Why A Medieval Wedding

Nowadays, more and more theme parties are being given. Zen, Arabian Nights, Celestial, Moroccan, Fairytales... these are just a few of the themes that I've heard used in weddings, proms and debuts. Ours, the medieval theme, is actually a pretty popular one, or so it seemed, based on some talks with suppliers.

Some people actually find it corny to have these themed events. Others think it's quite unique. For Leo and I, we just want to make our wedding something that will be remembered.

A wedding, no matter how simple or grand, will always be memorable to the bride and groom. It's a celebration of their love, afterall. So it's already a given that the day will be special to us no matter what happens. What we want is to make it memorable to our guests as well. Just like what my production designer/event stylist said, the success of their service will be determined by the words of the guests -- not by us -- from the time they arrived until days after. We want to create something that can be talked about even after the party's over. Hopefully, through our theme, this can happen.

Of course, not everybody will appreciate the theme. In fact, I can already think of some people who will downright criticize it. Some might even say we're just wasting money. Oh well, it's our money to spend, right? **grins** But we really do hope that not everybody will think that way. We're spending money for their enjoyment afterall.

So why medieval? I must admit that the idea really came from me. I love stories about knights and kings and ladies and princesses. I read about them all the time in romance novels (which Leo hates, by the way, hehehe), and watch movies like First Knight, Robinhood: Prince of Thieves, Musketeers, even that spoof movie - A knight's Tale. These stories seem to transport me. I often wonder how it must be like living in that time and place... I daydream about them all the time when I was a kid. Oh alright, I will admit that I still daydream about them even now, hahaha. Anyhoo... that is the why of it.

But just to manage your expectations, we're still not sure if we can or will make it medieval all the way. First of all, we don't have bottomless bank accounts and, of course, the effect of authenticity will cost some. I originally planned to do some DIY stuff, but I am worried now that I will not have the time to do them. We also didn't want the party to be too old fashioned as we are not certain how receptive our guests will be about it. For example, I originally wanted to have dance cards (though I'm not sure if they are from the medieval or victorian time) that will contain a list of formal dances, and all the ladies will have one. The men will then need to write their names on the dance cards opposite the song that they want to dance. Traditionally, the ladies are not allowed to reject a partner. There will then be a part of the program where the musicians will start playing all the dances in order. Nice huh, hehe? But like I said, the guests may not be receptive to it.

Our wish is that all the guests will have fun on our wedding. Of course, a part of it must also come from them. You can't really make someone enjoy if he has his heart set on being negative from the start. All we can do is provide the venue, the food, and the program. Themed or not, the energy and the willingness to enjoy must come from the guests.