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Have you ever wondered why we say the things we say during a wedding ceremony? Maybe this will help with some history from the Midevil period of Europe.

Excerp from The History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom:

It should take only a slight effort to follow the priest's archaic language as he addresses the people:

" Lo, bretheren we are comen here before God and his angels and all his halowes, in the face and presence of our moder holy Chyrche, for to couple and to knyt these two bodydes togyder...If there be any of you that can say any thynge why these two may not lawfully be wedded togyder at this tyme, say it nowe."

Then the priest says to the man:
"Wylt thou haue this woman to thy wyfe and loue her and keep her, in sykenes and in helthe, and in all other gegrese be to her as a husbande sholde bae to his wyfe, and all other forsake for her, and holde the only to her to lyues endes."

The man answers "I wyll."

The priest then uses similiar language for the woman, with the additional words "and to be buxum to hym, serue hym," which means to be obedient to him and serve him.

The woman answers "I wyll."

At this point the priest asks:

"Who gyues me this wyfe?"

The woman is usually given away by her father. This part of the marriage ceremony recalls the ancient assumption that the daughter was "gifted" by her father to he husband.

Then the groom takes the bride by the right hand with his right hand - as in the Roman ceremony - and pledges his troth, saying after the priest:

"Here I take the ( fill in the name ) to my wedded wyfe, to haue and to halde, at bedde and at borde, for fayrer for fouler, for better for warse, in sekeness and in hele, tyl dethe us departe."

And the woman makes the same vows in the same words.

Now the froom places fold, silver, and a ring upon a shield or a book, and the priest blesses the ring, which the groom then places upon the fourth or middle finger of the bride.

Holding his bride by the hand, he says after the priest:

"With this ring I wedde thee, and with this golde and siluer I honoure thee, and with this gyft I dowe thee."

So if you ever wanted to know how the modern marriage ceremony came about, just look into history, we've been saying the same thing for almost 1,000 years :)

Teresa Potter
northwestbartender@yahoo.com
Serenity Catering Northwest
Flanders Enterprises Bartending Services LLC
253-212-8476

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