Don't Mock It Till You Try It

Last weekend I entered unchartered territory, and I don’t mean my first trip “up north” to Charlevoix, MI. On Saturday, I attended my first Renaissance wedding.

I can’t lie. Leading up to the wedding, I was all mock-y. I snickered as I imagined, lords, ladies, jesters, and large legs of mutton and grog. I pictured duels and jousting, elaborate line dances and fanciful music.

I was not disappointed. Except for the mutton and grog. Does anyone even know what grog is?

But, while I fully intended to snarkily highlight one faux pas after the next, I found myself beguiled by the charm of the wedding, and the bride and groom. The bride, a novice seamstress, made her dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the groomsmens’ tunics (yes, they wore tunics and carried swords…) AND her mother’s dress. Not one of the outfits looked costume-y (and that’s a hard feat when you’re a dude sporting a tunic.)

I asked the bride what inspired the wedding’s theme and she replied the desire for good times and celebrations. Perhaps the costumes added the merriment to the feasting, because everyone sporting a hair garland, chain mail, or (gulp) a ball sac, all appeared to be having an amazing time. The silliness of the costumes provided a giddy atmosphere to the wedding, which accurately captured the rush you first feel when you fall in love with the person you’re destined to marry.

While I had a great time this weekend, I’m not entirely sold on the idea of “theme weddings.” In other words, don’t rush into an ebay search for an authentic can-can dress for my Moulin Rouge! theme wedding. But what I did learn was humbling. I was too quick to judge. And perhaps we place too much emphasis on planning the perfect wedding, rather than one that feels fun and spontaneous - with or without the melon jousting.