we 21st century folks have in common with our colonial
ancestors: they married in their early-to-mid-twenties. Gentlemen were allowed
to court ladies of 14 or 15, but they were certainly under no obligation to
take the first offer they were given. Though our Colonel George Mason and the
lovely Ann Eilbeck were 25 and 16, respectively, colonial ladies generally wed
around age 22, gentlemen age 26.
The Cake
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Made for Gunston Hall from and 18th century
receipt for Queen’s Cake.
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Now onto the most important (or at
least most delicious) portion of our colonial wedding: the cake. Yes, even when
sugar and various other ingredients were quite the expensive commodities,
Americans found a way to have not one, but two cakes. Believe it or not,
groom’s cakes were included as part of the festivities even in the 17th and 18th
centuries. The wedding cake was typically a dense spice cake, and the groom’s cake
was usually a dark fruitcake.
Even earlier than the cakes,
however, was the tradition of a bride’s pie. This was a mince pie, made of
sweet bread, and a piece of nutmeg may be hidden inside. The young lady who
found the nutmeg would be the next woman to marry. Similarly, unwed female
attendees would break the cake or pie into small pieces that would fit through
the bride’s wedding band (or thimble). Instead of eating this bite of cake, the
young girls would take it home and place it under their pillow, which was
rumored to make them dream of the man they would marry.
The Bouquet
Flowers? Nay! It’s herbs that colonial
brides would hold on their wedding day. It was thought that strong-smelling
herbs would ward off evil spirits that may sabotage the wedding or steal away
the bride. In weddings even earlier than the 18th century, herbs
like garlic and dill were thought to keep that pesky Plague at bay. Perhaps many of the herbs in our reproduction herb garden
could have been used in Ann Eilbeck’s bouquet, or even one of the Mason
daughters’ wedding bouquet.
These are just some of the traditions and contrasting
versions of today’s wedding components. Let’s take a moment to remember George
Mason and Ann Eilbeck Mason’s wedding day so many years ago. Next time you’re
in the house, take a look at the wedding portraits in the Palladian room, and
imagine their friends and families wishing them well. The next time you attend
a 21st century wedding, appreciate the details and traditions that
have been practiced in many forms through so many years. And take notes, one
never knows what curiosities people will have 264 years in the future. Perhaps
someone will be researching our wedding practices or re-enacting our weddings.
Sources:
Basic, Amela and Dierdre Clancy Steer. Costume and Fashion: Colonial America. Woodlands Hove, England:
Bailey Publishing Associates, Ltd.
The American Wedding, “The
Wedding Ring: A Brief History.” http://www.theamericanwedding.com/blog/2009/the-wedding-ring-brief-history/,
20 April 2009
Charlton, Reno. (31 March 2005, orginial) "The
History of Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands". Your Marriage
Celebrant (from EzineArticles.com). Retrieved 2 June 2013.
BHLDN, “A Brief History of the Wedding Band,” http://www.bhldn.com/b-inspired/b-inspired-dressing/a-brief-history-of-the-wedding-band
(date unknown).
Hammond Harwood House “18th Century Marriage.” http://hammondharwoodhouse.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/18th-century-marriage/
(24 August 2012).
Food Timeline: history notes, About Colonial Wedding Cake, http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcolonial.html#colonial
(27 December 2013).
Delicious History Blog, The
Wedding Cake: A History, http://delicioushistoryblog.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/the-wedding-cake-a-history/
(6 August 2012).
How Stuff Works, 10
Wedding Traditions with Surprising Origins, http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/10-wedding-traditions-with-surprising-origins.htm#page=1
(date unknown).
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