Other aspects of medieval wedding attire – accessories etc

We've talked a lot about the dress itself, what about other aspects of medieval wedding attire?

Head wear

Medieval brides didn't wear veils. Instead, they wore their hair loose, to symbolise virginity, and wore a wreath of flowers on their head. There's just so much room for personal expression here, I think a circlet of flowers is so much more interesting than a bouquet.

If you don't fancy wearing flowers in your hair, a nice alternative is a silver or gold circlet. A simple thin, single band is very in keeping, but of course there are much fancier options out there if you want to go a little fantasy. Thanks to the Lord of the Rings movies, there are tons of gorgeous, delicate, intricate circlets available.

And if you really want a veil, then a medieval veil looks beautiful with a simple circlet. Medieval veils are also dead easy to make – they're just a large oval or circle. Traditionally, they're made from fine linen, but a fine gauze also looks beautiful for a wedding.

Real medieval noblewomen often wore a wider circlet, and medieval queens wore crowns over their wimples.

For the fairy princess theme, I love a delicate little crown perched on the top of the head. Have a look at the gallery for ideas.

Medieval wedding rings

Our ideas about what wedding rings look like are much later than medieval. In fact, medieval brides didn't even wear their ring on the third finger of their left hand (that wasn't decided till 1549, in the Book of Common Prayer). A medieval groom gave his bride a ring in token of his promise, but he usually gave it when they were engaged rather than at the wedding.

So, you really have free reign here! If you want a medieval style ring, your best bet will probably be to look for reproductions at museums – medieval rings were generally thicker and fancier than ours (see gallery for examples), and you won't find anything anything like them in a high street jewellers. Lots of brides like a celtic style ring – which of course has very little to do with medieval style, but does go very well with the Lord of the Rings fairy princess thing.

Belts

Whatever style of medieval dress you're wearing, you almost certainly want a belt. The classic medieval belt or girdle is very long and worn wrapped twice around the waist. When you put on a modern belt you start by holding it behind you then buckling it in front. For a medieval belt it's the other way round – you start by holding it in front of you, wrap it round your waist towards the back, cross the ends behind you, then bring them back to the front to be fastened. And you fasten the belt much more loosely than a modern belt, so that it forms a triangle pointing downwards.

Often the belt was woven, with a wide woven part and then long cords – you tie the belt at the place where the cords begin. If you want a belt of leather of chain, then you'll need to find one which is specially constructed – because the belt forms a triangle at the place where it fastens, a normal buckle won't work, it won't fasten at an angle. Medieval suppliers craftsmen can make belts that work. There are beautiful belts make of links and chain which are designed to fasten in this way. Alternatively, a fine sash can work just as well.

Shoes

Medieval shoes were very simple, and had no heel. If your dress is quite accurate, then soft, flat slippers will suit it best. To get away with heels, a more fantasy style dress would be better.