A Renaissance Fantasy

One of the guys who was in our bridal party has now gotten engaged, and we had a chance to talk with him while cooking lunch at Christ House (as part of our church charity activities). We learned that he is planning to wear a kilt since he has Scottish ancestry. The bride-to-be is thinking about having a Renaissance wedding and having everybody dress up. So . . . I've been browsing through costuming website.

There are a couple of things I need to keep in mind. The wedding will likely be during the summer, in July probably. In the Orthodox Church, there are dates when weddings can't be performed. During Lent, Peter & Paul Fast (which takes place after Pentecost), Dormition fast (which is the first 15 days of August, Advent (before Christmas), and a couple other fast days. So that leaves a finite number of days that weddings can be performed. Having known the couple for quite a while, it is likely that they don't want to have a long engagement. Hence, summer wedding.

Now, the weather in this DC metro area can be very beastly in July (although it was quite pleasant when I got married back in 2003). So - the dress for myself will need to be comfortable. There's one era that best meets these criteria - Early Italian Renaissance. And I love this style. It's flattering as well - the waistline fall just below the bust, thus hiding that stomach belly. And sleeves can be detachable. So I've been browsing the web for ideas. I've looked at Italian Renaissance Gown Construction.

And there's one of my favorite sites - A Festive Attyre where she has a gallery of costumes created by other people and several diaries of her own costumes. Take a look at her Research section. That 1470s gown looks like a possibility, as does the 1515 gown.

Now . . . I really, really have to get my sewing up to speed. I'll likely have to enlist help from a couple of my friends. Of course . . . the bride-to-be could change her mind and go with a conventional wedding.

And then there's my hubby - what's he going to wear? It seems that a kilt would be the best thing to go with. I'm very partial to the Braveheart kilt style and I think Hubby would look dashing in it. Since he has Scottish ancestry on his maternal side, he could get away with it. Now I need to find the tartan colors for the MacDonald clan.