Lord And Lady Of Love: How To Throw A True Medieval Wedding Banquet

If living medieval is your thing or if you want to have a medieval theme to your wedding, you can set up your wedding reception to be just like a true manor home medieval wedding. If you want everything from the food to the fun to be similar to a medieval wedding you can use fixtures from modern time to bring this old school fairytale to life. Here is what you will need to throw a medieval wedding reception that all of your wedding nobles will enjoy. 

Find a long, rectangular banquet hall

If you want the hall for your reception to mimic a great banquet hall in medieval times, you should find a building that is in the shape of a long rectangle. You can set up several long tables throughout the room instead of having many tables with name cards. The wedding party can sit at a table in the very front of the room, while guests can sit in the tables that are facing, but directly behind, the wedding party table. One change that would be a good idea is having separate chairs rather than benches, as these can be difficult to get in and out of for those who have disabilities. 

Introduce guests before entering the hall

It was common for guests at a banquet in a manor hall or in a castle to be introduced. You can station knights at the front of the room, who also aid in the serving or security, to announce the guests as they walk into the room to be seating. The bridal party, parents of the wedding party, and the bridegroom couple should be among the last introduced. You can elect for an entire family to be introduced by family name, or last name, in the interest of time for large weddings. If someone is actually a title holder, such as a doctor, lawyer, or another noble honor, this should be recognized along with their name. This can also help the staff know who is coming in next and where they should sit them. 

Five-course dinner fit for a king and queen.

When it comes to medieval feasts, there was no shortage of supper courses for nobles. Your wedding banquet should have around five courses, though you can add more or less depending on dietary restrictions. A medieval meal should have a salad course with fresh bread, a fish or other seafood course, a main course featuring beef or chicken, a dessert, then wine and dried or honey-sweetened fruit and cheese. For the salad, make sure you include green leafy vegetables plus cut up fruit as was the standard in medieval times. Along with the meal, offer the traditional ale, water, and fruit juice beverages that would be available. Once the feast is done, you can get on with the story-telling, dancing, and revelry.