By Art Gib

Every level of the society - be it the peasants or the middle class or the wealthy or even the royalty - the Elizabethans loved a good time, especially so in the case of weddings.

The origins of many of the wedding customs used today can be traced back to the Elizabethan weddings, and these include the exchanging of vows and rings, creating and eating of wedding cakes, the passing of the garter and may more. Elizabethan weddings also gave birth to the notion of bridal party processions and brides wearing wreaths of blossoms and carrying bouquets with love knots.

Wedding dresses of the Elizabethans tended to fall into two broad categories: (1) white, billowy dresses with long sleeves, antique bows and lace, and with a number of tiny buttons, (2) heavy brocades ornamented with lace and threads in glittering metallic colors. And regardless of the style, the dress had a low neckline revealing ample cleavage, and with the bride’s body otherwise fully covered with a number of corsets and petticoats resulting in a huge, ball-gown style skirt.

The hair was worn long and loose, often extending to the waist level. Women would create soft, flowing curls and it would be difficult to see a bride without a crescent shaped cap of herbs prominently adorning her head. The Elizabethans had in fact developed a sort of obsessions with herbs and, infatuated with both the fragrance and historical significance of these plants, they incorporated herbs into every possible part of the wedding, from the bride’s headdress to the embellishment of candelabrums at the dining tables.

The predominantly used herbs were marjoram, chive, sage, “Blue Ribbon” echinops, parsley, rosemary, lavender and thyme. These herbs used to line walkways and encompass the gardens; also, they would be grouped into bundles based on such factors as color and fragrance.

Small bunches of herbs called “tussie-mussies”, which were essentially little tied posies of sweet-smelling herbs, were carried by the bridesmaids at the weddings. These were often unique from one another, however they complemented each other in color and fragrance. Typical colors schemes for Elizabethan weddings included sage greens, yellowy creams, dusty pinks and soft golds.

The bride’s bouquet was usually in the form of a “pomander,” or flower-ball and about twice the size of the bridesmaids’ tussie-mussies. Essential function of the pomander was to perfume the air around the bride and the herbs used for this purpose included small flower blossoms in purple or muted yellow, thistle, various shades of sage and marjoram.

So, if you planning to recreate an uniquely stunning Elizabethan wedding, focus on the big picture: elements such as full dresses in brocade and gilt, or even white with a revealing decolletage; long hair worn with loose curls and parted in the middle, plentiful use of herbs in rounded bouquets, and a muted, soft color scheme.

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