Jess,
I found this on the net.
I've been asked to decorate the reception hall for a friend of mine having a medieval style (shakespeare)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?
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:
[email protected] (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:
[email protected] (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:
[email protected]:
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:
[email protected] (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:
[email protected] (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 (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:
[email protected] (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:
[email protected] (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:
[email protected] (SUE)
A German uncle of mine is carving a huge wooden castle for us.
-------------------------
From:
[email protected] (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:
[email protected] (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.
