Wedding in Medieval Ages

After the Roman Empire dissolved wedding took two different directions.

On one side the growing strength of Christianity in western countries restricted the wedding ceremonies.  Whilst other relationships outside weddings were tolerated in ancient Rome and were possible also according to the Germanic rites this practice was condemned by the Christian authorities. The formal Christian Wedding was celebrated at the bride’s home and was blessed by a priest. It consisted of a formal promise, written and signed by both parties.

On the other side, the end of the Roman Empire left space for abuses and many types of informal weddings. Kidnapping, secret ones, divorces, polygamous relationships were just some of the common practices.

In 1215 the Church formally ruled wedding ceremonies. A Wedding was declared a sacred act finalized to procreation.  Divorces were no longer admitted and it was compulsory to make public all wedding celebrations to avoid polygamy or secret relationships. The ceremony had to take place only if there was free consensus between the parts. These rules, with slight modifications, are still used nowadays in Catholic practices.

Maui Wedding Photographer- Nicole Sanchez